----Adrienne's point of view...

　As I struggled to understand what was proposed by the man in front of me who called himself 'Noah', the man suddenly made a gesture of holding his hand to his ear and began to speak alone.

'Yes, yes. We've made contact, and we're about to get into specifics. Eh?　Your son?　I understand.

　The man turned and looked at his group of friends, then cowered his shoulders and started to speak to me.

''Before we get into specifics, I want to treat the wounded over there. Can you use recovery magic or something like that?　In the meantime, I've got some medical supplies ready to go.

　Our treatment!　Are they going to help the soldiers of a country they don't know? It is understandable that they want to sell their gratitude to you since they are going to discuss diplomatic relations with you, but don't they think that they will be able to reduce their soldiers as much as possible in case they break down and have to go to war?
　Before that, this man just said the word 'medicine'. It's not a magic potion, it's a medicine, and we can't afford to use it on other countries' soldiers.　No, there are too few things to judge. You may be able to make an accurate decision with a little information, but as the fourth princess, I was raised freely with little political education, so I'm not capable of making such a high level judgment. However, I can't just abandon the soldiers who are suffering──.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. If you don't mind, could you share some painkillers and such with me?

Yes, sir. I'll get on it. Can I have my guys over there waiting?

Yes, sir.

　In the end I decided to take the suggestion from the people of Noah, and if I was wrong in this decision, I wanted to save the suffering soldiers. As the man put his hands to his ears again and spoke a couple of words, I saw the armor waiting on the hilltop moving towards us. However, I could see that the largest armor didn't move, but had other armor protecting it on either side.
　Is the commander on alert?　As I was thinking this, another man came out of the armor that arrived one by one and approached me.

''Nice to meet you, Your Highness, I'm Shuichi, who is in command of this unit. In lieu of immediate attention, I'd like you to put away your weapons for the knights?

　As I recall, my soldiers are in the process of drawing their swords, I impatiently ask them to put away their weapons. While some of them are really reluctant to put their weapons away, most of them seem to be feeling good about the way they are treating their comrades, and immediately put their weapons away.
　The commander, who introduced himself as Shuichi, saw them and began to speak, holding his ear to the ground. I'm sure you'll be able to find some sort of magic tool to talk to at a distance.

'Kouki, it's secured. You can come over here now.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it. I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world and what's going on in the world. The armor approaching you while flying leisurely through the air from the top of the hill looks like a 'devil' from its color and size.

''Demon........''

　When I muttered that while looking at the armor, I felt a tense air flow through the place. Noah's team, which had been tending to the wounded with strong faces and gentle smiles just a few minutes ago, was staring at me. The smiles had disappeared from all of their faces, and I could tell that even my soldiers were getting scared at the sight.
　When I came here──, I finally realized that my statement was a tremendous gaffe. The commanding officer warns me in a low voice as I am desperately looking for words of excuse.

'Your Highness, let's forget what you just said. But ... don't make the mistake of saying 'devil' in front of that suit.

　I shake my head, wobbling my head as my bones come off. If I said 'demon' to a person of that royal family, they might kill me in a rage.
　And they are the kind of people who can defeat Sandworm with impunity, so it's impossible to say that even if they were to talk about it. While I was thinking about this, a suit-clad royal flew in front of me and I heard a voice from inside.

It's nice to meet you. Araka-, as you call it, Kouki Arakawa.

"My name is Adrienne de Merkava, fourth princess of the 'Holy Merkava Kingdom'.

　I even picked my skirt as gracefully as possible and greeted him, but the fact that he has a surname means that he's a royal...at least a famous nobleman, and there seems to be no mistaking it. After all, when I was praising myself that I was not wrong in my earlier decision, the leader of the platinum knight group unintentionally said something that almost made me faint.

''Isn't it rude to address Your Highness with such an armor on!

　You're the one who's rude!　Please, please, please, please understand the current situation. These people are from a large country that can easily slaughter a demon designated as a Class A disaster and use its medicines on people from other countries with great fanfare. They are too different in rank from the kingdoms on this continent, which are treated as small and medium-sized countries, and to say that they are disrespectful to the royalty of these large countries is a national disgraceful statement.
　I was terrified that I might have drawn the ire of the people of Noah, but the suit easily fell to its knees and opened its body parts.

