65-Eve of battle 2



 
 Mizuho suggested and nodded to each other that from now on, if they noticed anything even trivial, they should share their opinions with each other.
 Then there is a knock on the door of the room where Yu and his friends are staying.
 Noticing this, Mizuho says, "Come in," and the door opens, and a dignified figure, obviously wearing a high-level military uniform, is standing there. Behind him was the captain of the guard, Thein Tan, who had just ushered Yuto in, waiting for him.

''General Mattoo!

 Mizuho stood up, and Yuto and Marion stood up as well, following suit.

''Oh, sorry. I'm sorry the meeting took so long. You can make yourself comfortable. I heard that the new guards came from the agency. We came to say hello.

Oh, no. I'm sorry you had to come all the way down here, sir.

 Mizuho responded politely. Marion also bowed her head, so Yuto hurriedly bowed his head as well. Normally, she doesn't show any such pretense, but after all, Mizuho is like a young lady of a good family around here.

''No, I asked the agency to ask for an escort from here. It would make sense to ask them from here. ''Hm? Is that you? The new guard.

 Mattoo looks at Yuto and smiles. The sun causes wrinkles to form on his browned face as he speaks to Yuto. I've heard that his age is in the mid-fifties, but his expression gives me the feeling of an experienced first-generation scholar.

''Ah, yes. My name is Du Yujin. I'll do my best to escort you, I'm looking forward to your help.

'Boys like you..... I was surprised when they arrived, but it seems there are a lot of talented young men in the agency. It's nice to have you here as well.

 Saying this, Mathew puts his hand out in front of him. Yuto immediately grabs his hand and shakes it. Although he had the appearance of a scholar, he still had a martial hand that was appropriate for a military man. You'll be able to sense the unique atmosphere of someone who has gone through a lot of tough times from Mathew.

'Let's talk about it. It's okay to have a bit of a talk, right?

 Mattoo said and turned back to Theintan, who looked at his watch and nodded lightly.
 Mizuho led Mattoo to the table where they were having a strategy meeting earlier and sat down. Then, Ruiho and the others took their seats as well. Teintan remained in place behind Mathew, holding back without the slightest movement.

''I apologize for asking you to take on the role of an escort at this time. But this speech at the UN will change the future of this country. No, it will change it. Please help us do this.

 Mattoo bows his head lightly. The Yu people are surprised and horrified by his attitude. The head of a large faction of a country's military is showing courtesy to young boys and girls like themselves.

''General Mattoo, of course we will do our best to protect you. The agency has sent us to let it be known that the race of people with abilities are not all hired and capable of carrying out assassinations. We will work as hard as we can to prove it.

Yeah, I'm sorry.

So, what are your plans for the future?

Hmm. Tomorrow, I'm going to a town called Minra, about fifty kilometers north of here.

Minra, is it?

Do you have a map right here? Yes, can you unfold that map over here?

 At Mattoo's direction, Marion spreads the map out on the table.

'This is where we are now, Yangra, but Minra is going north and this is Minra.

 The Yu people move in response to Mathew's description on the map, following their fingertips to see what road they will use to get to Minra. Minra is a very small town, from what I've seen on the map, and I can't see the strategic value of it. Yuto also asks why he's going to Minra as an escort.

'General Mattoo. Why do you want to go to Minra?

'Yeah, actually, this is my home town. And I have a daughter. When I leave for the United States to speak at the United Nations, I won't be able to see my daughter for the time being. I thought I'd better get her face in front of me before then. Hahaha! Thanks, I'm not very good with my daughter, no - I'm sorry I'm such a silly parent.

 In this very tense situation, being told that he was going home to meet his daughter, Yuto's face involuntarily tensed up. When I looked at Theintan, who was standing behind me, Theintan was looking the other way as if he was dodging Yuto's eyes. Somehow, the air was palpable.

''That's right, that's right, I want to see you after all.......''

"Oh, Du Du, you know what to do! I can't help but notice my daughter when I'm busy with my daily life. And when I see Mizuho and Marion at the same age, it makes me want to see them even more. It's not fair to say that my daughter, as a parent, is as beautiful as Mizuho and Marion here, but she's just as beautiful as they are. Hahaha!

Ha ha.....

 Mizuho and Marion were already smiling affectionately with a resigned look on their faces. Apparently, Yuto imagined that the same thing must have happened in the previous missions.
 What a guy who seems to be crying escort........

''But! Mr. Du Du!

 Suddenly, Mattoo's eyes are sharp and he makes a powerful military voice to Yuto. Yuto is also surprised and straightens his back.

''Ha, yes!''

