Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 35 - Chapter 1

Everyone’s Circumstances

Monday, June 13th

Matsudaira Kotori was proud of her brother Kenji. He was smart, kind, and caring. He was a little overprotective of his younger sister, but that too was a virtue in its own right. Kotori looked up to and respected him... That is, until her first year of high school.

“Listen to this, Kou-niisan!”

“What’s wrong, Kin-chan? What’s the panic?”

“My brother went out on a date with Emily-san!”

“He still hasn’t given up on her, huh?”

Indeed, when she began high school, Kotori’s image of her brother was completely destroyed. She’d discovered that he used all of his so-called virtues to charm and seduce girls. There were even rumors of him dating multiple girls at the same time! That was enough to alarm any little sister, but Kotori was particularly devastated because of how highly she’d always regarded her older brother. It was a terrible blow, and as a result, she was now exceedingly strict with him.

“Some of my classmates saw them together alone last Saturday!”

“And they’re sure it was Mackenzie and Emily-san?”

“They know who my brother is, and ‘tall, blonde, and stacked’ describes Emily-san to a T!”

“Yeah, okay. There’s no mistaking her for Theia with that description...”

There, Koutarou leaned over and offered the petite princess a piteous pat on the head.

“Remove your hand from me at once!” she demanded.

Kenji and Emily had met at the beginning of May. Upon hearing the rumors that a beautiful foreigner had transferred to Harukaze High, Kenji tracked her down immediately to introduce himself. He’d come to hear of her circumstances afterward from Koutarou and the gang, and thus agreed to help out with the rescue mission. He and Emily had gotten close in the process. Close enough, apparently, to be going out on dates now.

“I want to know what happened to Kashiwagi-senpai!” Kotori wailed. “I got my hopes up when he said she might be the one!”

“Oh, is that what this is about...?” Koutarou mumbled.

“Do you mean Kashiwagi-san from our class, by any chance?” Shizuka cut in.

She’d taken a sudden interest in the conversation. As the resident chatterbox of Corona House, she loved a good gossip—especially if romance was involved.

“Yes, that’s her,” answered Kotori, tears still in her eyes. “I heard they got close during last year’s school trip.”

The whole situation was a nightmare for her. She was disappointed in her brother, who’d told her just the other day that he wanted to start seriously dating Kashiwagi Shiori for real. That was why Kotori had gotten her hopes up that Kenji would forgo his philandering ways and settle down... only to have those hopes crushed now that she’d found out he was going on dates with Emily.

“During the school trip?” Shizuka said pensively.

The school trip had been a momentous time for Shizuka and Kashiwagi Shiori, as well as the other girls around Koutarou. Kotori wasn’t any the wiser, however, and Nalfa was too busy daydreaming about school trips to ask any questions right now.

“You guys might not believe me,” interjected Koutarou, “but Mackenzie’s actually a late bloomer.”

“Whaaat?!” the girls all shouted in unison.

He’d expected a reaction, of course, but not one that strong. He couldn’t help the wry smile that crossed his lips.

“W-We’re talking about our Mackenzie-kun, right?!” Shizuka exclaimed. “There’s no way he’s a late bloomer! He’s always got a girl on his arm.”

“That’s the problem, Landlord-san. He’s never found the right one. I know he’s always quick to the rescue and seems like he can handle himself, but he’s actually really kind of introverted when it comes to personal things like that.”

This was a side to Kenji that only Koutarou knew. He was clever and quick to make decisions, which was reflected in how he was quick to move from girl to girl. But Koutarou had seen him stall out before. An easy example was when Koutarou first announced he was giving up baseball in high school.

When he heard that, Kenji had hardly known what to do. He loved baseball and wanted to keep playing, but it just wouldn’t be the same without his best friend. He’d pondered the dilemma for over a month, dragging his heels until eventually deciding to join the drama club instead of the baseball team. Koutarou believed that was the true start of his philandering ways, as Kotori would put it, so he also felt somewhat responsible for that.