'Excuse me, my name is Kouki Arakawa, again.

Huh....

Mmm....

　The appearance of the boy who came out from inside was met with a combination of surprise from me and the leader of the group. The boy who called himself Kouki-sama introduced himself again in front of us, then bent his right hand at a right angle and made a gesture of placing his fingertips on his forehead. The graceful yet somehow elegant gesture caught my attention, and then my eyes were drawn to the clothes he was wearing.
　The clothes are spotless, and are the whitest dress I've ever seen, with gold and black decorations on the shoulders. And on the chest is a patch with "feathers and words" written on it that seems to be the national flag, and the buttons also shine like they are made of gold.
　It is satisfactory even if it is said to be made by the gods instead of people. I can't imagine how much money was spent on this one piece of clothing alone, and Kouki-sama, without noticing our surprise, put on a hat made of the same material before asking us questions.

'How are the knights doing?'

Huh?　Oh, yes!　She says the painkillers they gave her seem to be working and she can stand and walk.

'I see, but the painkiller I gave you is called morphine, and you can't use it very regularly. When you return, please show it to your specialist for treatment.

　Doctor?　Treatment?　In Kouki-sama's country, is there a system where even ordinary soldiers are shown to doctors, not just the canonical physicians who report directly to the royal family? In the kingdom, if an ordinary soldier is injured, they are either tended to by their fellow soldiers or by a healer dispatched from the church to take care of them. For this reason, the survival rate for those who are seriously injured is not very high.
　There are a few doctors in the northern empire, but even so, the survival rate is not high. If the country were to take care of an injured soldier, it would cost an enormous amount of money, but is Kouki-sama's country big enough to bear even that?

''If it's alright with you, shall I call our medical unit?

　Kouki-sama's words almost caused me to scream in surprise for an unknown number of times. It's still too different from the kingdom to have a specialized medical team in existence!　We can't do the people of Noah's people any more favors here; shouldn't we return to the fort at once?　
　Besides, the kingdom's strongest Black Gold Knights stationed at the fort should be able to deal with anything that happens. In fact, I'll have to contact the royal capital to discuss diplomatic relations. With that in mind, I'm going to bring the conversation to Noah's people to come to the fort as naturally as possible.

''──When you return to the fort, please do me a favor. And also the suggestion I made earlier will be acceptable once I return to the fort?　I have to get in touch with His Majesty and....

Yes, sir. We'd like that, too.

　Relieved at the commander's words of approval to come to the fort, I told him to put the injured man on the carriage and I climbed astride the vacant horse.




---- Kouki Arakawa Viewpoint ----.


　As we are moving towards the fort, we receive a visual communication from my dad.

'Why do we even need to call in the medical team, let alone treat the knights?　Why don't we just let them do their own thing over there?

'I think if we make a good impression here, we'll be in a better position to negotiate, don't you think?　And I don't want to leave anyone suffering from it.

　It may be a familiar sight to my father, who was a soldier, but I can't leave the people who are bleeding and suffering. And since they were knights who defended their master without regard for their own lives, I think their bravery should be celebrated. I'm sure that's not the case with my dad, but after all, it's a feeling that is hard to understand for someone who has served in the military. But more importantly....

I don't know what to say," he said, "but I'm sorry to say that it's a little late to say this, but this is the clothes you were given before you left.... I'm sorry, after all this time, but what is this?　Why do I have to wear a military uniform? Besides, the way we greet each other is a salute, and if I thought we were all wearing the same clothes, my dad and the others would be in camouflage.

Isn't it cool, dumbass?　It's an official TMN uniform, based on the U.S. Navy's "dress white" uniform. Incidentally, it's only allowed to be worn above the rank of commander, right?　The rank insignia is properly attached, and you and Alice and the others are treated as 'Special Affairs Major Generals'!

"Major General is an a**h*le!　What are you thinking about?　I mean, Dad, there are only a little over three hundred of us, but a major general is an inflated rank.

