Volume 2 Chapter 36 military
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The final boss visible in the moonlight was Kunila, the somewhat goofy Dorm Mother of Bizan Magic School.
”An operative who infiltrates an enemy country for years, keeping up an ordinary life while leaking information, is called ‘grass,’ you know? Did you know that?”
What kind of ridiculous backstory was that?
It wasn’t like they were living in some vintage, over-the-top Showa-era manga.
”Even so, severing their Achilles tendons is a truly vicious thing to do. They’re combat personnel, you know? Now they won’t be able to walk properly for the rest of their lives. It would have been a mercy if you had just killed them.”
The reason I didn’t kill the woman who had been with Rudy wasn’t the result of some cold, calculated judgment about leaving her alive to minimize the chance of a counterattack.
It was simply because, dragging the stubborn morals of my previous life along with me, I just couldn’t bring myself to kill people so easily.
Granted, looking at the reality of it, leaving her like that might actually have been the crueler choice.
”So, did you come out here to recover their bodies?”
”Why on earth would I do that?”
”I heard that on the battlefield, the Amazonesses will pay a ransom to recover their people, even if they’re already dead.”
A memory flashed back to me—a detail from when I was shown the memories of Golems Battalion Commander Major Sonya.
”You’re unexpectedly well-informed, aren’t you? But unfortunately, you’re mistaken. I came here to make sure my cute little dorm students die.”
”To kill them? Instead of capturing them alive?”
”You chased away the mercenaries from Kiridal, and those two over there turned out to be completely useless. I’m just not talented enough to take you in all by myself, you see.”
”There was one more man, wasn’t there?”
Just a moment ago, there should have been a man out there who seemed to be issuing directives to Rudy’s companion.
”Ah, I had him killed. He had to take responsibility for drawing up such a sloppy, disorganized plan, didn’t he?”
It was hard to believe her words right away, but through the eyes of the golems keeping watch from the roof of the carriage, no moving human silhouettes entered my field of vision.
”Hmm. I’m amazed that the Principal hired someone like you. Did you actually look like an exceptionally talented candidate to her?”
The Principal was a woman meticulous enough to travel all the way to Obernbach just to personally vet my character.
I couldn’t imagine her willingly employing such a deeply suspicious woman as her immediate subordinate.
”Oh, it was incredibly easy. I just cried to her, sobbing that my husband had divorced me and I had absolutely nowhere else to go, and she hired me on the spot.”
”Just because of that? She always smiled like an incredibly cautious person to me.”
”No, no, that’s enough. It’s bad manners, you know? Trying to stall the fight with idle chatter while you wait for reinforcements to arrive.”
I didn’t actually think I could delay a life-or-death battle for an hour and a half just by talking. I just wanted to get some answers.
Kunila pulled a narrow-necked clay jar from somewhere, conjured a Fireball in her palm with a flick of her wrist, and lit the oil-soaked cloth plugging its mouth.
This woman had at least a Level 3 mastery in Mana Handling¹.
How on earth had I failed to notice that until now?
Did she mix metal powder in with the oil? The flame catching the cloth burned with an aggressive, blinding intensity that completely banished the moonlight, paradoxically making my field of vision narrower.
Directly in front of me, the upward glare of the fire illuminated Kunila’s face, making her features loom up with a bizarre, menacing distortion.
Apparently satisfied that the flame was burning fiercely enough, her face twisted into a vicious grin, and she hurled the burning jar with a smooth underhand pitch.
Tracing an unexpectedly long, elegant parabola through the night sky, the jar flew straight toward the jet-black carriage.
Rather than exploding on impact, it shattered as it hit the dirt, instantly igniting the spilled oil beneath the vehicle.
”What are you going to do? If you don’t hurry, Louise-chan—who absolutely dotes on you—is going to burn to death.”
Cackling with a sharp, mocking laugh, Kunila drew her rapier.
”Aren’t you a real piece of work.”
The distance between us was a little under five meters.
Shifting my weight to move slowly to the left, I frantically split my focus to operate the golems.
Reeling back the head that had been surveying the area from the roof, the golem scooped Louise up into a princess carry, slammed its massive weight through the carriage door, and leapt down to the ground outside.
”Heh. Look at you, managing to chat with me while simultaneously operating golems.”
”Don’t mention it.”
The golems’ remaining operating time was virtually nonexistent.
Forcing them away from the burning wreckage, I had them lay Louise carefully on the ground, and I quickly surveyed our surroundings.
”If you keep letting yourself get distracted by what’s over there, you’re going to die.”
She wasn’t lying.
Stepping further to the left, I desperately tried to maintain my distance from Kunila as she advanced.
The woman was a seasoned professional.
I was a complete amateur; there was absolutely no path to victory unless I relied on pure, unpredictable eccentricity.
Could I pull this off?
Move, damn it, golems!
The remaining reservoir of amber must have been scraping the absolute bottom, but I commanded the mechanical frame to charge directly at Kunila.
”As if a trick like that would—”
Seeing the sudden, jerky reanimation of the golem, her composure cracked slightly.
Closing the distance with a burst of frantic, explosive footwork, I lunged forward.
*Rolling Sobat*—!
Spinning my entire body midair, I unleashed a jumping back-wheel kick.
With this young, athletic body belonging to Larry, it should have been entirely possible.
But reality wasn’t a game.
My single-strike, guaranteed-kill technique sliced through nothing but empty air.
I didn’t even have time to process exactly how she evaded it, but as my posture broke and I scrambled to stick the landing, Kunila’s bare thigh loomed directly in front of my face.