“Are you saying my brother really is interested in Kashiwagi-san?” Kotori asked hesitantly.

“I don’t know,” replied Koutarou. “Emily-san is pretty assertive, after all.”

Emily had never hesitated to make her feelings for Kenji known, which complicated the situation. It was entirely possible she was the one who’d asked him on a date. She might even be leading him around by the nose while he was stuck in his own head. That was hard for Kotori to accept, but Koutarou didn’t think it was fair to pin all the blame on Kenji.

“Honestly, Kin-chan, I can understand if he’s stuck between Emily-san and Kashiwagi.”

“I guess that’s fair... They aren’t just your average girls.”

Complicating the matter further was the fact that Shiori and Emily both seemed to be genuinely interested in Kenji. Neither one was after him for his looks. They cared about him for who he was.

“So can you cut him some slack when it comes to Kashiwagi and Emily-san, Kin-chan? I’m sure he already knows just how much of a pickle he’s in.”

“Kou-niisan...”

“As long as he doesn’t do anything untoward, of course.”

Koutarou would support Kenji as long as he was serious. In his eyes, both Shiori and Emily were wonderful girls. Moreover, while he couldn’t exactly admit it... Koutarou was in quite a similar situation himself. Worse, even. He had nine girls he couldn’t choose between, so he had no room to be critical of Kenji.

“I understand,” Kotori reluctantly conceded. “I’ll keep watching over him.”

“Thank you, Kin-chan.”

“Why are you thanking me, Kou-niisan?”

“Hahaha. I am his friend, you know? We’ve known each other for a long time.”

“Heehee, that’s true. I forget sometimes.”

Fortunately, Kotori seemed to be in a better mood now. She was a kind girl at heart and, deep down, wanted to believe in her brother. So if Koutarou said she should give him the benefit of the doubt, she would.

“By the way, how are things going for you, Kin-chan?” he asked.

“Me?” she asked in turn, her eyes wide.

She hardly seemed to have any idea what he was talking about. Seeing that, Koutarou volunteered an explanation.

“According to Mackenzie, you’re getting quite popular yourself.”

“Th-That’s, um...”

When she realized what he was really asking, Kotori blushed and looked away. It was true, however; like Koutarou had said, Kotori had been getting a lot of attention from the boys at school lately. She’d spent all of her elementary and middle school years shyly hiding behind Koutarou and Kenji. But now that she was good friends with Nalfa, she was naturally putting herself out there more. She was seeing and talking to people she never would have before, and thus her popularity skyrocketed.

“I hear some boys have even asked you out already,” Koutarou said with a smile.

“Y-Yes, th-that’s true...” Kotori admitted, still looking away.

“But she turned them all down!” Nalfa cut in. As Kotori’s best friend, she had privileged firsthand knowledge of her affairs.

“Nal-chan!” Kotori shrieked.

“That’s a shame.”

“Kou-niisan!”

“I think it might be your fault, Koutarou-sama.”

“What? How?”

“Because of you, Kotori’s standards are too high. Nobody’s going to stand up compared to an actual hero.”

“You think so? Kin-chan knows who I really am, though. Bad sides and all,” Koutarou said, cocking his head.

Kotori had borne witness to all of Koutarou and Kenji’s stupid antics since they were children. If anything, he felt like he was actively bringing Kotori’s standards down.

“You don’t have any bad sides, Kou-niisan! You’re a model guy, and you always have been!” she declared.

“Ahaha, I see why all those boys got rejected!” Shizuka laughed.

At that, Kotori immediately realized she’d said too much. Her face turned beet red.

“If Satomi-kun is still your ideal guy even after you’ve learned all his faults, it’s no wonder other guys are having trouble moving your heart.”

Shizuka understood Kotori’s feelings. The question of romance aside, she felt something similar herself. She too loved Koutarou in spite of his faults. If anything, they endeared him to her—and she and Kotori had that in common.

“Th-That’s...” Kotori stammered.

“Am I wrong?” Shizuka asked with a sly grin.

“You’re not, but...”