　I can't do this anymore, I've been calling him "Dad" for a while now, but I think "Macho" is still good. But I think "macho" is still good.　As I was secretly thinking about this, Macho said something even more stupid.

'What are you talking about?　Noah currently has 100,000 men and 80,000 military personnel, you won't be handing over the actual command of the battle, but you will be commanding a force the size of a brigade in principle. Well........you'll do well, so maybe I'll give you an 'independent mixed brigade' in the future.

　What are you guys talking about, when did you get that many people? When Mom told me about it, she said, 'That's about 20,000 people,' but that's an excessive increase. And Macho said, 'I'm a military joint administrator and my position in TMN is Commander-in-Chief! What a boast, but don't let the Commander-in-Chief come to a different world. Just sit back in your chair on Earth and stomp around, although that would make me angry.
　But recently I found out why Claire-san was coming to lecture me on how to 'salute', was it to push the Major General. I'd thought it was because I was annoyed at the sloppiness of my jokingly showing my dad a salute.

'I want to ask you something too, how do you know about 'elves' and 'sandworms'?'

　That's right, the world I reincarnated in didn't have what is commonly referred to as 'subculture culture', especially 'otaku culture'. When I first met Shingo, he asked me, 'Don't you watch anime or something? When I asked, 'Huh?　I was shocked when he returned it to me and said, 'I don't watch those kids' shows.
　There were hardly any comics or anything like that, and that's why I've been drawing in my spare time since I was a kid. In such a situation, elves and dragons only come up when some people who like things talk about trivial things like 'mythology', so the recognition of elves and dragons is quite low. Or maybe there's no such thing as elves or sandworms in Mythology either.
　What to do?　If I said "I learned it in a previous life" it would send me to the hospital and I couldn't think of a good excuse. I can't think of a good excuse. I'm going to have to push my buttons like you did.

"Dad, don't worry about it. It's okay.　Don't worry about it.

Oh, yeah.

　I remember what happened before I died, smiling at the macho who answered immediately, as if he had caught a glimpse of his mother behind my smile. I still can't remember what it was about me, but I remember 'it was fun' as strongly as ever.
　I don't know what I enjoyed doing in the past, but I'm sure I was living a happy life. As I was immersed in sentimentality, a macho saw my expression on the still-unbroken communication and called out to me with a kind face.

'If you don't want to tell me how you know, that's fine. Just be respectful of that knowledge, okay?　That's probably the only precious thing you have, so don't be such a chick and put your chest out.

Yes.

　Unusually - the macho who said something really unusual and fatherly to me, I changed my mind by imagining the inside of the fort that I could see and changed my mind, thinking that I would stop 'gorimatcho' for the time being.




　Once we stopped at the entrance of the fort, it seemed that the princess was asking what kind of group of knights had seen us. As I recall, she was the fourth princess of the Mel-something kingdom and called herself Adrienne, and I thought that since she was someone of a certain status, she would let us pass easily, but apparently not.

''That's why, Princess!　We will not be able to enter the fort unless we disarm these men who call themselves Noah.

That's what I'm asking you to do, sir.

It's impossible. We are in a stable state, but you know that we are in a time of war.　Especially one who wears that kind of demon-like armor, trust......................Mug.

　Mr. Adrienne it's been a long time, so can it be Addie, or what's up with Addie holding her hand over the knight's mouth like she's in a hurry for some reason?　I think the demon thing is my suit, but Shingo and I designed the exterior of this suit and I think it's cool.
　It's a very good-looking suit with the thrusters adjusted based on the model of the Satanakia, based on the knowledge of my previous life. But I'm not sure I'm getting anywhere.

"Dad, why don't you take off the suit?　You're bringing small arms and stuff anyway.

'That's fast. I'll go through with it, but if you have to enter the fort in the flesh, never leave Court and Jonathan's side. They're stronger than I am in indoor combat, so they'll be safe by my side. And maybe I'll put on a one-liner and you'll be the one to shut up.

　I can't imagine Mr. Jonathan being a mature, scholarly guy, but I think Mr. Cote, with his face covered in scars, is absolutely strong. I remember him saying with a laugh once, 'I ran into a grizzly when I used to go fishing, and I'm glad I had a knife.
　He's the kind of guy who'd challenge a bear with a knife and come back, so if he's equipped with a gun, he'll be able to handle an elven knight attacking him.