Desperately trying to patch over the absolute failure of my flashy aerial martial arts move, I dove into a low tackle.
Wrapping my arms tightly around the thigh of her retreating leg, I threw my entire weight forward, driving her backward.
At that exact instant, an intense, white-hot agony accompanied by a sickening surge of heat pierced cleanly through my back.
”Take thaaat!”
I let out a raw, desperate roar, forcing every ounce of my willpower into the struggle.
Even as Kunila collapsed beneath me, I clamped down on the agony, refusing to let it break my focus, and drove my legs forward against the dirt.
After driving her back a few agonizing paces, one of her legs slipped completely from my grasp.
Sliding my remaining hand blindly up along the leg I was still gripping, I forced my hand upward toward her torso.
It was her stomach. My fingers made direct contact with bare skin.
I immediately tried to manifest the structural patterns of Mana Drain², but a wall of fierce, instinctive magical resistance pushed back against me.
(Too bad for you—I’m the one on top here!)
However, forcing the thought across our connection via Telepathy³, I violently broke through her defenses and began ripping the mana directly out of her core.
In a desperate counterresponse, she began brutally twisting and grinding the rapier that was still buried deep in my spine.
If I gave in to the pain right there, everything would be completely over.
A sudden spray of blood erupting from the ruptured wound on my shoulder caught a stray glint of firelight and splattered directly into my right eye.
The sheer intensity of the blinding pain threatened to tear my consciousness away entirely.
I held on, enduring the torture for what felt like dozens of agonizing seconds.
Finally, I felt the circuit snap—the Mana Drain had completely emptied her out.
Kunila’s body went entirely limp beneath me. It didn’t feel like an act. I really hoped it wasn’t.
Dragging myself off her unconscious form, I rolled over once to the side, collapsing face-down into the cold, unforgiving dirt.
This was it. I was completely spent.
The distant, rhythmic striking of horseshoes beating against the earth began to echo in the dark, but my senses were too dull to tell which direction it was coming from.
It was far too early for Veronia-san to be returning.
If this was Kunila’s backup, I was as good as dead.
”Louise.”
The moment I forced her name out into the open air, a strange, phantom reservoir of adrenaline allowed my body to move, dragging myself up onto all fours.
Kunila remained motionless.
Forcing my head around, I could see Louise resting safely on the ground just beyond the deactivated golems⁴.
I tried to force my legs to stand, but the physical strength simply wouldn’t respond.
The sheer volume of blood loss was staggering.
I could feel the warm, slick fluid pooling all the way past my waist and lower thighs.
”Louise.”
I said it out loud once more.
No fresh strength welled up inside me, but I doggedly dragged my weight forward on all fours, crawling through the mud.
It was so cold. My field of vision was rapidly narrowing, dissolving into pitch blackness.
I guessed… I really couldn’t go any further.
* * *
’……’
’What’s wrong? Do you need something?’
’Is that… Larry?’
’Something feels completely off here.’
It was my old apartment room from my previous life.
I was sitting comfortably with my legs tucked into the warm kotatsu, and right in front of my eyes was the glowing monitor displaying the visual novel of the eroge I used to play back then.
It was such a peaceful, mundane sight.
’Sorry, man. I think… I might have actually died over there.’
’Who did?’
’Larry.’
’What are you talking about? I’m right here, perfectly alive and kicking, as you can see.’
Looking at him, there certainly didn’t seem to be a single thing wrong with Larry, who was currently occupying my original modern body.
’Then… the body I’m using over there.’
’Whoa, hold on. What the hell is that supposed to mean?’
I quietly communicated the entire surreal sequence of events to Larry.
’Hey, wait a minute. If my body over in that fantasy world actually dies, does that mean you’re going to turn into a phantom old man and parasitize this body where I’m the primary consciousness all over again?’
’Huh. I guess… it might actually turn out that way.’
’What do you mean “it might turn out that way”?! Dude, my wedding ceremony is literally tomorrow!’
Larry explained that he was getting married to an office clerk who was seventeen years younger than my original age.
From his physical perspective, she was an older, mature wife more than double his current age, but still.
’You’re playing a visual novel the literal day before your wedding?’
’It’s my final playthrough, man. After tomorrow, I’m never going to need to look up digital guides on how to woo women ever again.’
I couldn’t tell if this guy was being incredibly earnest or just an absolute idiot.
’Even so, I’m honestly shocked her father actually permitted the marriage.’
’Oh, he absolutely didn’t. He punched me straight in the face.’
’Yeah, figures. Wait… something is weird.’
’What is?’
’I can’t read your memories anymore, Larry. Back when I was first thrown into that world, we completely shared a subconscious memory pool even if we didn’t explicitly talk, right?’
’Yeah, we did.’
Just as I was about to formulate the words to agree with him, the tether holding me to the room snapped, and my consciousness rapidly drifted away into the void.
* * *
”Have you regained consciousness?”
This voice, this slightly high-pitched voice, sounded familiar.
Furthermore, the familiar face of a Medical Mage was peering down at me.
A wave of latent trauma instantly surged through my mind.
Back in the medical clinic of Linto, it was this exact Elf Mage named Chulpan-san who had thoroughly and shamelessly trifled with my anus alongside Grand Commander Major Sonya.
”What are you looking so utterly terrified of?”
”Where… where am I?”
”This is a Royal Army station located within the territorial borders of Baron Ahrens.”
The pieces flooded back into place. We had been ambushed.