'Don't even think about trying to attract my daughter's attention, no matter how pretty she is. She's a difficult girl, and she's not going to be taken seriously by any other man!

What? Haha I'll keep that in mind.

'Mmm! Keep that in mind. Hahaha.

 With a serious look on her face, Mizuho tells Matou, who is smiling good-naturedly, about her future guard.

'General Matou. I understand that we are moving to Minra. But as you know, General, there is a high probability that the enemy will attack us during this transfer. So I would like to hear your thoughts, General.

 Mattoo tightened his face at Mizuho's question and turned to face Mizuho.

'Mm, I suppose that's true. Teintan.'

Ha!

 When Mattoo called out to the captain of the guard, Thein Tan came to the side of the table where the Yu people were sitting. Then he explained the plan for the move in front of the map.

''We will use this road to move. Just as Shitenji-sama said, I don't think the enemy will miss this opportunity. So, our guess is that they will attack us in this area.

 Teintan explains, directing the map.

(If you know you're going to be attacked, why don't you just not move? (Well, I guess it's the same no matter where you are, you could be attacked from now on...)

 And so on and so forth, the Yuuzu people checked the path of their movement.
 The place that Teintan pointed out was a place slightly closer to Minra, out of Yangura. It was a point surrounded by mountains, just like the terrain that had struck last time, as far as the map was concerned.

'The enemies Khaliguda hired are planning to assassinate General Mattow, but Khaliguda shouldn't want to leave any evidence that the regime had a hand in the assassination outwardly. Given this, we believe that this is the most remote location in the middle of nowhere.

You're not sending a dummy unit this time, are you?

 When Yuto asked the question.

'Yes, sir. I've thought about that, but the enemy has always attacked our main force before now. The last time we had dummies, they have been successfully spotted. Of course, we are careful about eavesdropping and enemy scouts, including the presence of spies, but the enemy is a capable person ... there is a limit. If that's the case, we thought it would be best not to disperse our forces.

 Mattoo tipped his teacup as he listened to Thein Tan and looked over at the Yu people.

'I'm sorry for you guys. I don't blame you if you think I'm not an honorary student as an escort target. But if you're going to be attacked wherever you are, I don't want to do anything that involves civilians as much as possible, I do. I'm very aware that this is selfish, though.

 Mizuho nodded quietly at Mathew's words, although she had some thoughts as the person in charge of the escort.

''No, I understand. Our job is to escort General Matou. I'm willing to engage in that job to the end.''

 Mattoo nodded at Mizuho's words and stood up.

''Theintan, take care of the rest. I'll take my leave now. When we get to the field, of course, I'll do what you guys say.

Ha!

 Mattoo said and walked out of the room. The Yu people got up and watched Mattoo leave. The Yu people sat down as Matou left, and Theintan turned to face them. Then, once he had a full view of the room, he looked at Mizuho.

''It's okay. I've set up a ward in this room. There is no need to worry about clairvoyance or eavesdropping from the other party. Any kind of eavesdropping devices will also be blocked from radio waves.

 Theintan nodded widely upon hearing this.

'Ladies and gentlemen, please forgive General Mattoo. The General doesn't say much, but this move to Minra is not just to see your daughter. Of course, I'm sure that's part of it.

 Yutai turns to Teintan with a questioning look on his face. Theintan sits down at the table and explains why.

''As the General said earlier, Minra is the General's hometown. And at the same time, it is also an important political ground for the General. As such, we desperately need to keep it on our minds at all times.

 Yuto has a bad feeling about Theintan's story.

'Did something happen in Minra?'

'Yes. Or rather, it's an ongoing story.... Actually, there is a village next to Minra called Ziegon. It's a very poor village. But it's also the home of Guarin, the prime minister of the military government.

'What? It's....

 Yu people are surprised. How could there be an enemy number two's hometown in such close proximity?

''That's why Guaran is beginning to give Ziegon the benefit of his own career by prioritizing government funds to Ziegon because it's his birthplace. When it comes to redeveloping roads, new markets, etc., Guarán himself is at the helm.

 Yuto frowned, but Marion nodded as if she was convinced by Teintan's story.

''I see, it's to decorate your hometown with brocade....... Well, it sounds like something an upstart would do.''

Yes...... But it's ostensible.

What do you mean?

 Mizuho questioned Theintan suspiciously, and Yuto crossed his arms thoughtfully.

''You don't mean to tell me that those guarans are here to cut down General Matou's ground........ General Matou's ground should be spread out around Minra........ The fact that Guarán, next to Minra, who is at the center of it, is hurling a policy that could be seen as a popularity contest, is a situation that General Matou can't overlook. It could shake the big ground of General Mattoo's democratization drive.

