Trails with Cuddle-Cuddle Osbon
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Helen
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Author Note:
This is the 50th chapter anniversary and a chapter where I’m at a loss.
I was planning to go all the way to complete the chapters of the June field study in this chapter, but the plot volume ballooned unnecessary, so I split them up.
In addition, a little bit of narration for the previous chapter was also added (Information on the people who were spirited away).
Thank you for the typo reports as always.
Chapter 050– Fufufu, son. It’s the June Field Study⑧ [A]
“Uh…………”
[“Fufufu, son. Are you awake?”]
{“It took him five minutes to wake up…… I don’t know if I should consider that fast or slow.”}
[“If there are no enemies around, it doesn’t matter if it’s fast or slow.”]
The voices of Osbon and Valimar could be vaguely heard.
Even as Rean felt his body beginning to feel fatigued, he gradually began to open his eyes.
As he sat up, memories began to surface in his mind as his consciousness awakened.
If I remember correctly, I——
The thought occurred to Rean and he jumped out.
And then he realized.
The fact that they weren’t in North Ambria at the moment.
The bleating of sheep echoed in the distance, and cooking smoke rose from the chimneys of the houses.
With its idyllic atmosphere, it reminded one of a village where the blessings of nature were greater than those of orbal power.
“Where are we……?”
“U-ua, hn……”
“Uh, nya~n……”
When he turned toward the voice he had heard, he saw the swordswoman known as Duvalie, whom he had fought against earlier, and Celine, both lying on the ground.
Rean picked up Celine and led her to safety, then wondered what to do with the sword and shield that Duvalie was still clutching after falling.
[“Fufufu, son. Don’t you think it’s wrong for a man to make a move on a sleeping woman?”]
I have no such intentions. I’m just wondering if I should at least take away her weapons.
[“It would be best not to. As you have seen, we are in an unknown land, even though we are supposedly in North Ambria. This is not the time to fight. It would be best to explain the situation to her and work together. If she refuses despite that, then you’re free to do as you wish.”]
I guess I’ll just do that.
Rean also considered this, but since the other party was the one who initiated the combat, he was concerned that the combat might resume the moment she woke up, regardless of the situation.
After much deliberation, Rean placed Celine inside his hood and shook Duvalie’s body once again.
Although Duvalie showed an emotional side, the skills she displayed when fighting Rean was that of an expert class.
Sensing the abnormality in his body, Rean then shook Duvalie’s body a few times, and she opened her eyes.
“Please wake up, Duvalie-san.”
“………………”
Just like Rean’s, Duvalie’s eyes absentmindedly opened and the moment she realized the boy in front of her was touching herself, she stepped back faster than a eye could perceive.
Holding her sword and shield, she skillfully touched various parts of her body and groped them about.
“W-w-w-w-w-w-w-wha?!”
“I’ll say this first. I didn’t do anything like you’re imagining, okay? I just shook your body to wake you up.”
“I-I know that, okay?! I-I can tell that much?!”
This girl is kinda cute.
Duvalie’s overreaction showed that she was clearly shaken, proving how she didn’t notice what she claimed.
Whether it was out of embarrassment or some other emotion, her face was red, but she still spoke in a way that seemed to cover it up and she put some distance between herself and Rean.
“A-Anyway! I’ll give you credit for not attacking while I was sleeping, but I want to settle this once and for all—— hey, what are you doing?”
As Duvalie pointed the tip of her sword at Rean, he sheathed his tachi and raised both hands.
“Shall we make a ceasefire pact for now?”
“Are you declaring surrender?”
“No, look around you.”
“What’s wrong with——”
Upon hearing Rean’s words, Duvalie became aware of the scenery around her and her mouth hung open.
Although her agitation from earlier had subsided, the sudden calm in her emotions suggested that something other than surprise dwelled within her.
“We were supposed to be in North Ambria…… a place covered in salt.”
“It seems we have been spirited away.”
“Spirited away……?”
“Hmm? I thought you girls came here to investigate that, though?”
“……Unfortunately, we were here for another reason.”
“In that case, it seems we could cooperate. I’d like to propose exchanging information.”
“………………”
Duvalie thought for a moment, then eventually sheathed her sword and shield and crossed her arms.
She gestured with her chin, urging Rean to reveal his side of information first.
It seemed she didn’t want to lose her advantage no matter what.
Smiling wryly at the sight, Rean introduced himself.
“My name is Rean Schwarzer. This cat is Celine.”
“I am the head knight of Stahlritter, Duvalie. I’m also known as Duvalie the Swift.”
Thinking that it was understandable given her speed, Rean explained that they were students at Thors Military Academy and that they had come to North Ambria as part of their curriculum.
As part of their tasks, they went to investigate the spirited away incidents that occurred yesterday, where they then encountered Duvalie’s group and got attacked by them.
After revealing everything, Duvalie took a breath and explained why she was there.
“We, Stahlritter, come to investigate on behalf of Master…… our lord, regarding the disturbance in the spiritual veins of this land.”