“So all I need to do is ruin my good image in Kin-chan’s eyes, right?”

“K-Kou-niisan!”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s impossible, Satomi-kun.”

“I can be a bad boy too, you know.”

“Is that so, Satomi Koutarou?” Kiriha piped up in a challenging tone. “You really think you can be a badboy without hurting anyone?”

Kiriha, for one, couldn’t imagine Koutarou ever doing anything to hurt someone intentionally. The idea that he could play a badboy was preposterous.

“Er... Oh, I know! I could probably do gold smuggling!”

Gold smuggling was a patently white-collar crime. It took advantage of the system at the taxpayers’ expense, but it was largely victimless, so to speak.

“Augh... Waaah!”

“Koutarou, Koutarou!” Sanae cried. “Yurika just burst into tears!”

Unfortunately, however, one such victim lived right here in room 106. Koutarou had seen its devastating consequences firsthand, meaning gold smuggling too was out of the question.

“Shoot. Then there’s... What else is there?” he pondered.

“Master, why not just give it up? I don’t think it’s possible for you,” Ruth advised.

“Kou-niisan, please don’t do things to try to make me dislike you on purpose!”

“But it’s kind of fun to think about.”

“Please!”

“You tell him, Kotori!”

Koutarou and the girls continued to chat away until everyone gathered in the apartment. Once they were all together, it was time to get to business. The current matter at hand was how things would be proceeding with Forthorthe, which came with all sorts of headaches. As such, the conversation turned quite serious.

“Speaking of... how are the dorms going?” Harumi asked.

She wanted to know about the state of the new student housing being built for Kisshouharukaze High School. Since she’d graduated, she wasn’t there frequently anymore and didn’t know how the construction was coming along.

“The dorms themselves are almost complete,” Koutarou explained. “From what I’ve seen, they’ve started building sidewalks, convenience stores, and such around them.”

In regard to housing, there was far more than just the dormitories that needed to be accommodated. The students would need somewhere to eat, buy necessities, et cetera. Harukaze High stood atop a hill in Kisshouharukaze City, so it was something of a lonely structure. In order to keep live-in students from having to go all the way down into the city every time they needed something, the committee was working on building a small commercial district nearby—something akin to a miniature city unto itself with a doctor’s office, post office, and more.

“Oh, I know! Kotori and I did a story on the dorm just the other day, Koutarou-sama!” Nalfa announced excitedly.

“Would you like to see the footage?” Kotori offered, holding up the camera. She’d recently taken on the role of helping Nalfa out as her assistant.

“Thanks, Kin-chan. That’d be great.”

“Just a second.”

Kotori smiled away as she clicked through the files on the camera. Since she’d filmed everything herself, she knew where all the data was and could pull it up quickly. She handled it like a real professional.

“Come take a look too, Sakuraba-senpai.”

“Thank you very much... Oh, I see. So there’s a bus stop there now.”

The more she served as Nalfa’s assistant, the more Kotori got to know her way around a camera. She could record just what Nalfa wanted without having to do multiple takes or cuts. Harumi was impressed with the raw footage itself, so it was clear how talented Kotori had become as a camerawoman.

“The roads had to be expanded for moving and loading trucks, so they included the bus stop while they were at it,” Kiriha explained as she reviewed the footage with Harumi.

She’d had a hand in the construction plans herself, so no one knew about the project better than she did. Her strategic knowledge of defenses and urban planning made her a valuable asset.

“By the way, whatever happened with the hidden cameras in the dorm, Nal-chan?” Shizuka asked.

Nalfa had originally moved into a dorm that was rushed to completion ahead of the others, and Koutarou and company eventually came to discover it was bugged with cameras and microphones installed by people hoping to get their hands on Forthorthian technology. Shizuka was wondering what had come of that.

“We called in a specialist to remove everything,” explained Theia. “We also switched construction companies for the other dorms. We’re having a specialist check them out just to be sure, too.”

