Trails with Cuddle-Cuddle Osbon
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Helen
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Author Note:
I was astonished that the first day of this arc alone is about the size of the whole field study in April.
I need to roll it up…
Thank you for the typo reports as always.
I have also received another review.
This is a reliable covering fire for the Imperial Capital Arc, which will likely be even more voluminous compared to that in the North Ambria Arc…
Thank you very much, Ryan-san!
Chapter 060 – Fufufu, Son. The First Day is Finally Over
“Hey, Elise. I’m not injured or anything.”
“No, please rest for a while.”
“It’s been about ten minutes.”
“I’d like you to stay still for about ten times as long.”
“That’ll make me stay still like this until the day ends.”
Rean, who had lost his duel with Kurt below the balcony, was currently being taken care of by Elise, lying on her lap.
Although Rean hit himself with Loa Valimar and was blown away, he broke his fall in a proper manner and Valimar had also gone easy on him, so he didn’t suffer any apparent injury.
That said, even though Elise had learned knight swordsmanship centered around rapiers for self-defense, she, who saw the spectacle of her brother being blown away, was apparently extremely worried.
While still lying on the ground, Elise ran over to him and raised her hands, and perhaps taking this as a sign of aid, she placed Rean’s head on her laps, examining his body, before the scene that played out above happened.
Alfien and Musse seemed to be considerate, as when Elise rested Rean’s head on her lap, they exited the scene.
They probably went to help Cedric carry away the unconscious Kurt.
[“Fufufu, son. Come think of it, you haven’t seen Miss Elise since the Parm trip, haven’t you? Just think about how your sister felt when she saw her brother disappear again just when she thought she had gotten to meet him again.”]
Muu, it’s true that I haven’t spent much time with my sister……
When Elise came to visit him when he was sick back in Parm, the whole family was there, and even when Rean visited the girls’ academy today, he prioritized Musse and didn’t pay much attention to Elise.
Since Rosine took priority as there was a time limit, it couldn’t be helped, but from Elise’s perspective, it wasn’t surprising that she would be upset about it.
Suddenly, Elise, who had been checking Rean to see whether he was injured, stopped moving.
“…………Nii-sama, do you always do things like this?”
“Yes?”
“You took action for the sake of others, and ended up like this…… Nothing really happened this time, but the injuries you sustained at the military academy……”
“That’s not true. I always act for myself, so the injuries I had were because of my lack of ability. In other words, it’s my lack of training.”
“This time, you came to ask help for your friend, right? Does His Highness and Kurt-san have anything to do with that?”
“It’s just my selfish wish to see friends getting along with each other.”
“In that case, what about the wounds you suffered when completing Mildine’s request?”
“Ah~…… a lot of things happened.”
Rean fought with McBurn so that McBurn could be willing to be his friend and was wounded because he was defeated.
To put it bluntly, it was as Elise said, but would she be convinced?
Considering Elise’s personality, she definitely wouldn’t.
Seeing Rean unable to think of a good excuse, Elise’s fingers reached out to pinch both of Rean’s cheeks.
“You liar.”
Rean’s eyes met with his adoptive sister’s, who was peering at him from above.
Her expression was hard to see, especially since it was at night.
“What do you mean by ‘liar’?”
“When I came to visit you when you were sick back then, you promised that you wouldn’t do anything reckless and wouldn’t hurt yourself, right?”
“Did I make such a promise~?”
Rean played dumb.
It was a promise sought not only by Elise, but also Teo and Lucia, the entirety of Schwarzer Family.
Rean couldn’t guarantee it back then, and he couldn’t guarantee it now either.
After all, he was going to be acting recklessly for the next three days…… It was a false accusation, but he had to stick to the rules that have been laid out.
That was why while he felt bad for Elise, he couldn’t agree for Rosine’s sake.
Perhaps sensing Rean’s determination, Elise removed her fingers from his cheeks.
The look on his adoptive sister’s face in the moonlight was one of helplessness, or perhaps wariness; it was hard to tell, but it wasn’t meant to stop Rean.
“Is it for the sake of your friend?”
“Aah. You have heard when I explained the situation to His Highness, but one of my friends has been arrested on false charges. That’s why I will definitely help her.”
“……Which friend is that?”
“She is a philanthropic girl, named Rosine, who is kind to everyone.”
“I, see…… Is that person going to be my sister-in-law?”
Elise raised her face.