That’s right. Everything had actually happened.
”Where is Louise?”
”There is absolutely no need to fret. She is resting peacefully right over there.”
Looking past Chulpan-san’s shoulder toward the neighboring hospital bed, I caught sight of her profile as she lay sleeping.
We made it. We were actually saved.
”Though… we were unfortunately unable to save your child.”
A heavy silence settled in my chest. That… couldn’t be helped.
The mother’s body had sustained physical trauma severe enough to completely shatter her consciousness; it was a miracle she survived at all.
”The mother’s body… is there any lingering neurological damage? Any consciousness disorders?”
”Veronia-san’s initial battlefield triage was exceptional, so there are absolutely no complications.”
Thank goodness.
I tried to force my upper body up to get a better look at Louise, but halfway through the motion, the room spun violently and my vision threatened to black out again.
”You experienced a catastrophic amount of blood loss, so you are strictly confined to absolute bed rest for the foreseeable future.”
She was entirely right. It felt like I had left nearly a full liter of my blood splattered across that dirt path.
With acute anemia of that severity, my muscles simply didn’t have the oxygen to support my own weight.
”After all, while our magic can seamlessly close the ruptures within your blood vessels, we possess no spells that can magically manifest new blood out of nothing.”
That made perfect sense. There was no such thing as synthetic erythropoietin or sterile blood transfusions in this world.
Sinking my head back into the thin pillow and closing my heavy eyelids, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion dragged me back under.
* * *
’……’
’What’s with the sudden visit?’
It was Larry again. On top of the familiar kotatsu, the glowing interface of the same visual novel was still idling.
’Just checking in, I guess. It turns out I didn’t actually die over there after all.’
’Oh, thank goodness. I was genuinely panicking about what I’d do if you parasitized my brain right before the honeymoon.’
’Yeah, I get it.’
’Seriously, think about it! Imagine trying to get intimate with my new wife while sharing headspace with a middle-aged guy. That’s a certified mood-killer, man.’
Had Larry always been the type of guy to drop crude jokes like that?
Still, hearing his voice wasn’t a bad feeling at all.
For a good while, I just lay there in the warmth, letting him ramble on with his complaints and his self-indulgent bragging about his love life.
’Alright, it’s about time for me to head back.’
’Is that so? Well, see you around, man.’
’I’ll come visit again.’
’Yeah, fine, but seriously—do NOT pop into my head while we’re in the middle of things.’
’Oh, absolutely not. In fact, I’m going to deliberately time it to catch you right at the climax!’
Obviously, I had absolutely no way to control something like that, but as I focused my inner will on the desire to wake up, our two distinct consciousnesses began to untether and drift apart.
The warmth of Larry’s laughing presence grew thin and distant, until eventually, I couldn’t feel it at all.
The version of me from my previous life was actually getting married. It honestly felt like an absolute fairy tale.
* * *
”Oh, excellent. You’re finally awake.”
Opening my eyes to the waking world, the familiar, weathered face of Lieutenant Colonel Helbert was standing over me.
”Hey! Over here! The kid’s eyes are open!”
When Lieutenant Colonel Helbert bellowed toward the hallway, two men wearing the unmistakable medical armbands of Army medics saluted crisply at the threshold of the room before stepping inside.
”How is your current state of comfort, sir?”
When I communicated that the pain was manageable and my head felt relatively clear, they inquired whether I felt capable of holding down solid food. I replied that it should probably be fine.
”Understood. We will have a meal prepared immediately.”
One of the medics left the room.
”Lord Lieutenant Colonel, we need to perform a standard diaper change now, if you wouldn’t mind…”
Old man Helbert was promptly escorted out of the room, leaving me completely at their mercy.
My desperate, unspoken hope that this sort of vulnerable task could be performed by a female medical officer was completely disregarded.
While I had been floating in and out of consciousness, the diaper that had been collecting my lower business was efficiently unfastened by a man’s calloused hands, and my groin was meticulously wiped clean.
Seriously, absolutely nothing good ever happened when you found yourself confined to a military medical facility.
”Don’t tell me… was Louise subjected to the exact same treatment by the male staff?”
”Good heavens, no. If we had even attempted such a thing, we would have been court-martialed and executed on the spot. The Lieutenant’s personal hygiene and care were handled strictly and exclusively by Chulpan-sensei.”
Well, that was an immense relief.
Still, as I watched them work, thinking about the sheer chaotic stress the entire unit must have been under, I turned my gaze toward the adjacent bed. Louise was gone.
”Where is Louise?”
The medic paused. “Early this morning, Golems Battalion Commander Major Sonya arrived in person to secure her. She has already been transported back to the main battalion stronghold located just outside the Royal Capital.”
Just as he finished explaining, the other medic who had left earlier stepped back into the room, carefully carrying a warm porcelain soup dish.
It was a steaming bowl of oatmeal—heavily laced with thick chunks of iron-rich animal liver, which I absolutely loathed.
Well… from a purely nutritional and medical standpoint for severe anemia, I supposed it was the perfect meal. But still… liver, huh?
When I scooped it up with my spoon, I could see clear traces of it having been baked beforehand.
Finding no way around it, I put it in my mouth, only to encounter that truly indescribable texture.
Still, to a body that hadn’t taken in any nourishment for a while, the oatmeal felt as though it were soaking directly into my system, and it tasted wonderful.
It was delicious, but perhaps because my stomach was completely caught off guard by its first meal in ages, my abdomen began to ache so violently that I couldn’t even move.