As the leader of the Forthorthian mission, Theia had special insight into the situation and how it was being handled. Kiriha had actually been the one to make the arrangements, however. They needed companies they knew they could trust, so her extensive list of contacts had been a great help. When so many businesses were frothing at the mouth to get their hands on the slightest lead, it was particularly comforting to have reliable partners and contractors on their side.

“I’m glad to hear that. Sounds like there shouldn’t be anything left to worry about,” Shizuka said with a satisfied smile. As a landlord herself, she hated the idea that someone’s private living space had been invaded like that.

“Oh, yeah. By the way, how is the next wave of transfer students and Forthorthian personnel looking?” asked Koutarou. With the matter of the dorms cleared up, his mind turned to the people that would be filling them come fall.

“Things are proceeding without issue, although there have been a few changes,” said Theia. “Would you fill him in, Ruth?”

“Of course, Your Highness. Because there were so many volunteers, the first group of transfer students was chosen from a low-risk pool of candidates.”

The initial influx of volunteers was whittled down by raffle, and the final pool of candidates was scrutinized by their character. The first group of Forthorthian transfer students, then, were chosen after a lengthy series of interviews with both the Forthorthian and Japanese governments. It was a somewhat biased methodology, but the idea was to minimize any potential problems since the process was new to everyone involved.

“The second wave, however, is being chosen entirely by lottery. Because of that, staff and training will need to be increased considerably.”

Things would be different this time. Other than those disqualified for extraordinary circumstances (like criminal records), anyone was allowed to apply for the transfer student lottery, and the winners were chosen at random. There would also be significantly more of them coming this time, meaning the opportunity for things to go awry was equally increased. Forthorthe would be sending teachers of its own along with the students to facilitate the transfer, but they would in turn need more Japanese instructors to teach them the local language and culture.

“I see. So Nalfa-san got to come early because she’s a good girl,” remarked Koutarou.

Nalfa’s brother was a well respected reporter, even if Theia practically considered him her nemesis. His good name went a long way to Nalfa’s credit, but she had ultimately been chosen for the first wave of transfer students on her own merits.

“Good for you, Nal-chan. Kou-niisan called you a good girl.”

“Ah... Heeheehee...”

Nalfa giggled nervously as she scratched at her cheek. She was pleased with the compliment, of course, but didn’t know how to respond. Koutarou surely only meant it at face value, though she hoped there was more to it than that. The conversation kept going, however, leaving the red-faced Nalfa to her imagination.

“Japan has finally approved an increased security budget, as they believe any shortcomings will reflect poorly on all of Earth,” Kiriha explained.

“Yeah, that makes perfect sense,” added Koutarou with a nod.

The Japanese government was deeply concerned about the safety and wellbeing of its Forthorthian guests, so the enhanced security budget had been in the works for some time. It was a lengthy process given all of the required input and other necessary decisions that factored into it, but everything had finally gone through.

“In essence, Japan and Forthorthe have been just as formal, diplomatic, and considerate of each other as they can,” Clan put forward in summary.

Ultimately, she was right. Both sides were doing everything properly and thoroughly in the interest of goodwill. Spirits were high and everything was going smoothly. That is, except...

“The problem is Ralgwin and the remnants of Vandarion’s faction. A lot could go wrong if we don’t deal with them,” Theia said with a stern expression, her arms crossed.

Indeed, they were now the greatest danger to the diplomatic mission. No matter how much goodwill was generated between the nations, the rebels could ruin it all with one ill-timed display of force. And Japan wasn’t all that was at risk. It was highly likely the underground and Folsaria would get caught up in any mess.

“Regarding the holdout rebels, Maki-sama was able to locate their base. We will be able to launch an offensive soon,” Ruth reported.

So far, Koutarou and company had lacked the information to make a decisive move. That had changed now thanks to Maki, who had tracked down the location of Ralgwin’s stronghold the other day. The group could now pool their resources and launch a preemptive strike to put an end to Ralgwin’s antics for good.

“So, where is their headquarters, Maki?” Kiriha asked.

