Trails with Cuddle-Cuddle Osbon
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Helen
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Author Note:
This is the end of the long North Ambria Arc.
Thank you for the typo reports as always.
Chapter 053 – Fufufu, son. It’s the Results of the June Field Study [A]
“Rean!”
Rean woke up to a voice calling his name.
He felt like he was still inside the cockpit. In the monitor viewing what was in the front of Valimar, he could see Fie and the others looking in with their arms outstretched.
When he turned to his side, he found Celine and Duvalie unconscious, just like when they woke up on the sea.
No, the fact he could see Fie and the others in the first place suggested that they managed to return from the singularity.
“Valimar, what’s the situation……?”
All Rean remembered was being blown away by Rutger’s unreasonable rage.
His question was meant to convey that, but Valimar interpreted it differently.
{“Umu, I managed to successfully absorb that monster. In addition, I was able to open a corner of the hidden test. Apparently, that monster was revived from a dormant state, strengthened through the influence of the spiritual veins that Rean summoned.”}
“The influence of the spiritual veins……?”
[“Fufufu, son. You tapped into a deeper depth of your power of ogre ……let’s call it Demon Unchained. It activated the dormant spiritual veins, and the ground that can be used for the Divine Knight’s contract ritual seem to have functioned as a singularity.”]
“In other words?”
[“That monster was a mutation of the gatekeeper from the trial, and you were considered to have undergone the trial as an Awakener for the second time. That’s probably why Miss Duvalie was able to ride Vali-kun.”]
{“Due to the activation, you received a trial that you weren’t supposed to…… but the fact that Rean managed to receive it must have been a causality of some sort.”}
In other words, that phenomenon seemed to be the equivalent of the Grey Power, Loa Erebonius.
This time, it wasn’t Rean who absorbed it, but Valimar.
However, the monster seemed too strong for that.
If Valimar hadn’t been summoned, they would surely have been wiped out.
[“Fufufu, there is obviously a big reason for that…… but I’ll tell you about it later. For now, you should show Miss Fie and the others that you’re in good condition.”]
“I guess you’re right. Celine, Duvalie-san, please wake up.”
“Uh, hn……”
“What is it……?”
Both of them spoke in sleepy voices, but when they looked at the monitor in front of them and their surroundings, they understood their current situation.
Duvalie’s gaze turned to the two members of Stahlritter standing behind Fie and the others.
“Ines, Ennea! It seems we have returned.”
“It seems so. Sorry to have made you worried, everyone.”
“”?! Rean!””
They conveyed their safety from Valimar.
While Group B, Sara, and Toval were relieved, the Stahlritter still had troubled looks on their faces.
Rean urged Duvalie.
“Come on, Duvalie-san too.”
“I-I know. Ahem, I’m glad that both of you are safe.”
“Duvalie!”
After finally seeing the beaming faces of Stahlritter, Rean’s group disembarked from Valimar.
The two people and the cat, enveloped in light, stepped out of the cockpit and into North Ambria…… the salty land, for the first time in a long while.
“Wah, you were really on board. I’m glad to see Celine with you too.”
“Hey, is that woman with you too?”
“Well, both of them disappeared at the same time, so it’s not like I don’t understand how it ended up like that……”
The three members of Group B looked at the two people and a cat who had disembarked from Valimar, especially Duvalie, with wide eyes.
Duvalie, on other hand, received even more gazes from Stahlritter.
“Oh my, Duvalie, isn’t it heartless of you to go out on a date with a young boy while we worried about you?”
“That’s right, it seems like our head knight had a lot of fun.”
“W-W-W-What on earth are you two saying!”
“After all, you are wearing different clothes now, right?”
As Duvalie yelled, Fie pointed out her outfit.
Duvalie gasped in realization.
She was dressed in the clothes Rean had given her, and apart from her sword and shield, she certainly did look like an aristocratic young lady.
Toval couldn’t help but whistle at her cute appearance.
Duvalie’s face turned red as all eyes were on her, but she immediately ran over to the two members of Stahlritter.
Even so, the gazes didn’t stop, so Sara called out to Rean to change the topic.
“Rean, what exactly happened?”
“Various things. I, too, would like to know what happened after we disappeared…… Did the fighting stop?”
“Well, we all had missing people from each side, after all. We decided on a truce as we investigated, you guys ——or more accurately, that Divine Knight suddenly flew away.”
“That was really a surprise,” said Sara.
It seemed that the force of the blow caused Valimar to pass through the singularity. It was a very bizarre escape.
Moreover, it didn’t seem like much time had passed.
Apparently, the singularity had been a space that was separated from time as well.
“For the time being, we’re safe, but we don’t know where the people who were spirited away are——”
{“Rean. I can sense the presence of humans some distance away. They’re likely the people who were spirited away.”}
“Really?”
{“I have no reason to lie.”}
[“Fufufu, son. It’s just my personal opinion, but I think it’s likely the Jaeger King who rescued them? He seemed determined to solve the case from the start, after all. In the end, we never found out the details of the secrets of that village, though……”]
……Although it’s not perfect, let’s prioritize saving human lives first.