She seemed to be looking up at the moon, but naturally, Rean couldn’t see Elise’s face from his angle.
“She’s an attractive girl, but we’re not in that kind of relationship. I do want to stay friends with her for the rest of my life, though.”
“Is that true for the others as well?”
“I do hope so. Besides, there is a potential male friend that I am pursuing really hard right now.”
“I-Is that so?”
Elise suddenly lowered her head and looked at Rean with wide eyes.
Rean asserted that having more friends was a good thing.
“However, Rosine is my priority right now, though.”
Rean rolled to the side and got off Elise’s lap, then sat up halfway to face her.
“Here you go.”
Then he spread his arms wide, bringing Elise into his arms.
It had been a long time since he embraced her.
But Elise looked around nervously and shook her head in refusal.
“N-Nii-sama. I’m already fourteen years old, I’m not that young any……”
“Sorry for making you feel lonely—— there, come on.”
As family, Rean understood the feelings Elise was having.
She hadn’t gotten to see him since April, and the only information she had received from him was about his enjoyable life at the academy and monthly follow-up reports of his injury.
And when she thought he finally showed up, Rean continued the conversation while neglecting his adoptive sister.
If the situation were reversed, Rean would also experience a sense of loneliness.
That was why Rean decided to give Elise something more certain than a hundred words.
“————————That’s sly of you, Nii-sama.”
As Elise approached him on her knees, Rean put his arms around her back, and while his left arm was still holding her back, he placed his right hand on her head.
As he slowly and gently stroked her head, Elise rested her chin on Rean’s shoulder and complained.
“I think you should spend a bit more time with your family.”
“Well then, while I’m not sure exactly when it will be, let’s go back to Ymir together. I need to show up and see father and mother, after all.”
“……I don’t mind spending time in the Imperial Capital, though.”
“You’re right, let’s start by having some time alone together with just the two of us.”
“……I guess it can’t be helped, so I’ll forgive you for now.”
“This brother is lucky to have such a generous sister.”
Elise also put her arms around Rean’s back.
Elise’s mood cooled, but Rean still stroked his adoptive sister’s head until he was satisfied, making up for the two months they had been apart.
＊
After escorting Elise to her room, Rean was about to head to the guest room he had been assigned when his ARCUS rang.
Looking at the name on the call, he saw it was from Roselia.
“Hello, Roselia-san?”
[“Umu, this is Roselia-san.”]
It seemed that Roselia had gotten used to operating ARCUS from unsteady usage in the past to the point where she could contact Rean herself now.
Rean looked around and made sure there was no presence of anyone, before exchanging the information he had obtained.
In particular, he mentioned that there was a possibility that one of the terrorists causing trouble in the Imperial Capital was another Divine Knight Awakener.
“There have been multiple reports of the terrorist suddenly disappearing. Has anything else been stolen besides the Salt Pale fragment? If the Chameleon Orb was stolen, then we might have to fight an Invisible Divine Knight……”
[“That’s a valid concern, but unfortunately, the only thing taken away is the fragment of Salt Pale.]
“Eh, but the terrorist did disappear……”
[“The information you gave that girl called Musse is the report you have, right? There are plenty of ways to disappear in the world without relying on orb—— the thing there is likely a ghostly entity known as a ‘’cryptid’.”]
“Cryptid?”
Rean responded by repeating the name he didn’t expect.
Perhaps Roselia found that funny, chuckling from the other side of ARCUS.
[“It’s because of the difference in the amount of information. You, or rather, we, are aware of cryptids’ existence, but that little girl probably isn’t. No matter how excellent one’s insight is, if one doesn’t have prior knowledge, they could only draw conclusions from what they are already aware of.”]
“Uh, you are absolutely right.”
According to the information Rean heard from Musse, what destroyed the orbal light was a huge, monster-like thing.
A cryptid, with blades sticking out all over its body, which Osbon called a dinosaur, the creature Rean’s group fought back in North Ambria, was also larger than a Divine Knight.
It wasn’t surprising that Musse, who had no prior information, would come up with such an answer based on the information she had.
[“But that’s not a bad prospect. After all, we also now know that the other party most likely possesses a Divine Knight.”]
“Really?”
[“While we were pursuing the person who imprisoned us, we noticed that a tiny singularity was occurring in the Imperial Capital.”]
“A singularity?!”