“To the east of the ridge atop Mt. Kisshou is a lake,” she replied. “The entrance to their base is inside that lake.”

“It’s in the water?!” shouted Sanae, her eyes sparkling. “Then it’s like the Thunderbird!”

“So the entrance is underwater, huh?” remarked Koutarou with a sage nod. “No wonder we couldn’t find it.”

Until now, Ralgwin’s holdout had been a mystery to the group. They knew he was somewhere on Earth, but that was it. It was a possibility he was hiding on a ship in Earth’s orbit, but Theia had yet to detect any unauthorized warps going back and forth from the planet. That led them to believe Ralgwin had taken up somewhere on the surface.

And yet... they still hadn’t been able to locate him. His holdout had to be big enough for a spaceship to come and go, so its docking gate should have been large and quite obvious—but they’d never found any such thing. It all made sense now, however, as the structure had been underwater all along.

“I’d considered this, but there were too many potential locations to be able to narrow it down effectively,” admitted Kiriha.

“Even you have your limits, Kii. Don’t worry about it,” consoled Clan.

Kiriha had factored in the possibility of an underwater base in her many searches, but there were too many lakes, rivers, and swamps to explore—not to mention the open ocean. Divers were a limited resource as it was, and they weren’t especially effective in terms of stealth. If the enemy detected them, they might relocate their operation entirely. Discovering the base without being noticed was paramount, which was why Kiriha had assigned the task to Maki personally.

“Koutarou, we should attack right now!” rallied Sanae.

“You just want to see the secret underwater base, don’t you?” asked Koutarou rather skeptically.

“Heck yeah!”

“At least you’re honest... Nevertheless, I agree that we should make our move soon.”

Sanae’s overenthusiasm aside, Koutarou believed that made the most strategic sense. They needed to act before Ralgwin realized his base was compromised.

“Wait. I’d like to delay a couple of days,” countered Theia.

“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be the first to rush in,” joked Koutarou.

Theia was short-tempered and impatient, so she was usually the first to spearhead an attack. Koutarou couldn’t help remarking this unusual lapse in character.

“Actually, my mother has asked us to wait.”

Theia had received a directive from Empress Elfaria the other day in the middle of her regular reports: she and the others were to hold off on any offensive operations, even if the enemy stronghold should be discovered.

“Knowing Elle, she must be planning something.”

“You’re exactly right. Mother is sending Nefilforan with backup.”

“Nefilforan? You mean...”

“Yes, Princess Nefilforan.”

Elfaria had specifically asked Koutarou and the girls to hold back while they waited for Forthorthian reinforcements. That notably included Princess Nefilforan, who was known for her martial skill even among the royal families.

Her full name was Nefilforan Canon Glendad Aldousine Forthorthe, her personal title meaning “piercing greatspear.” She was two years older than Theia and hailed from the proud military house of Glendad. The princesses of Forthorthe generally saw each other as rivals, but Nefilforan was somewhat special.

“What’s she like?” Koutarou asked.

“She’s an excellent soldier and an expert with spears. As I’m sure you can imagine since she’s leading the reinforcements, she’s incredibly strong,” Theia replied.

“So a lot like you, huh?”

“I don’t care to admit it, but in terms of pure power, she has me beat. I have an advantage with ranged weaponry, however, so I suppose we’re about even.”

“If a sore loser like you is willing to concede that much, she must really be strong.”

The Glendads were a family that traditionally excelled in martial arts; they were more likely to be generals than emperors. They saw more value in leading the military than leading the people, one could say. And Nefilforan was no exception to that. She’d been training ever since she was a child, and her skill was proof. She expertly wielded a greatspear even longer than she was tall.

“She also has a flair for military matters. She’s already a regimental commander,” Theia continued.

“Hmm... Isn’t that, like, right below me?” Koutarou asked.

“Indeed, it is. The only rank between the two of you is general.”

“Pretty impressive for someone so young.”

“She’s earned it. She has quite a track record, and she’s worked hard for it.”

“I guess that’s the real difference between you.”

