State Capital Spelt ~ Nishina

—Hodgkin Federation, Capital of Spelt

As the temple closest to the Galal Blue Temple in Durham State, I, Takato Nishina and Miki Sakuragi, Hodgkin Federation's Spelt State Temple, were transported there.

"Welcome to the Spelt Province."

As soon as we arrived in the reception room of the temple, the priests came to welcome us and led us to a luxurious reception room. We were bewildered by their welcoming attitude as we were not accustomed to such treatment.

"It has been the first time since I took office here that we have welcomed someone with the protection of a celestial being in this temple."

I see, I thought to myself that if you were a person related to religion, you would be treated specially. Indeed, I heard that Sakuragi's guardian spirit was quite a high-ranking spirit. I felt a bit out of place, but my guardian spirit, Knot, was a fifth-tier spirit, which was three ranks lower than Sakuragi. Still, those who had the protection of this spirit excelled in healing magic, and in this world, healers were highly valued everywhere, even above their ranks.

In fact, being called a fifth-tier spirit meant they were referred to as upper-tier spirits, and that alone earned them recognition.

"Whether in Spelt State or the Hodgkin Federation, you will be welcomed."

"I'm sorry, we didn't choose to come here to belong to this country..."

"Huh? Is that so? Are you going to be … merchants or adventurers?"

The priest asked with some excitement, and I exchanged a worried glance with Sakuragi. Nevertheless, when I answered, the priest seemed puzzled by the unexpected response. We didn't have much time to spare, so we explained the incident that happened at the Sky Temple and our intention to go there to rescue our friends.

"The Galal Blue Temple... Is that so? But... "

"Well, for instance, recruiting rescue personnel in the Adventurer's Guild, something like that?"

"…It's probably difficult. Originally, that area wasn't home to such strong monsters, but after the Monster Parade, many high-ranking monsters started to inhabit the area. The Hodgkin Federation is working on reclaiming the territory, but..."

"…I see."

"But we priests are not very well-informed about the current situation in the field, so perhaps you could rest in your room for a while..."

"Sorry. Can we see a map or something?"

“A map…?”

“Yes, the map I received at the Sky Temple was quite a rough one, so I want to find out the details.”

"I-I understand. Please wait a moment."

The priest left, leaving us alone in the reception room. Both Sakuragi and I were actually only first-year high school students. Dealing with adults like this was stressful for us. But our strong desire to help Kusunoki-sensei and Kimishima-senpai made me more determined.

"Takato-kun... thank you."

"Huh? What for?"

"Because... I don't think I'd know what to do if I came here alone."

"Well, I guess. After all, Kusunoki-sensei is my homeroom teacher. I can't just leave him alone."

"Yeah..."

"We may not be able to act immediately, but let's not rush. I have a feeling Kusunoki-sensei is someone who can handle things."

"Someone who can handle things?"

"Yeah, he was an amateur in Kendo, but it seems he was learning Iaido somewhere. Maybe it's his family's tradition, a martial art passed down from generation to generation. Maybe it's like a secret Hokuto Shinken style or something. I believe... he'll find a way."

"Yeah... And even though Kimishima-senpai lost at the tournament, I'm sure there was something wrong with the judges! That's why the other guy won, right? Because she's definitely super strong like Domoto-senpai!"

"Right... let’s figure out what we can do."

"Yeah!"

We received an explanation from the priest who brought the map.

Fifty years ago, most of the Durham State was lost during the Monster Parade. Durham State had developed around the continent's top Mithril mine, located near the capital city of Galal Blue. There were rumors that the Monster Parade had been triggered by something discovered in the mine, but without being able to enter the area, the exact cause remained unknown.

Currently, Durham State still existed, but it was in a state where only a few towns and villages remained. There were even discussions about incorporating it into the neighboring Spelt State as part of the Federation, but the surviving people of Durham State haven't given up on the dream of reclaiming their land, so no progress had been made in that regard.

Ideally, the whole Federation should have been mobilized for the territorial reclamation. However, the relationships with neighboring nations such as the Kingdom of Jibe and the Republic of Rigaland were not that good, and it was challenging to easily move the Federation's military. Furthermore, each state within the Federation was not perfectly unified.

However, it was said that during the Monster Parade, there were high-level monsters flooding even to the shallower areas, but over the course of 50 years, the grade of monsters in the shallower areas had gradually weakened. Thanks to that, there had been some progress in reclaiming the territory over the last ten years, and the Durham State army had started to regain some vitality.

After hearing the story of the damage caused by the Monster Parade, we opened the map and listened to an explanation of the current location and that of Galal Blue.

"Here, Dudur Valley is the closest village to Galal Blue."

Dudur Valley was a town located downstream of the river flowing from Galal Blue. It served as a frontline base for territorial reclamation, and a wall had been built there to block monsters.

From Spelt State temple, it seemed to be several tens of kilometers away.

While we were listening to the explanation, there was a knock on the door. "Please wait a moment.", said the priest, leaving the room. We could hear them speaking outside. Wondering what was going on, the priest returned with a man who looked like a warrior.

"Sakuragi-sama, Nishina-sama, this is General Degry of the Federation Army. He is in charge of the military in Spelt State."

"Federation Army? General Degry...?"

"You can call me Degry. I thought you would respond to our proposal when we received the message, but it seems there was some misunderstanding."

"Y-Yes... We’re sorry."

"No, it's not your fault. You've come to this world, and your comrades have been sent to a den of monsters. It's only natural."

"Yes..."

Presumably, someone at the temple informed the general that two people had been transported to this temple. It was probably quite a stretch for them to come so quickly. But when they arrived, the two of us made it clear that we had no intention of belonging to this country. Despite the potentially irksome situation, the general did not show any signs of being upset.

“As expected, it would be impossible to move the army and make so many sacrifices just for the sake of two transmigrants."

"For instance, what if Sakuragi and I promise to join the Federation Army later..."

"Even then, it's impossible. We recognize your potential as individuals, but using you would likely result in more casualties among our soldiers. Moreover, from what I've heard, the two who were sent to that area have not even climbed the Ladder yet. It's hard to imagine that they could survive for several days in that place."

"..."

"So much..."

"We haven't done nothing for these 50 years. We've managed to retake some of Durham State's land as the strength of the monsters has gradually waned. But as you go deeper, the strength of the monsters increases significantly."

"Especially the high-level monsters."

"That's right. In the early days of the Parade, a whole division was sent to the scene for a rescue mission, and it resulted in a complete wipeout."

"So much..."

"It's a lot. The idea of high-level monsters may be hard for you, who've just come from another world, to imagine."

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