The place where I stayed overnight seemed like a dormitory created for the state army. It appeared to be a common type in the cities of this world, with a part of the state army facilities inside the city walls made available for lodging.
It felt like a row of bunk beds, but more like a capsule hotel or a sleeper train. It had some height, enough for one to sit comfortably inside.
There was an entrance about 50 cm high at the upper part, with a shelf inside where you could place your belongings. The wall on the entrance side served as a small table where you could write something. On the opposite wall facing the city walls, there was a small window with grids, allowing a view outside. Surely, the state army members were designed to notice any abnormalities outside the walls even while sleeping.
I’ve always liked small spaces, so I found this capsule hotel-like private space quite appealing.
As I was about to go to sleep, there was a knock. Wondering who it could be, I opened the door, and there was Nishina’s face upside down.
“What’s up?”
“Sensei, um…”
Nishina was using the space above me. He hesitated with a mischievous look on his face.
“Well, actually, … I received this.”
“What’s this?”
“This, it seems to be alcohol.”
“I see, Nishina is underage, so I understand…”
“Can I drink it?”
“Huh? No, you can’t, right?”
“But, you see. In this world, it seems like you’re considered an adult from the age of 15. I thought about secretly drinking it, but… I thought it might be better to get Sensei’s permission first…”
“Ugh… Well, I guess, in this world, even if it’s allowed, there must be considerations for the growth process of the body, right? Even if I say it’s okay, I can’t really approve of it.”
“…Yeah, I guess so.”
Hmm. Well, I understand that kids want to act grown-up, but if you know it’s not allowed, you shouldn’t have asked me deliberately.
“Sakuragi also said it would be no good.”
“Oh, Sakuragi knows about this too?”
“Yes, she said if you approve of this, Sensei might accept Senpai as well.”
“B-but… Well, this and that are two different things…”
“Yes, Sensei, sometimes you should drink and feel good before sleeping.”
“Wait a minute! Nishina!”
I tried to stop Nishina, who thrust the bottle at me and hastily slipped into his space, but the surrounding booths had already begun to echo with the sound of snoring. I couldn’t raise my voice too much… damn.
While saying that, it had been a while since I drank. My heart leapt a bit. I wasn’t particularly fond of alcohol, but occasionally, it’s good to drink and release stress. I glance once more at Nishina’s booth’s door but decide to close my own.
… The bottle had a cork-like seal. Turning it while pulling, it made a satisfying “pop” sound. The booth was filled with a rich aroma.
…
Sip.
“Goho!”
Whoa! It was strong. Whiskey-like strength. No, it might actually have been whiskey. I quickly took out a water bottle and used it as a chaser. Well, I wouldn’t complain about luxury at this point. Let’s enjoy it little by little.
…
…
Knock, knock.
Huh… was it time to wake up already? Perhaps due to the rare drinking, I seemed to have overslept a bit. I opened the door at the side of my pillow in a hurry, and a familiar face peeked in. A somewhat Arabian-looking, dark-skinned handsome guy. He was the deputy officer serving under Yazzak, the head of this state army facility.
“Oh… Stroman-san. Good morning.”
“I apologize for waking you up. There’s a guest for Sensei…”
“Guest???”
“Yes.”
Lately, influenced by the students, more and more people seemed to be calling me “Sensei”.
For now, I asked Stroman to wait and quickly changed. Inoue from the upper bunk seemed to have gone out somewhere already. After changing, I followed Stroman. It seemed that someone had come to see me at the state army headquarters.
When I arrived at the headquarters, there was a commotion, with people gathered oddly. When they noticed me, the crowd turned and looked in my direction. Then, a man stepped forward.
“Oh, you came. You’re Shigeto Kusunoki, right?”
“Huh? Um…”
“Not him? Answer me!”
“Well, yes, but… who might you be?”
“I’m Sid! Ranked 691st. I’m called the Flash Thunder Emperor! Let’s have a little duel.”
Suddenly, the man in front of me provoked a fight for no apparent reason. Stroman tried to stop it, but the man showed no signs of stopping.
“Huh? No…”
“What’s the matter? If you’re a man, let’s fight!”
“Um…”
“Oh!?”
“I refuse.”
“…That’s right. As expected of someone who has reached the Celestial position. He’s a kind man. I won’t kill you…huh?”
“Therefore, I decline your request.”
“W-why!?”
“Well, because… there’s no point in fighting, right?”
“But even so, I came all the way from Khorasan for this!”
“Ah, I don’t know why you went out of your way to do that…”
“But, but! There is meaning for us here!”
“Um, well, if that’s the case, I’ll concede my defeat. Um, how was it again? Can I declare defeat with a divine citizen card?”
“What… what’s wrong with you! That won’t change your ranking, you fool!”
“Eh? Even if you say that, I have no intention of fighting…”
I didn’t understand.
The state army members, expecting a battle from my declaration of not fighting followed by a declaration of defeat, taunted me in a disappointed manner. Stroman desperately tried to dissuade them.
“What are you saying? Let’s teach this little brat a lesson, he’s a Celestial!”
“Yes, there’s no way our Celestial is going to be defeated by such a cocky little kid!”
“Would you guys stop it! Sid-san, please stop too!”
What’s going on? And on top of that, even though the language shouldn’t have any regional dialects, it’s inexplicably sounding like a Kansai dialect. It’s incomprehensible.
“Well, fine then. Stroman-san, don’t stop them. If this guy is going to be killed… he’ll get serious.”
The atmosphere of the man who called himself Sid changed. A sharp, murderous intent began to leak out. Feeling the pressure, I involuntarily placed my left hand on my hip… Oh no, I didn’t bring my sword.
“Is this okay? As it is. What about your weapon?”
“Wait a moment!”
“Brother, you’re too lenient. A man should be prepared to face danger!”
“Hey, what does that mean…”
The man drew his sword without waiting. A cruel grin lingered on his face.
Damn it! I took a cautious step back.
“Alright, here I go!”
“Wait!”
As Sid was about to slash at me, something like a mass of magical energy flew from behind me towards Sid. Did he sense the magical energy as a presence? Sid, affected by the magic, struggled in apparent panic.
“Nh! Ngh… what’s this? Can’t move!”
Something was restraining Sid like a magic force field.
“What, what is this!”
Sid desperately tried to remove it, but there was no sign of the restraint loosening.
What’s going on?
“Are you okay? Shigeto-sensei.”
Yazzak-san came from behind with a gentlemanly-looking man I hadn’t seen before. Could it be that Yazzak-san did this?
“Thank you.”
“Oh, come on… I’m sorry.”
“Huh? No, why Yazzak-san?”
“Hahaha…”
“???”
What’s… happening???