'Apparently there's a dispute about the suit, so the person going inside will deactivate the suit. Is that okay with you?

Adie apologizes to Macho, who opens the cockpit of his suit and smiles at the knight and tells him so with a smile.

'I'm sorry, thank you,'

'What are you talking about, you have to be totally disarmed!

　A knight yells at you from behind Mr. Addie, who bows his head, but are you okay?　It's true that even though we are all an armed group, we are still a 'delegation' that came to talk to each other in order to have diplomatic relations. Aren't diplomacy and the like considered important in this world?　As I was wondering, Macho said to the knight in a low voice.

'I see your point. So you're saying that you reject us, the advance party?　We will now return to the main unit and report that we have made contact with them, but the knights who were present refused to go along with them, so we turned back. We are not concerned with what kind of 'decision' the main unit will make against your country at a later date.

　I see, so this is what you mean by one-acting. I wouldn't say it's gunboat diplomacy, but it's pretty strong, I won't actually resolve it by force since my mom nailed me, but from the knight's point of view, ''I'll go home then, but it's okay if we get into a war later, right?'' It was equivalent to being told. I can see the knight's face turning pale in a flash.
　 In such a situation, you are in a situation where you might have more enemies because of yourself, I would definitely let it slip. Furthermore, Macho tells you a word of warning.

'Prepare to move out!　We will turn back to Noah Island. Then, Your Highness, I'm afraid we'll have to go.

　The squad members who said that and pretended to start withdrawing the macho's intentions also pretended to start withdrawing, so I ignited my thrusters and floated up too. At that time, the knight who had remained pale and silent made a painful decision and opened his mouth.

I want the rest of you to wait outside, we also need to protect the princess's body - please understand.

　It was nothing, this knight was just as desperate to protect Mr. Addie as the knight who fought the sandworm. I walked into the fort with some guilt.




　Once inside the fort, I obeyed meekly as I was told to deactivate my suit in some sort of central square. When I deactivate it, Cort and Jonathan with their bullpup-style assault rifles quickly run up to my side and secure me.
　It's a little embarrassing to feel like I'm an important person when I'm treated like this, but I can't help it since I'm being ordered to do so by Macho.

'We will be armed by the four of us, and those in white uniforms will not be armed as they are our escort targets. That's the maximum concession we can make, what do you think?

Thank you for your concern. I want to apologize again for my earlier behavior.

　As the knight spoke to me with a somewhat softened attitude, I also relaxed my expression and countered with a 'mutual agreement'. Adi-san led me into the fort building, and it was a place that was full of a sense of fantasy.
　A knight holding a spear like a battle hook can be seen standing at key points in the corridor, but is that thing useful in practice?　From what I know, it should have been closer to a ceremonial weapon. As I walked around looking at various places, I was told, 'Please wait here,' and was shown into a luxurious room.

''Please wait here as I will be in touch with the royal capital. Your maid will prepare tea for you in a moment, so please make yourself comfortable.

'All right. But I'd like to periodically send out one of my men outside to worry about them if we're too late, will you allow me to do so?

'Yes, you can tell the knight in the back Cloviens, who will be in the back then. I will escort you outside.

　After saying that, Adie-san left the room. That knight who was wary of us is called Mr. Cloviens, or maybe it's Mr. Cloviens, and when I looked at him, he was frozen with his arms crossed like a stone statue. Like Macho, he is muscular, but Mr. Cloviens is somehow better looking. After glancing at him, I had some free time, so I asked Macho a question about something that had been bothering him before he came here.

'Hey, wasn't there a village when we got here?　Why are there so many of them scattered around, wouldn't it be more efficient in terms of transportation and business to put them together a bit more?

　Macho answered my question with a grin.

You've noticed. That's not a village, it's a well-disguised but well-disguised position disguised as a village. Probably, but they are just like disposable bogeymen used for delaying operations, and there were a lot of guards in spite of the fact that it was a village. I think it has something to do with the 'wartime system' you mentioned earlier.