“Hm?”

“Natural talent versus hard work.”

“Well, I suppose. I’m also much cuter, I’ll have you know.”

“Yes, of course. You’re absolutely adorable.”

Nefilforan was an incredible soldier who had begun distinguishing herself in her teens. And now she’d climbed her way up to regimental commander, one step short of becoming a general. That wasn’t through favoritism as a member of a royal family, either; she’d achieved it through her own hard work. She’d earned her place.

“I guess she just didn’t make much of an impression...” Koutarou mumbled.

Try as he might, he remembered very little of Nefilforan from his time in Forthorthe. He vaguely recalled meeting her when he took command of the army, but if she was really the standout soldier Theia was describing... Koutarou couldn’t help wondering why he hadn’t seen more of her in action.

“That was the fault of the Glendad family at large,” Theia clarified.

“Did something happen?” Koutarou asked, curious.

“You could say that. As you know, the Glendad family has produced a long line of generals. Their ties with the military are quite strong.”

“Oh, I get it. So they were stuck between Elle and the military.”

Nefilforan was well on her way to becoming a general when Vandarion’s coup reared its ugly head. The Glendad family had been divided on the matter of whose side to take in the uprising, effectively paralyzing them for most of the civil war. Thanks to that, Nefilforan was sidelined until the endgame.

“Yes, that’s right,” Theia said with a satisfied nod.

“That’s why the Glendads are desperate to make up for it now,” Clan chipped in. “You returned to Earth right away, so you wouldn’t know, but Nefilforan-san has led the charge in rooting out Vandarion’s remnants in Forthorthe.”

“Her Majesty Elfaria is well aware that we lack the forces to move on a stronghold,” added Ruth as she pulled up data on Forthorthian personnel currently on Earth.

The numbers made it clear a skeleton crew had been sent to guard Theia and the rest of the diplomatic mission. That was an inevitability at the time given the lack of established relations with Japan, but things were different now that legislation was picking up. Nevertheless, the detail on Earth wasn’t enough to safeguard the delegation and assault a military stronghold simultaneously.

“However, Nefilforan-sama is available now that she’s more or less taken care of the remaining rebels on the home front. So Her Majesty has sent her to assist us here on Earth.”

Ruth tapped away at the terminal she was using to change the data being displayed. She now pulled up information on Nefilforan’s forces, which were large enough to supplement the delegation guard and mount an impressive offensive. That—in a nutshell—was why Elfaria has asked Koutarou and the girls to hold off. They were awaiting Nefilforan’s arrival.

“I see... So Elle is helping us out while also giving the Glendad family a chance to save face.”

“Yes. Given the vast size of the imperial army, she could have easily sent another unit. But the Glendads are serious about this. They’re personally funding Nefilforan’s forces, so it’s a win-win situation for Forthorthe.”

“So Elle can make them happy and win another military ally in the fight for disarmament...”

“Bingo.”

“She sure is a shrewd one,” Koutarou said with a wry smile. He couldn’t help regarding Elfaria’s clever ways with both exasperation and affection.

“Um... May I have a word, Koutarou-sama?” Nalfa asked politely with a worried look on her face.

“What is it, Nalfa-san?” Koutarou inquired, snapping back to his senses.

“Are you sure it’s okay for me and Kotori to be here when you’re talking about military moves and state secrets?” she asked sheepishly.

To a normal girl like Nalfa, this entire conversation was utterly beyond her. She was dumbfounded that Koutarou and the others were talking about it all as casually as they had Kenji’s girlfriends.

“What, is that all?” Koutarou asked with a relieved smile.

Nalfa had looked so concerned that Koutarou was worried it was something much more serious. He was relieved that it wasn’t, but Kotori seemed to think otherwise. She turned to him with a pronounced pout.

“Don’t just brush it off like that, Kou-niisan! Nalfa-chan and I are both worried about propriety here.”

Kotori never behaved this way with anyone other than her closest friends, which included Koutarou first and foremost. And he knew good and well that it meant she was quite serious.

