I Was Sent to an All-Female Frontline Unit to Get Rid of Some of the Trouble, but the Most Beautiful Girls Who Are Rumored to Hate Men Love Me So Much That I Have a Hard Time at Night - Chapter 4: Frontline Unit (2)

Chapter 4: Frontline Unit (2)

“U-Uh, um…”

During my time at the magic academy and training, I had plenty of chances to talk with women, so it’s not like I’m particularly bad at speaking with them.

But even at the academy or during training, I had never encountered a situation where women spoke in such a casual, relaxed manner—so different from the strict atmosphere of the military—right in front of me.

Since this had never happened before, I found myself struggling to get any words out.

“Finn-kun.”

Elena-san, who was standing beside me, called out to me.

When I looked at her face, she was smiling gently.

“Like I said earlier, everyone has accepted you, right? No one here is going to abandon you.”

“Elena-san…”

Just moments ago, I had felt like I was on the brink of death. But her words once again saved me.

However, in contrast to my relief, the other members of the unit spoke up with intensity toward Elena-san.

“Elena-senpai! What kind of half-hearted encouragement is that!?”

“Exactly! Forget abandoning him, we’re thrilled to have him here!”

“Wait, wait, of course, I also said I was happy to welcome Finn-kun when we first met! It’s just, since he was prepared to die thinking we’d abandon him, I wanted to reassure him that wasn’t the case.”

“If he died in battle, that would be one thing, but to think he’d be abandoned by us…?”

“Teraward-kun, why were you thinking like that?”

“W-Well…”

I had already explained to Elena-san, and she understood it was a misunderstanding.

So I felt there was no need to bring it up again. But at the same time, I didn’t want to hide anything from those who were showing concern for me.

As I saw everyone waiting quietly for me to continue, I spoke up.

“Actually, my superior told me that you all dislike men… And since I’m still just a trainee without much strength, I thought I wouldn’t be able to survive on my own at the frontlines. I mean, I still believe that now, so I had prepared myself for death.”

After I said that, everyone fell silent for a brief moment before they each began speaking.

“They told you we hate men…? That just sounds like an excuse for why they can’t get along with us. Do they ever stop to think that the problem might be on their end?”

“Honestly, Finn-kun is the first guy here, but we don’t feel any hatred toward him at all… In fact, the fact that they even told him that means they lumped him in with themselves just because they share the same gender—”

“Disgusting.”

“Seriously! And to think that made him feel so cornered… Unbelievable!”

Since everyone had started talking at once, I couldn’t catch everything they were saying.

But I still had something I wanted to tell them.

“However!”

Raising my voice, I managed to get everyone’s attention, and they quieted down.

Looking around at them, I continued.

“Now that I’ve actually met you all in person and you’ve accepted me, I’m truly looking forward to my life here. Of course, even though I say I’m looking forward to it, this is still the military, so I’ll take it seriously. But what I really want to say is—”

I bowed deeply to them.

“Thank you for accepting me! I won’t take your kindness for granted. Instead, I’ll work hard to be of help to you all. As I said before, I’m looking forward to working with you!”

After I finished saying everything I wanted to say, the distance between us seemed to shrink.

“Yeah! Looking forward to working with you, Teraward-kun!”

“Glad to have you!”

“Welcome! If you ever need anything, just ask!”

“…! Yes!”

This was the Luvankrum Empire’s strongest frontline unit, fighting on the deadliest battlefield.

Just a little while ago, I was filled with uncertainty about what kind of people they were.

But now… everyone here is truly kind.

I could feel their kindness sinking into me.

Then, beside me, Elena-san cheerfully said,

“By the way, Finn-kun, you’re really good at hiding your presence! I was shocked!”

“R-Really!?”

“Yeah! Right, everyone? None of us even noticed him, right?”

“That’s true! So much has happened, I forgot, but now that you mention it!”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Elena-san, one of the empire’s strongest warriors, and the others fighting on the frontlines were praising me…

Since I wasn’t used to being complimented so kindly, I felt a little embarrassed.

“Ah… Thank you, that makes me happy…”

“!!”

As soon as I expressed my gratitude, everyone suddenly started whispering among themselves.

“Did you see his face just now?”

“Too cute…!”

“This might be dangerous…”

They suddenly started acting like that because of what I said.

“Uh… everyone? Is something wrong…?”

When I asked that, they quickly shook their heads as if nothing was going on.

Then, as if to change the subject, one of them spoke up.

“Teraward-kun! Can I call you Tera-kun?”

“Eh…?”

A nickname, huh?

“What!?”

“That’s adorable!”

“I want to call him that too!”

“Uh, well, call me whatever you like…”

I didn’t understand why they were getting so excited, but I didn’t really care about how they addressed me.

When I told them that, Elena-san raised her voice.

“Alright! Since we’ll be living together every day, and I want to show Finn-kun around the base, let’s all head back—”

“Please wait.”

Elena-san’s words were cut off by a strong, resolute female voice from a short distance away.

As we turned to look, a stunning blonde woman stepped out from behind a tree in the silent forest, walking toward us.

“…!”

When I saw her chest, I instinctively gasped in surprise.

That was… the Luvankrum Medal.

Which meant—she was one of the four strongest warriors in the Luvankrum Empire’s military, just like Elena-san!

Realizing this, my tension skyrocketed.

As the blonde woman approached, Elena-san spoke up.

“Sephia-chan? What’s up?”

So her name is Sephia-san…

“I have observed Finn-san’s character and have no objections to him being here, despite being a man and a trainee. His ability to erase his presence was exceptionally impressive, beyond what one would expect from a trainee.”

But then she added,

“However, in order to be part of this frontline unit, a minimum level of strength is required. If Finn-san lacks that strength, I cannot permit him to stay.”

It might sound harsh, but she was absolutely right.

Even now, I worried that I might be a burden to this unit.

“Since it’s unprecedented for a trainee to be assigned to the frontlines, I understand the need for evaluation. But how do you plan to assess his strength, Sephia-chan?”

“It’s simple. Finn-san will now demonstrate his full power under the assumption that numerous enemies are before him. He may use magic or, if he fights with a sword, he may use that instead.”

…Full power.

“Well, Finn-san?”

It had been a long time since I used my full strength. I wasn’t sure how much magic I could unleash.

But I wanted to stay here. I wanted to protect this country alongside those who had accepted me.

So—

“Understood.”

I focused my magic into my right hand and released it.

“Tempest!”

The wind roared, leaves scattered, and even trees were lifted before crashing back to the ground.

When I turned around, everyone was staring at me, speechless.