This was likely a common occurrence. The medic didn’t show even a hint of surprise, simply telling me to endure it for a little while before stepping out of the room.
”Are you feeling any better?” Lieutenant Colonel Helbert asked.
”Yeah, well, significantly so. As you can see, I’m at least sitting up and eating a meal,” I said.
”That is a stroke of good fortune. Now, I know you are exhausted, and I hate to press you, but could you tell me what happened from the moment you left the academy up until you lost consciousness in battle?” Helbert asked.
It seemed this was going to be an official interrogation. (He could just end this instantly if he used Mind-reading⁵, but he sure loved doing things the hard way.)
Since I had no choice, I explained how we were ambushed by cavalry.
I detailed how the carriage had come to a halt, prompting the golems and Louise to head out to engage in combat.
I told him about how, midway through, I caught sight of Louise taking an arrow through a gap in the carriage door, which drove me to grab a makeshift shishi-odoshi deer scare I had constructed on the fly and rush out to join the fray.
Because the men were speaking the Kiridal language, I shouted at them in their own tongue to back off since I was a relative of Isabella, which apparently caused them to retreat.
After that, I recounted engaging two individuals who appeared to be Amazonesses, and how, with the tactical support of the golems operated by Veronia-san, we managed to kill one of them while I drained the mana⁶ of the other and severed her Achilles tendon.
I explained that Kunila, who had been working as our academy’s Dorm Mother, was actually the final boss, and that I had somehow managed to siphon her mana to completely incapacitate her.
Finally, I relayed that according to Kunila, she had personally killed the other man who had been with them.
Throughout my explanation, the Lieutenant Colonel interrupted several times, asking why I had reached certain conclusions or how I viewed my own actions looking back on the situation.
At the very end, he finally answered a few questions of my own.
”The station soldier, who had been startled by the sound of the shishi-odoshi⁷ deer scare you triggered, immediately headed out to investigate. He picked up Veronia-san along the way and advanced toward the carriage, where they discovered the corpses of a man and a woman, two unconscious women—one with a severed Achilles tendon—and Louise lying outside the vehicle. Every single detail aligns perfectly with your account,” Helbert said.
It appeared the carriage hadn’t been burned down after all.
”It is a military-grade carriage, after all. We would be in quite a bind if it caught fire easily. It undergoes extensive fireproofing measures during production,” Helbert said.
The Lieutenant Colonel boasted with a look of immense pride, but if someone had bothered to tell me that beforehand, I would have preserved enough mana to blast Kunila into oblivion with the golems⁸ in a single strike.
”Kunila is currently being detained at a military facility to serve as leverage for a future hostage exchange. She held a massive amount of authority and operated within our borders for a long duration, so it appears she is an incredibly vital asset to the Turkic Empire as well. As for the surviving Amazoness, the other side made absolutely no mention of recovering her,” Helbert said.
Oops, it looked like this man had already concluded his negotiations with the Turkic Empire.
He explained that the Amazoness factions were split into two distinct lineages, and the one who survived belonged to the non-mainstream branch, which was why she was abandoned.
What a cold, calculating world.
If that was the case, I wondered if they had sent the dead one back instead.
He chose to share absolutely nothing with me regarding that matter.
”I do feel somewhat bad for the Empire, but I went ahead and had their shop in the territorial capital of Besanburg burned to the ground,” Helbert said.
He dropped an absolute bombshell of a statement with total casualness.
I already knew he was an important figure given his rank as a Lieutenant Colonel, but he might actually have been far more terrifying than I originally estimated.
”The real reason you were targeted comes down to that artificial shishi-odoshi deer scare of yours. If the professors at certain academies hadn’t jumped the gun and acted precipitously, this wouldn’t have escalated into such an issue. Then again, rumors are circulating that the Empire has successfully manufactured a large cannon, so it’s natural they would be hyperfocused on anything resembling a breakthrough,” Helbert said.
”A large cannon? Isn’t that incredibly dangerous?” I asked.
I assumed he was referring to standard artillery.
If I recalled my world history correctly, I’m pretty sure we learned that the Ottoman Empire was the very first to successfully construct them.
”The Sage noted that rather than obsessing over artillery, we should focus our attention on small firearms. The arsenal is currently channeling all its resources into that sector. In fact, our breakthrough in manufacturing bearings was a direct byproduct of that research,” Helbert said.
No, firearms and mechanical bearings… I failed to see how those two things overlapped at all.
Perhaps it had something to do with the metallurgy and materials used?
”Regarding the large cannon, the Sage explicitly stated that it is a task meant for your generation to handle, so I am leaving it entirely in your hands,” Helbert said.
That damn old man—first telling me to head out to the New Continent, and now dropping artillery development on me. He did nothing but leave behind massive homework assignments.
Was his name Earl Sabaski? Just because he said so didn’t mean I was guaranteed to become the Fifth Sage.
”Are we finished here?”
”One last question. Am I going to keep being targeted moving forward?” I asked.
”The possibility certainly exists. We’ve reached an understanding with the Turkic Empire, so you should be safe from them for a few years, but there is still the Empire of Charle and the Empire of Rus. Word of this recent commotion will inevitably reach their ears, so you can never be too cautious,” Helbert said.
”So, does that mean I can’t go out and enjoy myself in the city anymore?” I asked.
”I would strongly advise against it. Though we will be assigning an escort to you,” Helbert said.
”Even back in Strock Village?” I asked.
”I believe the village should be perfectly secure. But regardless, the decision has been made to permanently assign a guard detail to you from here on out. You can rest easy,” Helbert said.