“Sorry, Kin-chan. But in all honesty... we don’t feel like it’s anything we need to hide from you. You’ve kept a lot of secrets for us, you know? So we all trust you.”

Nalfa and Kotori knew a great deal of the secrets surrounding Koutarou and the other girls. The most precarious one given the current political climate was the existence of magic, and they hadn’t spilled the beans about that to anyone. So as far as Koutarou was concerned, there was no reason to keep their next military move from the two first-years. They were both part of the team now, so to speak.

“Thank you very much, Koutarou-sama!”

“Isn’t that great, Nal-chan?”

“It’s wonderful!”

Nalfa and Kotori were both overjoyed to hear this and exchanged a smile. The information flying around room 106 right now had the power to change the future of Earth, and they’d been worried their access to it might incidentally put that at risk. Koutarou, however, had given them just the reassurance they needed.

“But still, Kou-niisan, you have to promise to chase us out when you talk about the really important stuff, okay?”

“We’ll feel more at ease that way.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be sure to kick you two out when I talk about Mackenzie’s new girlfriend.”

“Kou-niisan!”

From there, the conversation once more moved back to trivial everyday topics. As of late, the ordinary and the extraordinary coexisted in room 106. Koutarou and the others realized this, of course, but they all quietly accepted it for what it was. They wanted to keep a hold on the ordinary, no matter how extraordinary their lives became.

Manufacturing weapons came with a number of practical challenges. There was the primary matter of securing basic needs: an energy source, a water supply, reliable waste disposal, and more. These were required before equipment and other hardware could be brought in, and establishing them was no mean feat for Ralgwin.

First off, he couldn’t rely on any of his space-age Forthorthian technology for power. It didn’t exist here on Earth otherwise, so its unique reactions and signatures were easy to detect. Instead, he had to rely on locally sourced energy. The manufacturing plant also needed clean water and a quiet, effective way to dispose of waste, as any excess pollution could give its location away to the eagle-eyed Theia.

Functionally, Ralgwin needed an Earth-powered plant that ran cleaner and more efficiently than anything currently on Earth. It was quite a task, yet in spite of the obstacles... Ralgwin finally had his own spiritual energy beam rifle in his hands. He stood there admiring it after a few test shots.

“Interesting... The automatic aim response is far faster. And its ability to slip through space distortion fields is fantastic.”

Today was the grand test fire of the weapons Ralgwin’s plant was now producing. All kinds of problems had cropped up during the manufacturing process, as was typical. But Ralgwin had overcome challenge after challenge until he was met with reward at last. The production line was running smoothly, and the rifle in his hands was proof. Indeed, this was no prototype; it was an actual, finished weapon. And its performance exceeded Ralgwin’s expectations.

“The enhanced response time is because the rifle reads your aura and moves ahead of you, Ralgwin-sama,” explained an engineer.

“So what happens if you’re tired and your thoughts are foggy?”

“Then it would automatically default to the normal aiming mode, so there are no disadvantages.”

“That’s more than satisfactory. I like it.”

“I’m honored, sir.”

Ralgwin looked understanding at first glance, but he was known for severely punishing those who didn’t live up to his expectations. As such, the engineer showing him the rifle was truly relieved that he seemed to be pleased with it.

Fasta, however, was less so. She took a few shots of her own and issued a harsher assessment.

“It has less lethal potential than our current weapons.”

As a sniper, she highly prized the firepower of a weapon. And in that sense, spiritual energy weapons were indeed lacking.

“I believe its ability to slip through distortion fields makes up for that,” countered Ralgwin.

“It’s my job to worry about heavily armored enemies too,” rebutted Fasta.

“Don’t worry. When we get to making yours, I’ll be sure to have an underslung grenade launcher added.”

“Thank you very much. I’d prefer a sniper rifle, if possible.”

“Of course. Now... you there! Get to it!”

“Understood, sir. I’ll ready a replacement right away, so please continue with the testing at your leisure.”

“Very well.”

“Then, if you’ll excuse me...”