'Oh....'

 Mizuho and Marion understood what that meant. Teintan was a little surprised by Yuto's perceptiveness, but he nodded widely.

''That's what it means. So, General Mattoo needs to firm up the ground around Minra. Not to mention the fact that he is about to make a speech at the United Nations soon, but what General Mattow does does does not end there. No, in fact, it's not an exaggeration to say that it's a start. If you think about it that way, this is not something we can just leave to chance.

 In the world beyond the Demon's Cave, known as the Demon's World, there were not only aliens but also humans living there, and many nations had been formed.
 When Masato stayed in the demon world for three years, he got involved in a political battle between these nations and became tired of it.
 Although there was a common enemy there, the human-against-human outsider, there was a power struggle underneath the surface, and some of the forces were manipulated by the outsider to take advantage of that power struggle.
 That experience of political subterfuge is built into Yuto's thought process. A single action can have multiple meanings in many cases.
 Mizuho is not good at this kind of talk, but she has the ability to understand it. She listened to Yuto and Theintan's story and breathed lightly.

''I understand well. As I said to General Mattoo, we will just do our job. Mr. Theintan.''

Thank you, sir. Thank you for your continued support of the General. Ladies and gentlemen, we will be leaving here early tomorrow morning, so please be ready to leave.

Yes, sir.

 Teintan bowed his head and got up from his seat to leave, but he turned his head to Mizuho as if he noticed.

''Oh, Shitendera-sama, I'm sorry. I'm guarding the General during tomorrow's move, what should we do? Is that all right with you? If you have something, a plan, we'll follow it.

'Yes. I have a plan of action, but please keep that one going as usual.

'Oh, you have a plan! I understand!

 Teintan responds with a surprised and delighted response, to which Mizuho responds with her eyes half open.

''Well it's as if you never had a plan before, isn't it?''

'Oh! No! That's not what I meant! The enemy was about to think about it in time, and there was a chance that they could make a serious attempt! So... what is the plan, sir? Are we not in the way, as we have been?

 Teintan hurriedly opens his hands and turns his body to Mizuho. Then, as if to divert the topic, he returns to the topic of the mission. The normally calm guard captain's face is slightly drawn and sweating with a fake smile.

''Whew, well, that's fine. It's not that I'm interrupting you. Our plan is........

 When Mizuho was about to give a rough explanation of the plan, Yuto interrupted with a smile and confidence.

''I've come up with the plan, but I'll have Shitenji-san and Marion-san set up a perimeter around General Mathew, while I will search for the enemy. I'm confident in my speed and physical strength, so I'll search that area with all my might, starting from the area where I think it's suspicious. Then, if I feel a sign of what seems to be an enemy summoner, I'll contact Shitenji-san and ask her to come to support me.

 Seeing Yuto speak proudly and happily, Mizuho and Marion's eyes widened for a moment, but then they listened with a cold reaction. Teintan put his right hand on his chin as he listened and thought about what Yuto was saying.

''I see.... With Master Dou Dou Dou's arrival, our strength has increased. But isn't that too much of a burden for Master Dou Dou Dou to bear?

''Haha, that's not true. One of the reasons why I, who's only a rank D, was called up is because of my physical strength. I'll run around with all my strength and make the summoner, who should be running around, panic. That would also slow down the summoned demons, and I think it would make room for Shitenji-san and the others. I'm also worried about the other supposedly capable person, but the point is the summoner. Next time I'm going to find the summoner and beat him.

'Certainly! As long as we can neutralize the enemy summoner, future escorts will be a breeze!

'Yes! I can handle it. Because I can run as fast as I can for about 20 kilometers!

'Oh, I see! As expected of a capable person. Even in our unit, there is no one who can move at full speed over such a distance. I understand very well. Tomorrow, we will also do our best to protect the general, and we will do everything in our power to protect him. If there are any problems, please contact us every time.

I understand!

 Teintan nodded admiringly and left the room with Yuto and the others.
 Watching Teintan leave, Marion gives Yuto a suspicious look. In response, Mizuho also looks at Yuto with a similar expression.

''Yuto-san. Why.........''

That's right, Du Du Yuto. Why did you lie to that captain of the guard...?

 Yuto replied to Mizuho and the others as he tightened his expression, renewing his smile from earlier.

''Yes, we may be a bit too cautious, but........ I thought it would be best not to let anyone but us know about this plan.

'Well, that's one thing, but Mr. Theintan is the captain of the guard, right?

'Yes. I think it would be better to reveal our strategy and get them to cooperate here...