Instead of feeling reassured, it just sounded incredibly annoying.
”If I absolutely must have a guard, I’d highly prefer a beautiful woman. Escorts around town would at least feel like a proper date and keep things fun. Please spare me from some suffocatingly sweaty old guy,” I said.
”You occasionally come up with ideas that sound exactly like a cynical, middle-aged man. Furthermore, I regret to inform you that the selection process has already concluded. Give up on that dream,” Helbert said.
Tch.
”Ah, right. I almost completely forgot to mention,” Helbert said.
Because I had been subjected to such a dangerous ordeal, the controversial toy that had been deemed an affront to public order and decency—the one Sabrina-san had been keeping safe—was officially presented to His Majesty.
Apparently, her face turned absolutely bright crimson when she handed it over, which Helbert found thoroughly entertaining.
”Additionally, I have a message for you from Major Sonya,” Helbert said.
”To go ahead and steal my personal techniques just to turn a profit… you’ve got some massive balls, you audacious bastard. You better hand over half of all the money you make. And after putting Louise through a hellish experience like that, the next time I lay eyes on you, I’m going to shove my fist directly up your asshole,” Sonya’s message read.
”That is what she said. She truly is an entertaining individual,” Helbert said.
Where exactly was the entertainment in that?
That was absolutely not a laughing matter.
I made a firm mental note to ensure I never encountered that woman ever again for the rest of my life. Yes, that was absolutely the plan.
”Well then, take care. Once you’ve spent another two days resting quietly here, you should head over to Bad Farfen, where the military maintains a lovely resort, to take it easy before returning to your village by way of Seiren Village,” Helbert said.
”Wait, what about the money? Ah, right, my bankbook! Can I get the transactions recorded there?” I asked.
He had explicitly stated before that the profits coming in from my invention would make the costs of that luxury hotel where we held our mock conference look like absolute pocket change.
If that was the truth, then it easily cleared the five million yen threshold required for the special loan, didn’t it? That meant I could actually withdraw my funds.
”Mmh, since we are required to process payments for the military personnel stationed there, you should be able to update your ledger smoothly even while staying in Bad Farfen. Furthermore, the military will be covering all your transportation and lodging expenses, so you don’t have to worry about a thing,” Helbert said.
”Are you serious? Even my recreational spending can be written off as a business expense?” I asked.
I still had a tiny fraction of the money my brother had given me left over, but the outstanding payment I had to make to Adolf-san’s shop took a massive, painful bite out of it. The remaining balance was a precarious amount that made me question whether I could even afford to play around with women.
”No matter how flexible we try to be, that is absolutely out of the question,” Helbert said.
”Eww, come on! Are you seriously telling me to just sit around and let this youthful, energetic body go completely to waste for days on end?” I asked.
”Look, it’s perfectly fine. Once you return to your village, you have as many as two wives waiting for you anyway, so just learn to exercise a little self-restraint until then,” Helbert said.
”I mean, I get that, but going all the way to a luxury resort and not being allowed to play around with women is basically like being served bread without any soup to go with it,” I said.
”Honestly, you really are just an old man at heart,” Helbert said.
To my absolute amazement, the Lieutenant Colonel reached into his uniform coat, pulled out a single pure gold coin, and flipped it through the air with his thumb directly toward me.
”How incredibly generous! As expected of a Lieutenant Colonel!” I said.
”Let me make this perfectly clear before you get too excited: that is strictly a loan, so make sure you repay me every single cent. Ah, there was one more piece of information I forgot to mention. In order to legally authorize your permanent guard detail, while you remain a student of the academy, your status has officially been upgraded to a military civilian employee attached directly to the Arsenal Bureau,” Helbert said.
”What exactly does that entail?” I asked.
”It means you are now officially a person belonging to the military establishment. In short, you must never neglect to use proper honorific language and deliver flawless salutes to me, as I am your clear superior officer. Do I make myself understood?” Helbert asked.
”And what happens to me if I choose not to comply with those rules?” I asked.
”You will be court-martialed under Military Law, resulting in immediate head-lopping,” Helbert said.
”That is incredibly underhanded!” I yelled.
”Use honorifics! I told you to use honorifics!” Helbert shouted.
I found myself thoroughly despising the smug, triumphant expression plastered across the Lieutenant Colonel’s face.
”I quit! This is stupid! I am completely done acting as a military civilian. I’ll just walk back home all by myself starting right now,” I said.
”Are you absolutely certain about that? Even if you manage to avoid being hunted down by foreign intelligence agencies, these territories are crawling with ruthless bandits. And above all else, it is a distance of over twenty kilometers just to reach Besanburg. It will take you an entire day of grueling travel, and hauling all that heavy luggage around is going to be quite an ordeal. Especially with that profoundly weakened body of yours,” Helbert said.
Tch.
He definitely had me there; attempting to traverse that massive distance while lugging all my baggage in my current state was completely unrealistic.
”Come now, don’t look so completely miserable. Just by using a bit of respectful language and throwing out a few quick salutes, you get to receive a steady salary,” Helbert said.
”Is that actually true?” I asked.
”Indeed. For the time being, you are receiving non-commissioned officer treatment. You’ve been placed at the eleventh step of the second class, which aligns perfectly with a sergeant’s pay grade, bringing your monthly earnings to approximately 210,000 yen. On top of that, because your primary status is technically a student of the academy, you are entirely exempt from having the poll tax deducted from your earnings. Oh, and since your Primary Wife is legally a minor, an additional dependent allowance of 13,500 yen will be attached automatically,” Helbert said.