[“In the first place, cryptids are entities from other dimensions of Zemuria. If cryptids appeared, then there must be a gate that connects to them. It’s likely the terrorist utilizing that. The fact that they only managed to do something petty like destroying orbal light is proof that they can only manifest that for an instant and are not able to control them perfectly.”]
As if she found something funny, Roselia’s laughter was even louder than before.
After laughing for a moment, she quickly regained her composure.
[“If they are utilizing a singularity, then things are simple. Schwarzer, use your power of ogre to disrupt the spiritual veins. Then, we’ll naturally be able to find the source of the phenomenon.”]
“Is it really that easy?”
[“Normally, we would have given you a ‘lynchpin’ spiritual tool or pendulum for that, but if you use your ‘sight’ you should be able to see the singularity where the spiritual veins are disturbed. Furthermore, we suspect it isn’t maintained by the caster but rather a tool or a formation. Otherwise, there’s no way that prodigal would have left such obvious clues, after all.” ]
“So the caster is the one who locked Roselia-san up?”
[“Umu. Although we followed the law of causality, it’s as expected of her to make us have difficulty getting hold of her. Anyway, going back to the topic, that singularity is probably generating the space for the Divine Knight’s Trial, using the fragment of Salt Pale as a medium.”]
“Divine Knight’s Trial?”
[“You should recall the singularity you experienced back in North Ambria. It was started by the fragment of Salt Pale, and was created when a spiritual vein overlapped with it. Coincidentally, that land was a site of Divine Knight’s Trial……You were also sent to another dimension when you made your pact with Ashen, weren’t you?”]
Roselia’s words brought back to Rean’s mind the image of that ash-colored battlefield with countless weapons piercing the ground.
It was a mysterious place where Rosine, who was unable to see Osbon, could see it only when she was in that space.
“……But Roselia-san, even though the singularity was also generated by the same Salt Pale fragment, Duvalie-san was still unable to see my dad. If it’s the same Divine Knight’s Trial, then what is the difference?”
[“That’s a difference in the system.”]
“System?”
[“The Divine Knight’s Trial is a kind of contract that records the place called a trial created by the witch long ago. It was a space created by the head witch at the time, which was the reason why we were able to see that strange doll.”]
Osbon supplemented Roselia’s explanation.
[“Fufufu, son. The singularity in North Ambria is more of a hidden trial that isn’t necessary to undergo. Furthermore, it was a blank test with no Divine Knight to be recognized. The singularity used North Ambria’s past and also copied the memories of the land…… I’m sure it imitated it by tracing the causality.”]
“In other words, it was a fake made based on the real thing. That’s why Duvalie-san can’t see dad, huh.”
[“Do you understand? Well, going back to the topic, this terrorist thing is using the Divine Knight and the fragment of Salt Pale to create a singularity then summoning the cryptid from there. But perhaps the control over the cryptid is weak, as the cryptid disappears before it can really rampage…… Well, even if the cryptid can’t be utilized properly, the singularity itself still functions as a perfect hideout.”]
If the singularity was harmless and could be traversed freely, it would be a coveted place for terrorists.
It wasn’t certain that the Regular Army had the technique to employ spiritual methods like witches, and a scientific approach like Schmidt’s would take time to verify.
In that case, it would be Rean’s role to eliminate the singularity and capture the culprit.
“Thank you very much Roselia-san. Thanks to you, I was able to see the goal.”
[“It’s best that we were able to inform you before you act rashly. By the way, if we hadn’t contacted you, what would you have done?”]
“Apparently, there was a potential suspect named Gideon that Emma’s group met in the Nord Highland when they went there, so I was thinking of searching for the monster he was controlling.”
After returning from North Ambria, Class VII also exchanged information.
In reality, the only people who knew about the Salt Pale in Class VII were Rean, Emma, and Sara, but they still shared information about Nord Highland and North Ambria to each other.
Among the information, apparently the group that went to Nord Highland engaged in combat with a mysterious individual who called himself Gideon.
Perhaps the most interesting of the information was the encounter with a girl with turquoise colored hair with a silver combat shell, who called herself Millium Orion.
Millium was also mysterious, but apparently, the man who called himself Gideon was controlling the monster by playing a flute.
If so, it was highly likely that the incident on monster breeding back at Parm was also one of the ways for that man to secure combat power.
“That’s why I was trying to find places like the underground passages of the Imperial Capital where it’s possible for monsters to hide. But if they really used a singularity as their base, I might have wasted a day searching for them.”
[“Let’s keep exchanging information with each other.”]
