～Dudur Valley～
“Are you a Tendai?”
“No… that’s not me.”
“Then, is it you?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Hmm…”
Certainly, being a Tendai made you stand out wherever you went. Or rather, it seemed to attract attention. I, who didn’t like to stand out too much, had somewhere in my heart thought, “It’s good that I’m not Tendai”. On the other hand, Sakuragi seemed to have gotten used to being asked, “Are you Tendai?” little by little.
Still, when I saw them usually approaching me, to ask, I wondered if I had been too forward. I glanced at Sakuragi… innocently blending in with people she just met. Somehow, Sakuragi had always been a bit airheaded. I thought, but she seemed to fit in quite well even in a place where such exchanges of life in another world were normal.
“Takato-kun~. It seems like there are a lot of amazing people coming up to go up the Ladder, and they’re thinning out quite a bit~”
“Yeah, I heard. But they seem a bit dangerous, didn’t they?”
“But, you know, if we follow the path they took, won’t the monsters be gone?”
“Well… for that, you should consult with Yazzak-san.”
Yazzak was the man leading the front lines in Dudur Valley. I went to greet him as soon as I arrived, but he was a very strange man. Looking around, amidst the rough and tough folks shouting, “Let’s kill monsters!” there was something… lackluster or rather, he seemed disinterested. He was constantly smiling as if amused by us, newcomers.
The town of Dudur Valley was the closest town reclaimed among those reclaimed. It had been only about a year since it was taken, so most ordinary residents had yet to return. Rather, considering the number of survivors in the Durham State and those who evacuated to other areas, it seemed inevitable.
Even the refugees who originally lived in this city had created a new home in the 50 years that had passed. Even if we declared a successful recapture, few returned to their hometowns. Yazzak was lamenting that it was a really troublesome situation.
Still, as the state army that wanted to advance further using this as a frontline base, it had become an important city. Regarding that, it seemed that the Hodgkin Federation was recruiting immigrants even across states.
We went up two steps. In this world, these two steps were crucial. Raising these two steps was relatively easy for almost anyone. Rather, those born in this world who had not bathed in the light of God often did not have the protection of spirits. And those without the protection of spirits usually had a limit of around 5 steps. And since it was quite difficult to go up the steps itself, even raising it to 3 was a challenge, so most people only raised to 2.
Going up two steps in their youth was a tradition to live in a world teeming with monsters. If you could raise it by two, even in an emergency, you could deal with lower-level monsters.
Although we were able to reclaim Dudur Valley, most of the monsters in the vicinity were low-level. However, as expected on the front lines, intermediate-class monsters also appeared. Therefore, we trained in Vadzul for combat until we went up two steps…
…At this rate, when will Sensei be here…?
The more I thought about it, the more I felt trapped.
Commotion…
Going to the State Army’s station to hear the story of a Celestial who raised in the rankings, the inside was strangely noisy. Wondering what it was, I approached the soldiers gathered around Yazzak-san’s room, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“What’s going on…”
“I wonder if something happened. Shall we ask?”
Takato and Sakuragi approached the state soldier who seemed to be eavesdropping.
“Excuse me, what’s going on?”
“Huh? No. Big sis is here.”
“Sister?”
“Oh, no. General Camilla.”
“Camilla-san is here? … What could it be?”
“Something about Carton being defeated or something.”
“Huh? That Celestial guy?”
“Yeah, can’t hear it well, though.”
Sakuragi, without hesitation, approached the stern state soldier to inquire. The soldier, though taken aback, answered. Then, the door was forcefully opened.
Bang!
“What’s with all the noise, you idiots!”
The door opened with a forceful kick, and Camilla appeared, shouting.
“Huh? Takato and Miki, isn’t it? Perfect timing, come in.”
“Us?”
“Yeah, I have something I want to ask.”
Entering the room, Yazzak-san smiled and gestured for us to sit on the chairs. Yazzak-san’s room was equipped with a table for simple meetings, and around it were benches without backrests made of wood. We sat quietly in front of Camilla.
“Do you know the name Shigeto Kusunoki?”
“Huh? Yes, I know… Huh, wait, has he been found??”
When Camilla mentioned Sensei’s name, I couldn’t help but lean forward.
“No. He hasn’t been found. But, it’s known that he’s alive.”
“??? What do you mean?”
“You might not know this, but do you understand rankings? Those rankings not only represent the strength of your abilities, but if you defeat someone higher in rank, you can replace their rank and move up.”
“Y-yes…”
“Do you know the guy named Carton who has been coming around here lately to go up the Ladder?”
“Yes, that Celestial guy…”
“His rank was replaced. By Shigeto Kusunoki.”
“Eh?”
I inadvertently made eye contact with Sakuragi beside me.
I believed in Kusunoki-sensei, but I couldn’t keep up with the sudden turn of events. The problem was that it seemed the guy Carton was in a party of 5. Another guy named Focal, a high-ranking mage, was also part of it, and considering the presence of two formidable enemies, it’s unlikely that he killed both of them in a dispute. The situation is unreadable.
Furthermore, they apparently brought a large number of state soldiers, saying, “We’ll take you to your hometowns”.
“I don’t know the situation, but I plan to gather as much force as possible and advance along the road.”
“Can we go with you?”
“We don’t know how far we can protect you if strong monsters appear.”
“…Yes, even so. What about Sakuragi?”
“I’m going. Please let me go.”
“Well, you guys came here for that reason, right? Understood. We’ll leave in an hour. Get ready.”
“Yes.”
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