'Yes, but from what I've heard of the raids so far, the enemy has targeted the main force with precision every time. I'm sure it has some sort of intelligence network, that's for sure. That, as I said before, we can't rule out the possibility of spies, and we can't rule out the possibility of the enemy's ability to do that. This room is fine but we don't know until the person who came into this room from the outside.......

......

 Mizuho and Marion turn serious at the thought of Yuto.

''Besides, we don't know what's going on inside the enemy, or what they're thinking, but we certainly don't have any more time to spare. We can't rule out the possibility that the situation has changed and they will attack us seriously next time. If that happens, they will take their intelligence more seriously than ever before. And with the addition of my bodyguard at such a time, the enemy will want to know more about our situation...

 Yuto turns his head out the window. Mizuho and Marion didn't miss the momentary but slightly disgusted expression on her face.

''Even though this is an escort, it's still a battle....... There's a lot of things you have to suspect. Teintan-san, of course, is no exception. Well, I guess it's just my bad character....

 Mizuho and Marion could understand what Yuto was saying. They reminded themselves that they might still be naive in that sense. We have our own mission. We should do everything we can to complete it. They hadn't missed training as gifted people, but this was a real battle.
 Yuto lightly sighs and laughs bitterly.

''When you ask me about the details of the plan so naturally.... Even more so, I'm tempted to doubt it........

Eh....

No way.

 Yuto laughed at the two of them as they looked serious with their stories.

'No. Beware. All of it. But I wouldn't like it if Shitenji-san and Marion-san were to be in danger without that precaution...''

Na! Eh!

 Once again, Mizuho and Marion look at Yuto with a look that caught them off guard.
 Without noticing their expressions, Yuto went to the table and sat down.

''Well, let's go over the details of the plan....then? Hey, what's going on, guys? Well, you're blushing again. Could it be that you're really not feeling well?

 As expected, seeing the two of them blushing repeatedly like this, I'm worried that there's something wrong with Yuto too.

''It's nothing!'' It was nothing!

No!

 Yuto almost fell out of his chair at Mizuho and Marion's spirit.

'For the most part, you're being cocky! Du Du Yuto! Who do you think I am!

'Yes, sir! I'm not that bad either! You need to trust me more!

'Uh-huh! Sorry! But, of course, I know they're both better than I am, right?

That's not what I meant!

'Yes, sir! It's not!

 Mizuho and Marion put their hands on the table as they closed in on Yuto. Yuto's eyes widened and broke out in a cold sweat at their reaction as he turned over on his back.

''Huh? Huh? I'm sorry! What?

More me...

You can count on it! You can count on me!

Huh? Um, yeah, okay.

"!

  The unintelligible actions of those two, Yuto just tries to keep quiet.......

(..........What is it? Has pride gotten in the way? I'll be more careful from now on. ........yeah, I'm a little scared and......)

 What did Mizuho and Marion, in fact, say to Yuto? And still in agony.
 I'm angry, embarrassed, and frustrated, and I don't know what to do.

(Why do I feel this way about this guy?)

(Why am I saying strange things to you, Yuto-san...umm, I wonder why I'm thinking that?

(Ugh, what is that?) (This feeling is...)

 They were in a strange situation, as if something came back to them from within themselves.
 It feels like a very important thing.
 And it feels like it's something I need to do to be beside this boy. Not only during this request, but also in the future.
 But the thought was lost in the embarrassment of their own unconscious words, which they had just said with a strong impulse that had suddenly arisen.



 Teintan was reporting back to his own guard room after leaving Yuto and the others' room.
 But Teintan was alone.
 He doesn't have a cell phone or a radio in his hand. He just walks and moves his mouth.

''Yes I do. He was a drunken little boy who was overconfident in his own power, a maneuver that wasn't even a maneuver, a maneuver that wasn't even a maneuver, and he already took credit for it.

 Teintan just walks, except for his mouth moving as he looks forward, but his face is far more... ugly than the usual serious captain of guards could ever imagine.
 Teintan's eyes turned gray and hung up one side of his mouth in an ugly way.

''Yes. Hmph, he's only a rank D rookie. It must mean that the World Ability Agency is also incredibly short of talent. That little boy should be killed during the next attack........yes....... Eh!

 Teintan stopped abruptly, his eyes widening with an impressed look on his face.

'That Caliguda has taken those terms! So long! .........and no more stalling........yes. Yes sir..........

 Teintan starts walking again.

'As you wish, Lord Lokiarum. All for ... the Sword of Surt ....

 Taintan's face as he said this was already back to that of the guard captain.