“Yes. I’ll also let you know once I find the location of the singularity. By the way, how is Emma doing?”
[“She’s currently training to discern laws of causality.”]
“Training? At this time?”
[“If she doesn’t pass that barrier first, she won’t even been able to meet the minimum requirement to accompany us. However, we predicted that she would finish her training by tomorrow or the day after. At the very least, before the time limit. Emma is also worried about that girl called Rosine, after all.”]
“I see……”
[“Do you want to talk to her?”]
“No, I don’t want to disrupt her, so I’ll hang up now. Please give my regards to Celine. Bye.”
The ARCUS call ended with a short reply.
Emma also seemed to be trying her best. Rean resolved himself, thinking that he couldn’t afford to lose.
Suppressing the urge to rush out immediately, Rean threw himself onto the bed he had been given, to recharge his energy for the next day.
＊
The next day, Rean got up early and was about to leave the Valflame Palace quickly for two reasons: He had involved the Crown Prince and angered his guardian, even though it was just an act, and he wanted to go find the terrorist as soon as possible.
But someone thwarted his plans before it could be done.
“Rean-san, I’ve been waiting for you.”
It was Alfin, known as the Empire’s Crown Jewel.
Without either Elise or Musse on her side, she was waiting alone in front of Rean’s room early in the morning.
Rean, who had not expected this turn of events, stopped in his tracks.
“Princess…… why are you here?”
“That’s my line. Don’t you think it’s a bit rude to leave in the morning without informing us? That said, I woke up too early and my eyes are a bit swollen. By the way, both Elise and Musse are sleeping very soundly, perhaps because their worries have cleared up. Cedric has also been taking care of Kurt-san, so he must be asleep right now.”
Even Rean was shaken by the fact he had forced the Princess to do so much for him.
It was unexpected for Rean that Alfin was here in the first place.
That said, since Alfin had personally called him rude for trying to leave without informing them, Rean had no choice but to apologize.
“I’m terribly sorry. I just thought about how it’s a bit wrong for a person who caused a scene to visit in the morning, so I decided to leave, even though it was a bit selfish.”
“I am the one who invited you to the palace, you know? Certainly, you have surprised me a lot…… but Rean-san is still a guest and a benefactor.”
“Benefactor?”
“Yes,” said Alfin, clapping her hands together softly.
“You helped Cedric and Kurt-san to reconcile the troubles of friendship that I didn’t even notice. What else can I call you but a benefactor?”
“I deeply apologize for my selfish actions. I am honored by your words.”
Thinking about it, Rean realised it was extremely disrespectful to visit the Valflame Palace on the pretext of being invited by the Princess and then leave without informing her.
It was a good thing that Alfin was a kind-hearted person, because normally, this would have resulted in punishment.
“We have to return to the academy for classes today, and Cedric has now mended his friendship with Kurt-san. So I thought I could offer some help, even if it was just a little. That said, this was a suggestion from Cedric.”
Having said this, Alfin turned to a side.
Footsteps could be heard from the hallway.
The person who arrived was a female soldier with her turquoise hair tied in a side ponytail.
Her gray military uniform appeared to be that of the Railway Military Police.
Even though it was early in the morning, her dignified expression showed no sign of laxing, and the salute she gave with her straight back was picturesque.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, Princess.”
“I’m sorry for calling you so early in the morning.”
Apparently, she was acquainted with Alfin.
But Rean had never met her……
[“Fufufu, son. You have heard about her before, from Miss Emma and others, you know? They said there was a female soldier who helped them in Celdic during their first field study in April.”]
When Osbon mentioned that, Rean couldn’t help but mutter her name.
“Claire Rieveldt-san……?”
“Oh my, you know me. Well then, let me introduce myself again. I am Captain Claire Rieveldt of the Railway Military Police. I am here today to support Rean-san at the request of Her Highness, Princess Alfin…… I look forward to working with you, Rean-kun.”
As she said that, Claire’s dignified face shifted into a gentle smile.
Author Note:
It’s everyone’s beloved Claire-san.
Given the circumstances of Cold Steel III, it was a shame that she became an enemy in Cold Steel IV.
Please look forward to her storyline(?) now that she has encountered Rean here.
This is unrelated to the fanfic, but the ED theme of the Quintessential Quintuplets was really good.
I’m looking forward to the ED theme of Kaguya-sama too (OP theme is already amazing, though.)
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!