At one point in my past life, I briefly worked at a public hospital, and this entire administrative approach to salary calculations felt incredibly familiar.
Though, obviously, having a minor as a wife would be completely impossible back there.
”Furthermore, a military pension is included in your package. If you serve faithfully for a total of twenty years, you will receive approximately eighty percent of your final salary for the rest of your life. Even upon your death, two-thirds of that amount will continue to be paid out directly to your Primary Wife. What do you think? If you happen to be killed in the line of duty, the funds will be disbursed alongside an automatic two-rank special posthumous promotion,” Helbert said.
He kept piling on these additional details with a wide, cheerful expression, but promoting someone by two ranks for dying in the line of duty sounded exactly like some old Showa-era detective drama.
No matter how I looked at it, this specific compensation framework could only have been engineered by someone who was a reincarnated person themselves.
”Who exactly was the person who came up with this entire salary structure?” I asked.
”From what I have been told, it was the work of the Third Sage,” Helbert said.
That individual… I wondered if they used to be a high-ranking bureaucrat in the police force back in Japan.
”So, what is your final decision? Are you going to walk away from the offer?” Helbert asked.
”No, sir. I shall humbly and gratefully accept the position,” I said.
Securing a guaranteed, stable income of well over 220,000 yen each month was far too attractive to pass up.
If all I had to do to keep that money rolling in was use formal grammar and snap a few quick salutes, it was an incredibly cheap trade-off.
”Just to be absolutely certain… the original blueprints for my invention. The money generated from those sales isn’t going to be secretly deducted or withheld under this arrangement, right?” I asked.
My internal instincts were screaming at me to remain completely on guard against this highly suspicious Lieutenant Colonel.
”Well, about that… how would you feel about splitting the proceeds fifty-fifty?” Helbert asked.
”You explicitly stated before that the revenue flowing in would make the costs of that luxury hotel conference look like absolute pocket change! If we split it right down the middle, doesn’t that strike you as incredibly bizarre? I would be operating completely in the red here!” I argued.
”Did I actually say something like that? Fine then, how about a seventy-thirty split instead? Naturally, you would be receiving the seventy percent,” Helbert said.
”No, no, no, that’s still completely ridiculous. The very fact that you are actively trying to bargain with me right now proves that there was never any legal basis for deducting my invention funds in the first place, wasn’t there?” I countered.
”Ahahaha… well, you see, the military’s internal finances are in a bit of a tight spot lately, so we would be immensely grateful for any cooperation you could provide…” Helbert trailed off.
With one thing and another, we bickered endlessly over the details, but we finally settled on a ninety-five-to-five split in my favor.
The Lieutenant Colonel, who had spent the entire afternoon demanding strict honorifics and proper salutes from me, delivered a polite salute of his own, thanked me profusely, and finally exited the hospital room.
That man deliberately projected a slightly dense, aloof persona as a calculated front to lower people’s guards and successfully manipulate them into giving up information.
Slowly, a wave of exhaustion washed over me, and I fell into a state of mind where I just didn’t care anymore.
Ah, shoot.
I had completely forgotten to ask him about the current status of the Principal and his daughter.
Well, whatever, it didn’t matter right now. I’d just have Henrietta-san fill me in on all the details once the holiday came to an end.
Two days later.
Announcing themselves as my official security detail, a group consisting of seven soldiers marched into my quarters.
”Corporal Heinz Schumacher, attached to the Army Central District 307th Battalion! Having been officially assigned the vital mission of serving as the escort commander for Arsenal Bureau civilian employee Larry Fee Getys-dono, I have arrived to report for duty!” Schumacher shouted.
The man possessed an absolute jungle of shaggy, unkempt hair, paired with a dense beard that grew continuously from his low-set sideburns all the way around his mouth. Combined with his exceptionally broad, square physique, he was the absolute embodiment of a suffocatingly sweaty, intense guy.
His age appeared to be somewhere around his mid-twenties.
He seemed deeply honest and fiercely loyal, but he was completely unsophisticated. Even though he proudly claimed to be leading the detail as the commander, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was actually going to be up to the task.
An overwhelming sense of profound anxiety completely refused to leave my mind.
”Likewise, I am Private Anna Frins, 307th Battalion, Central Army District. I’ve arrived to serve as your deputy commander for this escort mission, as requested by Arsenal Bureau civilian Larry Fee Getys-dono. I am also a certified medic.”
She pulled a medic armband from her pocket to show me.
She was a thin, nervous-looking woman. There was something about her—a certain tension—that suggested if I let a single lewd comment slip, she’d draw the double-edged sword at her hip without a second thought.
The other five members of the squad were fresh-faced teenagers, clearly right out of the military academy. They looked at me, the youngest in the group, with undisguised contempt. Compared to their two superiors, their salutes were lazy—sloppy, even. They didn’t realize they were talking down to a man who, on the inside, was well into middle age.
(I’d love to tell them off.)
But that was just wishful thinking.
Shortly after they arrived, they were seen off by Chulpan-san—who had handled our medical treatment—and a few guards as we climbed into the carriage.
This wasn’t some sleek, pitch-black coach. It was a narrow, brown passenger carriage, the kind commoners used every day.
The soldiers’ gear was strapped tightly to the roof.
Once inside, I was surprised to find a golem⁹, easily the size of a man, already seated. Anna, my deputy commander, climbed in after me, hauling my luggage.
