As I was pondering, a well-dressed gentleman next to Yazzak-san approached Sid. Nonchalantly, he pulled out a knife from his pocket.
…
“Shall I stab this directly into your heart?”
“Mm…ng.”
“Hm? I don’t understand what you’re saying… What? Do you want to be stabbed?”
“I-I’m sorry! Please forgive me!”
“Challenging to a fight out of nowhere, is this guy stupid? Huh?”
“Apologies! It was just a spur of the moment—”
“Which fool challenges a fight on a whim? Ah!? Do you want to face me?”
“I-I’m sorry!”
What is this? The gentleman was starting to threaten Sid in a slightly Kansai dialect. Terrifying…
As I watched in astonishment, Sid seemed to have finally given up, judging by his interaction with Yazzak.
“Sorry for the unnecessary trouble. You can release the restraints; it’s fine.”
“Y-yes.”
Yazzak immediately released the magic restraints. Sid collapsed on the spot as if the threads had been cut, breathing heavily on his shoulders. He must have been struggling hard to break free from the restraints. The gentleman, after looking at me, took off the folded hat on his head and bowed towards me.
“I apologize. I’ll make sure he won’t be able to stand after this.”
“Huh? Um…”
“Oh, my name is Paldomihov of the Federation Army. Thank you for applying to join the Federation Army.”
“Ap-application?”
I asked, confused. Yazzak hastily interjected.
“Oh, it’s about Camilla General’s proposal to join the Federation Army while being under the state army…”
“Oh, right. Sorry for causing you trouble in various ways.”
“No, currently, there are only four Celestials, including myself, in the Federation Army. This is the minimum number compared to other countries, so recruiting Celestials is an urgent task. Shigeto-sama’s enlistment is something we couldn’t be happier about.”
Then Sid, who had been listening quietly, shouted.
“So, I’m going to—”
“Shut up! Do you want to die???”
“Just, just kidding!”
“…”
Somehow, it seemed like there was a hierarchical relationship between these two.
…Huh?
“Eh? Are you a Celestial too?”
“Yes, I’m ranked 65th, quite mediocre.”
“N-no, that’s not…”
The gentleman, who looked like a mafia boss standing in front of me, was a much higher-ranking Celestial than I was.
“Well, let’s discuss the details later.”
“Yes.”
That’s right. I looked around and noticed the state soldiers were watching us in astonishment. There would probably be complicated and difficult discussions and contracts coming up. Sid, who was about to follow us, was coldly told by Paldomihov to sit in seiza right there.
“Acquaintances… right?”
“Sid? That’s right. He joined on as an apprentice without permission, and after that he seems to be acting as a guard, but he’s carrying his shame along with him…I guess that’s what it’s like.”
“I see…”
“As the Federal Government, we intend to accept all proposals from General Camilla.”
“Yes…”
Camilla General’s proposal, as Yazzak explained before, meant being officially in the Federation Army and stationed in Durham state. Was it okay for me to be unaware of the conditions of the contract?
“Shigeto-sama’s wish is to work for the liberation of Durham state in this area. Is that acceptable?”
“Well…”
There’s a part to ponder about that. Well, of course, there are three students here. There are other students scattered around this world, but unfortunately, the four from the third year don’t see me as a teacher. For now, it’s essential that three of them here rely on me as their teacher. As for the liberation of the state… what do I want? I am…
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, even if we talk about the liberation of the state, considering the current situation where hardly any residents who returned to the liberated Dudur Valley are here, is there any meaning in liberating it in the future?”
“…That’s true. Yazzak-kun was also thinking the same thing.”
“I agree…”
“I was a teacher in the previous world. The students from that time joined the state army and are here. I’ve been thinking about supporting them, as they are still young.”
“Yes, I’ve heard that Miki-san and Takato-san are joining the state army from General Degry.”
“Yeah, for some reason, I have some combat ability in this world. So I’m thinking of using it to help them with their work.”
Paldomihov nodded as he listened to my story. While talking, I feel something I vaguely had in the back of my mind taking shape.
“However, I’m just a teacher, and I’m a bit concerned about the children I occasionally see in this town.”
“Children? …Certainly, in a town like this, there must be orphans.”
“Yes, there are those kids, and I wonder if there’s something I can do for them…”
“…Hmm.”
What is it? I was talking about joining the military, but I find myself saying something completely different. Paldomihov, looking troubled while stroking his beard, gazed at the ceiling.
“However… there are quite a few troublemakers like Sid today. Such people are quite common.”
“I-I guess that’s right…I’m in trouble…”
“The person you replaced, Carton, was a member of a clan called Disaster.”
“D-Disaster??? Sounds troublesome.”
“Yes, it’s a clan that serves as the enforcers for the Five Storms, a group of five sworn brothers. Carton held the second position in the clan.”
“S-sworn brothers… Storms…”
“Yes, it’s a notorious clan. The mage who was with them, Focal, held the third position…”
“No way…”
“The sworn brothers were killed, and now the remaining three are on the move…”
Gulp… That’s unpleasant, too unpleasant information. Paldomihov, acting as if it’s unrelated to him, continues stroking his beard with a face of indifference.
“Well… if you join the Federation Army…”
“Well, it might be more effective than the state army, I think. Considering the opponents, it’s a difficult situation. However, I believe we can provide you with information about their movements.”
“Hmm…”
“And if, in times of need, you lend your strength as a force, it doesn’t matter what you do in your usual days.”
“Huh?”
“For us, just having your name is a benefit. We will also pay you a salary.”
“In times of need… like when?”
“War… something like that.”
“War…”
“Hahaha. Well, there’s not really any war happening. That’s what Celestials are for. Our existence serves as a deterrent for the enemy. Therefore, the more Celestials in our ranks, the better. That’s the idea.”
“I-I see…”
Deterrence…
There was something… I felt like I was being treated as if I were a nuclear weapon or something. But in a world with rankings, Celestials may indeed be considered such a presence.
As I sank into contemplation, Paldomihov muttered a single phrase.
“However, I do want to see Shigeto-sama’s strength … just once.”
