v2c1 - 5

About three hours on foot from Ipsom City.  

Ultimately, without even staying a single night, Toru and his group hurriedly checked out of the inn and headed straight for the forest Guy had mentioned. Of course, they didn’t fully trust everything Guy had said, but they figured it was a suitable place to hide from the Gillette Corps for the time being.  

“Still…”  

Deep within a large forest thick with coniferous trees… sure enough, slightly west of the center, there was a small spring. It was such a modest body of water that they’d never have found it without being told of its existence in advance. Perhaps fed by groundwater, the water was clear, but no fish could be seen.  

“So it really is here, huh.”  

Toru muttered in a tone mixed with slight disbelief.  

At the end of his gaze beside the spring, near a cluster of coniferous trees—stood three military mechanized vehicles.  

They were medium to small in size for mechanized vehicles, and from what he could see, they lacked any armaments. Likely, they were used for logistical transport. Each had a considerably large cargo bed attached.  

Their appearance was reminiscent of giant, angular snails, perhaps.  

“Mechanized vehicles!”  

It was Chaika who raised her voice first and rushed over.  

She was closely inspecting one of the vehicles, but upon opening the door to what seemed to be the driver’s seat, she thrust her upper body inside and began rummaging around with a gorgeous expression.  

Watching her—  

“Anii-sama…” Akari, standing beside him, called out with a dubious tone. “How in the world did you know something like this was here?”  

“That’s the thing, I’m not entirely sure…”  

Though he felt some hesitation—after all, he’d been completely outmatched by Guy—Toru recounted the entire encounter to Akari.  

“Those knights showed up in the city, you know. So, on our way out, I figured we’d take a chance and check this place out.”  

“Unbelievable.” Akari said. “You mean to say you followed the advice of some unknown stranger and came all the way to the depths of this forest?”  

“Well, yeah, that’s about it.”  

Toru shrugged.  

“Didn’t you consider it might be a trap?”  

“If he’d wanted to, I think that guy could’ve killed me or tortured me right then and there. He’s a mystery, sure, but I didn’t sense any direct hostility. That’s one thing.” Toru raised his index finger as he spoke. “And another thing. It’s like… how do I put it…”  

He faltered, searching for words.  

Choosing his words carefully, he continued.  

“It felt like he’s looking at things from a different perspective than us, or like our interests don’t quite align… Something like that. I can’t explain it well. Damn it.”  

“A feeling…”  

Akari tilted her head.  

“Sorry, it’s not exactly solid reasoning.”  

It wasn’t as if he’d let his guard down around that boy who  introduced himself as Guy.  

If anything, he still found him suspicious… and even felt that, if possible, it’d be better to take him out. But that aside, to Toru, this Guy didn’t even feel like an enemy.  

It was as if—he were watching a game board from outside the playing field.  

“…In any case, the mechanized vehicels are here. Looks like Anii-sama’s intuition was right.”  

The moment Akari said that—  

A dull hum from the magical engine reverberated, as if welling up from the depths of the earth.  

“Toru!” Chaika poked her head out from one of the vehicles and shouted. “Operational! Possible! Harvest!!”  

As expected, having been abandoned for years—thirty, if Guy’s words were true—the interior was apparently caked in dust. Her pale face and silver hair were speckled with gray patches after her shuffling.  

Even so… Chaika, innocently brimming with excitement, was utterly adorable.  

“That’s great news.”  

Toru responded with a wry smile.  

“Parts swapping! Need help!”  

“Got it, just tell me what to do.”  

Nodding to Akari, Toru approached the vehicle.  

For now, they’d secured their “means of transport and movement.”  

There was no doubt this gave them a bit more leeway, both in terms of time and range of action. As for the details surrounding Chaika’s situation, they could question her and sort it out gradually.  

Rolling up his sleeves and climbing into the vehicle—Toru was thinking such things.