”I shall keep you company inside the carriage, sir.”
The way she phrased it sounded a bit suggestive, frankly. I thought it might be safer to steer the conversation toward guard duty or small talk.
”We have no Mages in our unit,” she continued, oblivious to my thoughts. “Should we be attacked, please use the golem to defend yourself, Larry-sama.”
That was fine in theory, but if this squad ran into the same people who raided us last time, they’d be wiped out in seconds.
With this utterly unreliable bunch, we departed from the Royal Army station in Baron Ahrens’ territory, bound for the resort town of Bad Varfen.
—
Summary:
Kunila exposes her true alignment as a deep-cover intelligence asset before turning the battlefield into a raging inferno with an explosive oil mixture. Larry counters the surprise tactical disadvantage by exhausting his remaining golem reserves and attempting an improvised close-quarters grapple. The life-threatening blood loss forces a sudden psychic structural split that flashes back to his modern room right as an unexpected military medical unit secures the survivors
Lieutenant Colonel Helbert interrogates Larry regarding the details of the recent roadside ambush and subsequent magic battle. Larry realizes the complex military pension and compensation structures mirror modern Japanese public service systems perfectly. A newly appointed escort detail arriving two days later introduces a highly intense, unrefined commander who triggers immediate apprehension
The protagonist joins an escort mission consisting of an uptight Deputy Commander and five arrogant academy graduates. They depart from the station in a cramped, common-folk carriage accompanied by a Golem. The protagonist remains deeply skeptical of their ability to survive another raid.
—
Trivia:
- The exact classification parameters of Level 3 Mana Handling are omitted, implying institutional grading guidelines in Bizan Magic School
- The strict operational protocols of royal medical facilities regarding hierarchy and execution parameters for unauthorized contact are explicitly noted by the staff
- The mention of the Ottoman Empire’s historical role in developing early artillery implies that the previous ‘Sages’ who shaped this world’s technology possessed specific knowledge of Earth’s military history.
- The 95-to-5 patent royalty split reveals the extreme leverage the military holds over independent inventors within the Arsenal Bureau’s jurisdiction.
- The specific color of the Golem’s material
- The specific rank of the ‘two superiors’ mentione
—
Character Insight:
Larry demonstrates an acute psychological retreat to his original world’s memories as a subconscious defense mechanism against near-fatal physical shock and severe systemic trauma.
Larry transitions from an independent academy student driven by entrepreneurial profit to a legally bound military civilian contractor, accepting structural subjugation in exchange for a highly stable income stream.
The protagonist’s internal monologue reveals a significant disconnect between his outward appearance and his cynical, middle-aged psychological state, heightening his sense of isolation from the younger soldiers.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Kunila – Dignified yet ditzy, Kunila is the modest-robed Dorm Mother of Bizan Magic School who welcomes students and harbors a suggestive interest in Larry after years of solitude. In truth, she is a deep-cover espionage agent from an enemy country. Striking with a grin in combat, she brandishes a rapier and utilizes Level 3 Mana Handling to conjure fireballs and hurl burning jars.
• Bizan – The Bizan family name, held by the Viscount. He is the lord of the territory and owner of the castle built within the Danube River.
• Rudy – A 14-year-old military recruit from Heberich with brown skin, large eyes, and physical performance flaws. A skilled woodsman and traumatized Vod Fortress survivor, he struggles with armor but code-switches to negotiate. Targeted by a foreign agent, he is linked to an Indian-featured female attacker and fiercely guards his former comrade Larry, despite loathing Larry’s domestic life.
• Commander – A man leading the mercenary press-gang at the south gate.
• Sonya – Major Sonya is a petite elf with a child’s height, pointed ears, and a cheerful voice. She commands the 101st Golem Battalion, wielding terrifying military power within the Schuberitz Kingdom. Masking her strength with a dual personality, she shifts from a formal officer to a cruel, mocking “gal-type” persona. She shows a predatory, mischievous interest in the protagonist’s development and is known for her sadistic mana injections.
• Principal – The mother of Line and the administrative head of the institution. She exercises authoritative control over research assignments and seeks to trade Larry for Ilse Klein due to interpersonal conflicts in her laboratories. The mother of Sabrina and Rhein who intervenes during Rhein’s violent corridor assault to break up the confrontation.
• Ho – Ho, a comrade of the protagonist. A member of the military unit that defended Garao Village and was slaughtered alongside Marx-san.
• Sig – A student and friend of Marie characterized by a casual and uninhibited personality, often seen yawning during academic discussions. Has short brown hair from the Holstein territory. She is blunt, realistic about the nature of war, and failed the entrance exam at the Sabaski Magic School.
• Al – Alberto (Al), a massive red‑haired man recently wed to Mary, lives near the Dish Basin. He’s a companion of Hans, helping intimidate and rally elders as a villager and leader.
• Ed – A lanky refugee youth in simple farmer’s garb, Larry’s close friend and soon-to-be conscript, now a militia member training spear-walls; he witnessed the initial skirmish at Mauer Village as part of the group seeking safety in Strock Village, was an associate of Captain Bours, and participated in the ambush of the mercenaries—fiercely protective of Larry, remembered for his quiet resolve to survive the battlefield.
• Louise – A towering, seven-foot-tall former Golem Battalion Deputy Commander of noble Jutland lineage. This strong military woman has a muscular build, short red hair, fierce features, and a professional, analytical demeanor. Clad in black and gold dress or armor, she is deeply attached to the protagonist, Larry, who sends her letters after she was saved by the Golems while protecting his child.
