State Army or Federal Army?
“Teacher. I look forward to working with you tomorrow.”
“Oh, uh, yeah. But you guys are…”
“What are you talking about, Celestial-sama…?”
“Hey, Nishina! Don’t laugh.”
That’s what happened. In gratitude for helping with our search, Nishina and Sakuragi joined the state army of the Hodgkin Federation here in Durham State. It seemed to be a promise with General Camilla.
For me and Kimishima, there was a bit of guilt in having them decide their affiliation for our sake.
“What are you talking about? Look at the state army people. Even though it’s a regular army, it’s so laid back, and it’s super comfortable for us who came from Japan.”
That’s what it says.
That’s what they said. Nishina and Sakuragi were quite positive about joining the state army. In that flow, we also expressed our intention to join the state army together.
However, while Kimishima was quickly accepted into the state army, I was put on hold.
“Shigeto-sama, it might be a bit tough in the state army.”
“Yeah, I guess so… Unlike the students, my spirit is considered minor here… I see… Even so, if I could do some basic work, maybe in cooking or something…”
“Eh? No, it’s not about abilities or anything like that.”
“Yes?… Then, what’s the problem?”
“The replacement of Shigeto-sama to the Celestial Rank is quite unusual… You will likely be challenged to battles, quite a lot… I think.”
“Huh? Challenged…?”
Unpleasant sweat trickled down at Yazzak’s words.
“Well, yes. In that case, I’m sorry, but as members of the state army without much power, I don’t think we can hold back, so it would be better if you were affiliated with the federal army…”
“F-Federal army??”
“Yes, well, regarding that matter, General Camilla is currently negotiating, and if things go well, it should be possible to be affiliated with the federal army.”
“Wait a minute. I’m with the students…”
“We’re negotiating with that in mind. If you belong to the national army, it’s likely that challengers will decrease significantly, and if you belong to the federal army, you could take care of us, the national army…”
“I-I see…”
It turned out I became a Celestial by replacement after coincidentally fighting that Carton guy. That meant ambitious individuals with similar goals might have come after my life… It was a very worrisome situation.
Certainly, if I became affiliated with the federal army, I might be protected by the country. Thinking that the days of stomachaches might get a bit better, I felt a desire to cling onto that possibility.
Actually, there were about four Celestials in the federal army, and it was said that the number of Celestials was an indicator of the strength of the army. Camilla-san probably predicted that we would stay here with Nishina-san and the others and made a move.
After that, Yazzak-san explained various things for my lacking knowledge.
The most important thing was to never lose when challenged in a fight. In this world’s ranking system, it seemed a replacement wouldn’t occur unless it was a proper battle where both parties exerted their strength.
Instead, those who wanted to rise through replacement would provoke me in various ways. So, as long as I didn’t respond to it, it shouldn’t be a big problem.
However, there were individuals who, to raise their rank, might kill those in front of them and be satisfied with advancing even a single position. Be careful, they said… There was an unavoidable warning added.
I didn’t think there were people who would come all the way to this remote place for that… No, I hoped not.
Expressing gratitude, I left Yazzak’s room and headed to the dining hall as invited by Kimishima and the others. In this town, there were still no options for meals, and we relied on the state army’s provisions at the dining hall. Considering the days of continuous convenience store food during that escape, it was a very appreciated arrangement, but I also had a bit of a desire to taste various cultural foods from this different world.
“I wonder if I could also be under the protection of the federal army…”
“Huh? No, Kimishima, you should be fine, right? You’re receiving the protection of a much stronger spirit than me.”
“Well, let me ask.”
“Where to work should prioritize your preferences. Rather than the state army, which seemed to have lost its current territory and was in a tough situation, the federal army might have better pay.”
While responding to Kimishima, I noticed that Nishina and Sakuragi exchanged meaningful glances.
“Sensei~. Senpai doesn’t really care about salary or anything, right?”
“That’s right. What are you talking about?”
“Huh? No, but in a world where such a future is guaranteed, it is important, isn’t it?”
“No, that isn’t it…”
“Nishina-kun!”
“Ah, s-sorry…”
Just as Nishina was about to say something, Kimishima scolded him. Watching that, I finally understood the situation.
“Well, whatever. What do you think? They said that someone from the federal army would come to my evaluation… so maybe I should ask them.”
“Yes.”
“So, will someone come with me tomorrow?”
“For monster hunting? Probably… It was Chiron-san and Panon-san who said they would come, I think.”
“Those twins, huh… Haha.”
Chiron-san and Panon-san were warrior twins. Nishina and the others were delighted, shouting, “Dwarves!” but they didn’t seem to be Dwarves. Even though they weren’t Dwarves, they were called “Noin,” a race of transmigrants from another world.
They came along once before when I went up the Ladder, swinging a halberd that seemed to be twice their height, encased in armor as sturdy as iron, using their race’s characteristic superhuman strength.
Originally adept at craftsmanship and skilled in forging, the Noin people flourished mainly in the mines, and quite a few “Noin” people gathered in the Durham state. However, because they lived clustered around the Galal Blue area, many No-win people became victims of the Monster Parade.
There were some Noin people in the state army, but pure-blooded Noin people were relatively few. It was a world where people from various worlds gathered, so it was natural.
After the meal, we took the dishes to the kitchen. The dining hall was set up like a school cafeteria, with a spacious dining area and an open kitchen style. In the kitchen, cooks were busy preparing food for other soldiers, and there was a place at the end of the long counter to return dishes.
“Thank you for the meal,” I said as I returned the dishes, and there was a small child washing dishes. When the child turned towards our voices, they saw me and widened their eyes, freezing.
“Uh, it was delicious.”
“Ah… Celestial-sama…”
“Huh? Haha…”
While the term “Celestial” was often an object of admiration even for children, it felt a bit awkward being addressed that way.
“Vito! Your hands stopped!”
“Y-yes!”
But immediately, the child was scolded by an elderly man from the back and quickly returned to washing dishes. The cook apologized to me with a bow.
“Well, I don’t mind at all… Who is this child? Seems quite young.”
“Oh, well, it seems his old man used to live in this town, and now that the town has been recaptured, he returned home.”
“Returned home? And is he working already?”
“Well, it seems he has no relatives, and even if he says he wants to work, it’s not easy in this town…”
“A small child like that, all alone…”
“Ah~, Celestial-sama has recently arrived in this world, so it’s not such a rare story here.”
“I see…”
Not such a rare story… Indeed, in a world where monsters roam freely, there might be many orphans.
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