Rune Troopers: Self-Defense Forces Adventure - Chapter 7: Winds of Peace (Part 2)
The ceremony was being held at the royal castle…
“Huh?” Kuze was working on a kind of torture, constantly stirring the cauldron with a huge spatula. Then he felt as if someone was calling him.
Wearing a triangular hood around his head and an apron, he looked around. When he turned around, he saw a woman standing there.
“It’s been a long time, Kuze-dono. But then, what is this?” The woman – Carda – observed the unfamiliar machine sullenly.
“Oh, hello! This? We’ve been working on a soup kitchen.” Kuze removed his triangular hood and left his men to their work for a moment before walking out of the temporary tent where he was now.
Kuze’s platoon was preparing a meal using the Self-Defense Forces’ huge field kitchen, Field Cooking Utensil Type 1 Kai.
The meals prepared in this way were distributed to victims who had lost their homes. Now their work had changed from being heroes of the nation’s salvation to disaster relief.
With the war over and with nothing to do, the troops were eager to get going and were being deployed in earnest as their units landed. Besides, disaster relief was a mission in which the SDF excelled, rather than actual warfare.
Their dedication was slowly being embraced by the people of this nation, just as it was with their overseas deployments in the world where they originally came from. However, the perception of them as unidentifiable foreigners who used magic they had never seen before persisted, and they were not popular around them now.
The land force was deployed in a park in the center of the city. Nearby, one could see the bell tower of the church where Rumi worked. It used to be a place of lush greenery and relaxation for the citizens. However, it had been razed to the ground by the Imperial Army and was now a shadow of its former self.
It was fortunate, however, that there were few human casualties from the meteorites. Most of the meteorites fell into the sea.
Many citizens had begun to take steps toward recovery. The crew was genuinely impressed by their strength to stand their ground. However, compared to the threat of destruction, the current situation might not be so bitter. There may be some anxiety, but they seem to have a renewed respect for their people-oriented leader, and there was not much confusion to be seen.
“We’ve been working with Rumi, too. Since the food supply seems to be slowing down because of the war, we’re the ones who are connecting and cooking meals for the citizens.”
Carda sat down on a park bench and looked at the profile of Kuze sitting next to her and let out a small smile.
“As always, you’re a knight who likes humble work, aren’t you?”
“I’ve never trained to do anything fancy, so…”
Wiping the sweat off his face in the sunshine that lit up this country, he rehydrated from the canteen on his hip.
Then he finally realized something. “Hey, Carda-san, that outfit…”
Now she was not dressed in a black military uniform. She was wearing a white sleeveless dress that at first glance resembled a Chinese dress. Her long, beautiful legs peeked out through slits. Without the light breastplate, she looked like a lady headed to an evening party.
“Mm, I thought you didn’t need to mourn anymore…” Saying that she looked up at the sky.
A little bird was flying around, chirping.
Kuze simply replied, “Well, I guess so.”
A moment of silence. However, he didn’t think he could say anything bad to her, but at least he was allowed to express his own opinion.
“I’ve never lost someone I loved, though.”
“Oh.”
“If I die, I want my loved ones to be happy.”
He chuckled as he placed the water bottle back on his hip and added, “Well, I also think that sometimes you wish that they would remember you.”
“I won’t forget you… I’m sure.”
“But I thought it was unfair to use that man as an excuse not to move on,” Kuze stared at her face.
By the standards of this world, would she be a bit too old? But at least with beauty as beautiful as hers, I don’t think that would be a handicap.
She was beautiful enough just by being natural like this.
“So, what is it?”
“This picture?”
Carda, looking a little reluctant to say anything, averted her eyes from Kuze and asked. “Does it look good on you… huh? It seems to be an imported product.”
Kuze was involuntarily dazed. He never imagined that those words would come from her.
“Yeah, yeah. I think it suits you very well.”
“It’s useless.” It was the most bland answer.
“Is that so!? Really?”
“Yes. Really.”
But she seemed happy nonetheless. At the same time, she seemed embarrassed, and she looked down.
Kuze, who was worried about conversing with Carda, suddenly felt a presence behind him. When he looked, Kuze’s subordinates were looking at me while grinning. Some even had binoculars in their hands.
“Come on! Get back to your post! Ichinose! Don’t bring your binoculars out!!” Kuze’s subordinates ran away like spiderlings.
Carda cleared her throat. Standing up quickly, she took out a piece of parchment from his pocket.
“T-that was a boring conversation, let’s get down to business.”
“This is?”
Kuze stared at the parchment that was handed to him. Kuze couldn’t read the letters written on the parchment. When he was summoned to this world, the only thing he was equipped with was the ability to speak.
“This is a notification from Her Majesty the Queen personally rewarding you with a medal. It is an honor, Kuze-dono.” Carda narrowed her eyes and added, “That’s why I’ve come to pick you up.”
“Wait, wait a minute, I have to at least take off my apron…”
He hurriedly began to prepare himself. Carda was so excited, she held his hand in his.
“Hey!”
“I can’t wait! It’s nothing but a medal for you guys!”
“Bubble…”
Surrounding victims were curiously watching the strange green-clad young man and the Captain of the Flying Light Armored Warrior Corps walking together.
When she took him to the place where the giant bird was resting, there was another girl standing there. She was a long-haired girl who wore navy blue and pure white priestly clothes.
When she saw Kuze, her face lit up, “I’ve been waiting for you, Kuze-sama!”
“Even Rumi-chan!?”
“Yes, thanks to you. I was told that Her Majesty would give me a medal today, so I couldn’t stand still, and I was allowed to accompany Master Carda,” Rumi respectfully put him on the giant bird’s saddle.
“Oh, eh, hey, wait a minute!”
Does this mean I don’t have to check the safety belt or something like that when taking off?
Kuze frantically searches for a place to grab onto. Then, Carda jumped on the base of the bird’s neck with a light gesture.
“Okay, let’s go.” She pulled down the goggles on her forehead and held her reins as her jockey shouted.
Powerfully, the bird rose and began to scurry across the ground.
“Wowaaaaaa!?” Kuze, who had never experienced riding a bird, let out a scream as the bird flew wildly off the ground.
A miserable voice was sucked into the blue sky of the southern country. A cool breeze of peace enveloped them.
***
Hamamatsu Kasuga (Author)
A resident of Aichi prefecture from Kyushu. After he graduated from high school, he enlisted in the Air Self-Defense Force. After he retired, he went to college and now works for a private company. He made his publishing debut with “Rune Troopers ~Self-Defense Force Drifting Senki~”, which was a remake of the work he had serialized on the internet when he was in high school.
Illustration: Toshinori Iinuma