• Larry – Larry Fee Getys is a tall, athletic, light-haired Bizan Magic School student, Fifth Sage candidate, and reincarnated former slave-soldier with a weary, pragmatic outlook. He hides explosive strength behind plain clothes, wielding a Treasure Sword and Level 3 Mana Draining. Now living in a rural village with his wives Nico, Monica, Teressa, and Louise, he navigates dangerous underworld contacts, complex social dynamics, and a reluctant companionship with an older brother whose methods he distrusts.
• Veronia – A Second Lieutenant and observant quartermaster for the Golems Battalion, she handles accounting, budgeting, and procurement. Distinguishable by her pink-accented uniform, she maintains strict secrecy but is easily surprised by tech findings. Though highly capable—once proving her proficiency by operating a human-sized defensive Golem—she loses her inhibitions with alcohol and suffered an emotional breakdown after accumulating massive gambling debts playing Five Dice.
• Chulpan – An elf mage and medical specialist with short ears who resembles Granny Ferris, she wears a white lab coat under a mantle. Previously at Linto’s clinic, she now handles triage and specific post-operative care with clinical politeness at a Royal Army transit station in Baron Ahrens’ territory. As Ferris’s junior disciple, she introduced Larry to officers and heals via experimental telepathy.
• Helbert – A short, older Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Army with a physically imposing build and firm, calloused hands, he is a boisterous yet manipulative strategist. Former manager of Vod Fortress, he now directs a Schuberitz Intelligence Bureau lab. Though authoritative and mocking, he is well-loved by subordinates. He watches over the protagonist’s recovery, loudly announcing their awakening to medical staff.
• Isabella – Towering and muscular in a jet-black and gold uniform, Marie’s aunt is a battle-hardened Royal Army Second Lieutenant with a facial scar and a low growl. Commander of the region-annexing Weasels of Bohemia, this masterful spear combatant uses her noble VIP status to personally escort her niece from her parents’ estate to facilitate Marie’s pivotal move to the prestigious Magic Academy.
• Sabaski – Count Sabaski, the Fourth Sage and a Kingdom Count, is a tall, silver-haired noble of prestigious ancestry. Jovial yet blunt, he openly discusses his “dictator-like” state influence. As architect of the Agricultural-magic system and an Academy lecturer, his wisdom sustains the remnants of his once-great house, which was scarred by floods and epidemics along the Western Front.
• His Majesty – The King of the realm. He possesses a face described as an expressionless Noh mask, though he shows a flicker of amusement during the legal proceedings. He presides over the high-level deliberations and gives the final word on legal transitions such as duels.
• Sabrina – Haas, a female Dwarf Second Lieutenant in the Arsenal Bureau’s Magic Weapon Department, wears a plush Russian hat, a reverse-leather coat, and has thick, curly chestnut hair. The Principal’s estranged daughter, she specializes in mechanical engineering and coordinates secret national prototype tech. While evaluating ball bearings with Larry, she shows a warm, reluctant sentiment when parting.
• Adolf – The behind-the-scenes boss of the Viscounty of Bizan owns a central local shop that doubles as an intelligence hub. Dressed in high-quality luxury clothing, he radiates a polite yet dangerous aura. He maintains crucial connections with powerful mercenary figures, positioning himself and his establishment at the very heart of regional events.
• Henrietta – An eccentric Bizan Magic School instructor under Prof. Pauman, she runs a Golem lab, rivals Line, owns Pamela, and obsessively researches ancient magic ships under intense military pressure. She sports disheveled hair, a black Gothic-Lolita outfit, and massive breasts. This teasing, mind-reading mentor to Larry—who calls her a pervert—struggles with a hangover, poor academic performance, and rigged systems while finding raw, submissive pleasure in mana manipulation.
• Schumacher – The Schumacher family name, carried by Corporal Heinz. The lineage is integrated into the Army Central District 307th Battalion.
• Corporal – A combat engineer with shattered legs and ribs who admires Captain Bours.
• Getys – Larry Fee Getys is a youth from Strock Village in the Viscounty of Bizan. Belonging to a noble family of rugged warriors (like Hardy and Denis) tied to forest lands and village leadership, he was raised by aunts Alisa and Monica. Court officials invoked his academy-recognized lineage to declare his innocence, and the name is appended to the formal signature of Teressa, who married into the house.
• Heinz – A military corporal with shaggy hair and a dense beard growing around his mouth from low-set sideburns. He has an exceptionally broad, square, and robust physical physique.
• Fee – Larry Fee Getys, of the court-recognized Fee lineage, leads the Getys household governing Strock Village with Hans and Iffens. Embodying traditional authority, his family—including Teressa, served by the hired maid Nico—manages regional financial developments. Connected to Adolf and local underworld power structures, the Getys family name is also part of the protagonist’s full name in account records.
• Frins – The family name of Private Anna Frins, associated with her service in the Army Central District.
• Anna – A First Class Private and attendant to Larry. She has a stern, serious demeanor, especially when dealing with the physical discomfort of travel, and maintains a strict sense of duty. A thin, nervous-looking woman of the 307th Battalion. She carries a double-edged sword at her hip and serves as a certified Medic and Deputy Commander.
• Mar – A battle‑hardened veteran, clad in worn armor, uses door panels as shields and captures enemy crossbows; Larry’s comrade who teases him about his sister‑in‑law’s pampering, known as Martin to his companion Edmond.
• Soi – An old professor from Ajire seminary, the first to raise a question. Looks like wizardly.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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