Perhaps due to his nature as a bracer, Toval was the first to react to Valimar’s words.
“Seriously?! I’ll check——”
But then he glanced at the three from the Stahlritter and seemed to be waiting to see what they would do.
At that moment, Duvalie, who had calmed down, took a deep breath and spoke.
“There is no reason to harm innocent people. If you are going to check, do it quickly.”
“Even if you say that……”
“It’s okay, Toval-san. I can trust Duvalie-san.”
“Fu~hn, Duvalie-san.”
“Right?”
Fie shot a sharp look at Rean, while Sara grinned and interjected with a teasing tone.
Fie, in particular, looked like she wanted to say something, but before she could, Machias exclaimed in admiration.
“It seems that despite being enemies, you two have become friends there.”
“Since she is able to get along with Rean, I guess that means she isn’t a bad person?”
As if to chime in, Elliot also spoke words of trust. Rean was the happiest as he heard those casual words.
“Well, let’s leave that aside for now. Sara, I’ll go and check it out, so I’ll leave things here to you.”
“Roger.”
{“Toval, I’ll guide you there. You’ll reach there quicker.”}
“O-Ouh.”
Valimar held out its hand to imply that Toval should ride it.
From Toval’s perspective, a giant knight doll was talking to him, so it was only natural that he would be hesitant.
“Is this thing really a machine……?”
“It is a reliable fellow.”
Sweating coldly, Rean and the others saw Toval off as he sat on Valimar’s hand. Then, they once again faced off against the Stahlritter.
Rean himself no longer harbored any hostility, but the true intentions of Sara’s group as well as Ines and Ennea of Stahlritter were unclear.
Therefore, it was inevitable that the two would take the initiative in discussing the matter.
“I heard about your situation from Duvalie-san. You came here to investigate on the orders of your lord, whom you call Master, right? Though not completely, the matter has been resolved for the time being, but…… are you still planning to fight?”
“From our perspective, we just want to confirm the disappearance of the singularity caused by the disturbance in the spiritual veins, so I don’t mind stopping here. Is that fine with the two of you?”
However, six to twelve gazes were directed at Rean and Duvalie.
It would be ridiculous not to arouse curiosity about the two, who were clearly in sync and trying to avoid fighting.
“I don’t mind, you know? But I’d like you to tell us more about what happened over there.”
“I agree. Let’s consider that as the price for a truce.”
“I don’t really mind…… let’s see, after we get sucked into the hole, we fought together until we escaped——”
“Schwarzer! Shut your mouth! Both of you, that’s enough of that, so let’s go and report to Master!”
“Oh my, Duvalie, you’re getting pretty worked up, aren’t you?”
“Did something really happen between you two?”
“Y-Y-Y-You’re wrong! E~rr, that’s right, it’ll be troublesome if that Divine Knight returns, right? I have no intention of losing, but now that we’ve fulfilled our Master’s order, it’s not wise to be forced to exhaust ourselves unnecessarily!”
“”………………””
“Say something!”
(“I guess Duvalie-san is a character that gets teased often, after all, I can understand that feeling.”)
(“It’s probably because of people like you……”)
Rean nodded to himself.
Celine, who climbed onto Rean’s shoulder and made a retort in place of Duvalie, shared the hardship together. The feeling of her paw on his cheeks didn’t feel like a retort, but felt more warm.
Grumbling back at the silent pair, Duvalie crossed her arms and glared at Rean’s group.
“That’s why! We will excuse ourselves here. I still have a few things to report, after all.”
“It’s good that there doesn’t seem to be any fighting.”
That was Rean’s true thoughts.
The momentary hostility that gave way to cooperation was worthy of Rean’s show of friendship to Duvalie.
“Next time, I will catch up to you with my bare strength.”
“Hmph, I won’t let you catch up that easily. Schwarzer too, should hone your skills as much as you can.”
As Duvalie said this, a magic circle appeared at her feet.
“It’s teleportation,” muttered Celine softly.
“Oh well. I actually want to ask while he is around, but there’s nowhere to escape back home, after all, right?”
“Aah. If we tell Master about it, I’m sure she’ll be interested.”
“Wai, it’s against the rules to get that person involved————!”
The three members of Stahlritter left, showing how friendly and affectionate they were to each other.
Although they probably couldn’t see, Rean waved his hand as if saying farewell.
Seeing this, Machias pushed up the frame of his glasses with his finger.
“Rean, it seems you’ve become quite close with her, huh?”
“We did things in a survival lifestyle, after all. Maybe it’s because we couldn’t have survived if we didn’t cooperate.”
“S-Survival?”
“I’ll have you talk about it on the train on the way back, okay?”
“I have no choice but to talk about it there. Also Fie, about this incident——”
Just as Rean was about to mention Rutger, Sara’s ARCUS received a call.
At the same time, Rean received a telepathic message.
{“Rean, come over here.”}
Want early access to Cannon Fodder, Melancholy of the Demon Army Officer, and I Was a Man Before Reincarnating, So I Refuse a Reverse Harem? Support the translator on Patreon!