“Investigate?”
“Someone pointed out that these disturbances might be an obstacle to a certain plan. At first, Master intended to visit personally, but we couldn’t let her deal with such a trivial matter, so we volunteered to be sent here instead.”
“By any chance, is the Master you talk about referring to Vita-san?”
“You know about Abyss? You are surprisingly well-informed…… that said, I will answer that your guess is wrong. Even Master acknowledges her magic power and wisdom, but the one and only person I dedicate my sword and loyalty to is —— the Steel Maiden, Arianrhod-sama.”
[“…………………”]
Dad?
[“No, it’s nothing. The reason they are here is probably to prepare for the plan that the Almighty Conflagration had mentioned, that Miss Vita said will take action within the year.”]
In other words, there is an irregularity in the plan that Vita-san was trying to make in this place.
Duvalie did not respond to his words.
Unfortunately, she didn’t seem able to see Osbon.
The same was probably the same for the other two women under Stahlritter.
Although Rean felt disappointed about this, Duvalie continued speaking.
“Maybe being spirited away is a byproduct of that.”
“What is your basis for that?”
“That’s because this place is a singularity, right?”
The one who interrupted Duvalie was Celine, who was supposed to be asleep inside the hood.
It seemed that she had woken up and was resting her feet on Rean’s shoulder.
Duvalie blinked slightly at Celine, a talking cat, but quickly confirmed that her remark was true.
“It’s clear that this place isn’t Zemuria, so it’s not a teleportation…… this seems to be a different space, a place within a different dimension.”
“A different dimension …… you’re saying a place where things like Cryptids and demons exist?”
“That’s another dimension. Well, do you understand if I say if there’s a box called Zemuria, you can think of this place as a smaller box inside that box?”
“A box inside the box ……”
“Is there a way to get out of that box?”
“Either we find the key or the owner of the box…… that is, we can just defeat the entity that created the singularity. Most of the time, dimensions like this have an owner.”
“Even if you say ‘owner,’ there doesn’t seem to be one nearby.”
Rean looked around again.
There were no monsters to be seen, and the place gave the impression of having human activities.
There was nothing unusual about such a peaceful place.
“The absence of anything unusual exactly makes it unusual, is it?”
“Normally, a singularity would have a profound effect on the mental landscape of the entity that created it. And yet the landscape of a village like this is……”
“For the time being, why don’t we exchange our contact information?”
“Why did the topic jump to that from the earlier conversation?!”
Duvalie looked dumbfounded for a moment, but then she screamed, her face flushed red at what she was told.
Celine gave up retorting, just looked off into the distance and thought, not again……
“If Duvalie-san is a member of the Society, I want you to act as an intermediary between me and my target —— McBurn-san the Almighty Conflagration. Since I got no answer even after I asked through Abend Time, it seems Vita-san doesn’t have McBurn-san’s contact information. Also, it’s a means of contact in case we get separated and can’t contact each other.”
“You also know about Almighty Conflagration…… and you said he is your goal, what do you mean by that—— rather, your latter reason should be the main goal if one thinks normally, right! Or rather, I don’t have any intention of getting that close to——”
“My ARCUS number is——there. Ah, if you are acquainted with Vita-san, maybe asking it through Abend Time is more certain?”
“Listen to me!”
“Is it not okay?”
“Don’t make an expression like you don’t understand what I mean!”
Afterward, they engaged in several comedy sketch-like exchanges in which Rean would make suggestions and Duvalie would scream in response.
Celine, who realized the options were either to tell Rean her contact information or not, despite the change of wording, thought that their continued interactions would be a waste of time and stepped in to intervene.
The root cause was to confirm whether ARCUS could be used or not.
Rean immediately tried to contact Sara, Toval, and Group B, but there was no response.
ARCUS still functioned as a tactical orbment, but it seemed like its communication capabilities were completely busted.
As a result, the plan of the exchange of contact information was canceled, and Celine felt mysteriously guilty at Duvalie who looked at her as if she was a benefactor, despite having intervened so brilliantly.
“Next, we’ll gather information. Let’s start a marathon!”
“M-Marathon? Why do you have to run?”
Duvalie blinked her eyes blankly when Rean suddenly said something strange.
Celine saw that and realized that she had accepted the term marathon without any sense of incongruity, which made her astonished.
As a veteran, Rean acted like a mentor to Duvalie, a novice runner.
“A marathon is the act of speaking to the people of a place. If done at Trista, then it’s called Trista Marathon, well, something like that. I didn’t have the opportunity to do that in North Ambria, so it feels like it’s been a long time since I did one.”
“Isn’t it wrong to investigate with such a playful attitude and feeling……?”
“Then, let’s go, Duvalie-san.”
“I never said I would act together with—— ah, hey! Wait for me!”
Without listening to what she said, Rean ran off, and Duvalie chased after him with her fleet-footedness.
Celine, who lost her balance as Rean started running and fell from his shoulder into his hood, felt a sense of familiarity at Duvalie’s anxious voice.
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