The engineer in charge of the test bowed to Ralgwin and Fasta, then swiftly exited the firing range. When Ralgwin said to get to it, he meant immediately.

After the engineer left, Ralgwin and Fasta continued testing out the new rifles. They would be trusting their lives to these weapons in combat, so any flaws needed to be uncovered now before they proved fatal. Since Ralgwin and his men were isolated here on Earth, there was no backup when something went wrong on the battlefield.

“Hm. It seems that the stronger your will is, the more power you can draw out of the weapon,” noted Ralgwin.

“That’s both an advantage and a disadvantage. If you outfitted an average squad with these, they wouldn’t be able to make the most of them,” Fasta argued.

“That’s harsh, Fasta. This weapon is incredible. In the hands of a specially trained unit, it will work wonders.”

At the very least, they both agreed that the performance of the spiritual energy rifle varied based on its wielder—which was a perk or a flaw depending on how it was used. Strictly speaking, the weapons responded to a user’s spiritual energy, but interpreting that as “will” wasn’t too far off the mark. A specialized squad who learned to use the weapons without hesitation would gain the maximum effect from them. They would be a force to be reckoned with indeed.

Even the best soldiers couldn’t maintain perfect focus forever, but the potential for concentrated strike forces or ambush teams was incredible—especially given spiritual energy’s ability to penetrate distortion fields. In the right hands, spiritual energy weapons were more than enough to dispatch ordinary soldiers.

But there was something else about them that Fasta had noticed. Something only she could have.

“Ralgwin-sama, about the aiming function where the gun reads its user’s mind...”

“Is there some problem with it?”

“No, not that. I was just thinking that’s what the Blue Knight did... reading his enemy’s mind to beat them to the punch.”

Fasta was still bothered by the fact that Koutarou had dodged a shot from her sniper rifle. But as she began playing around with spiritual energy technology, she slowly began wrapping her head around how he might have done it.

“Hm, that’s an interesting idea. It seems we’ve cracked one of the Blue Knight’s mysteries,” Ralgwin mused with a satisfied nod.

If a rifle could take aim at someone before its user could, then perhaps the same ability could be used defensively to dodge a bullet. An incredibly long-range shot would have only given him more time to respond.

“Yes... but only one.”

Despite uncovering this secret, Fasta didn’t seem pleased in the slightest. Ralgwin understood why, however, and nodded with a slightly grimmer expression than before.

“That’s true. There’s much that remains unexplained. Whatever technology it is that can create highly detailed holograms instantly, the unknown bioagent that has no side effects and seems to be untraceable... and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

Ralgwin was stumped by Maki’s illusions and Yurika’s poisons. They were magic, of course, but Ralgwin and the other Forthorthians simply understood them to be new technologies of some kind. The legends of the Blue Knight mentioned magic, but never did they think it actually existed. It was a logical trap. A bias, in a way. Not even the most brilliant minds in Forthorthe could have imagined Koutarou was in possession of magic from the past along with cutting-edge futuristic tech.

“We still don’t know how they sank our siege cannons the other day.”

“According to the guys in the tech department, it’s possible to soften up the ground with vibrations... but not from that distance.”

Ralgwin was oblivious to the fact that Yurika had teleported directly to the cannons. Nobody had seen her use her bog spell either. So as far as Ralgwin’s camp was concerned, what had happened the other day was the biggest mystery of all.

“What a troublesome foe...”

“You can say that again, Fasta. We’ll need to be well prepared and act with extreme caution. And next we fight, I’d prefer it to be an ambush.”

When they were up against so many unexplained phenomena, Ralgwin wanted to keep all other uncertainties to a minimum. If he could control the circumstances just right and get to Koutarou before he ever had a chance to use his strange powers, Ralgwin was sure he could win. It was curious, almost. Now that he’d uncovered the secret of one of Koutarou’s strange powers, he was more wary than ever of the others. Their danger felt more present now, more real. He too, much like Koutarou right now, felt like he was in for a tough fight.