"Gosh.

　As I listen to Macho's explanation, I hear Mr. Cloviens cough from behind me. I guess he doesn't feel good when he speaks openly about the information he wants to keep secret about his country. The atmosphere has become so delicate that I kept my mouth shut for a while, and with a knock on the door, a maid with a wagon full of tea has entered the room.
　As I watched with admiration as a real maid was making tea, 'six tea cups' on a trench were brought in. Why six guests?　I was looking at it, unsure of the reason, when Mr. Croviens came to the table.

'Which one?'

Then I'll need this.

　At Mr. Cloviens' words, Macho hands him a randomly selected cup from the top of the trench. Oh, right, poisoned!　I see that by drinking from the cup we chose at random, you are appealing to the people that there is no poison in it. The last thing Cloviens said was 'please relax' and went back to his original place.
　What's great, is this kind of thing common in official manners?　 As I'm looking at my dad with respect, he suddenly gives orders to Cort and Jonathan, who were standing right behind me.

'Court!　Jonathan!　Keep your finger off the trigger. Put your weapon behind your back and assume a reviewing posture.

　その言葉に、今までは直ぐにライフルを撃てそうな体勢だった2人が直立不動の姿勢になる。軍靴を鳴らせてビシッとする姿は、後ろのクロヴィエンスさんにも負けないくらい格好良い。

「良く訓練されている精兵だな。軍事面では我国と大幅に違うようだが命令を即座に行動に移すとは───、我国の騎士達にも見習わせたい」

「自慢の部下達だ。だが貴国の兵士も十分な精兵だろう、サンドワームと言ったか？　あれは貴国では討伐が難しい生物だったように見受けられた。そんな相手に誰一人として撤退せずにその場に踏み止まって任務を遂行していた、中々出来るものではない」

　父さんとクロヴィエンスさんがお互いの兵士達を褒めあっている。なんというか……政治的な会話っていうのはこういう事を指すのだろうか？　俺は話に入ることが出来ずにひたすらアディーさんが早く帰ってくるのを願っていた。



　２時間ほど待っただろうか？　３回お茶のお代わりをした所で息を切らせたアディーさんが入室してきた。

「お待たせして申し訳ありません！　ただいま王都との連絡を終えました」

　その姿に今まで見た目上は仲良く会話していた父さんとクロヴィエンスさんの表情が引き締まる。これからアディーさんが話す内容次第では王国との関係を本気で考える必要が出てくるのだ。固唾を呑んでアディーさんの言葉に耳を傾ける。

「結論から申しますとメルカヴァ王国は貴国の提案を受け入れる用意があります。ですが直ぐにという訳には参りません。後日、公式な外交使節団として王都へお招き致しますので、その時に詳しいお話をしたいと陛下は申しておりました」

「構わない。それで正確にはいつ頃の予定かな？」

「30日後にもう一度この砦に来て頂けると幸いです」

　30日後か……まぁ良いんじゃないか？　俺は目で父さんに『良いと思う』と合図を送る。それを汲み取ったのか一度頷いてからアディーさんに返事を返す。

「分かった、それでは30日後にお会いしよう」

　そう言ってから父さんは直ぐに席を立ち、『本隊に連絡するので失礼する』と言ってクロヴィエンスさんに外までの案内を頼んだ。そういう『用が済んだらさっさと帰る』というスタイルはあまり良くないと思うんだが、ここで注意してもしょうがないので黙って後ろを付いていく。
　父さんは広場でスーツを装着しながら、アディーさんに次に来る時の話を始めた。

「次回ここに来る時は先に部下を1名連絡代わりに派遣する。その時にこちらの使節団の詳しい人数を知らせる事になると思うが、構わないか？」

「構いません、中小国とはいえ我国でも使節団を十分にお迎えする事は可能です」

「そうか、失礼した。それではまた後日」

　父さんは、あっという間に会話を終わらせて偵察班全員に撤収を命令した。来た時とは違い、俺以外の全員がスーツの限界まで速度を上げて街道を爆走している。さすがに王国側に失礼だと思って父さんに注意する為に通信を送る。

「父さん、さすがにあの態度は失礼だと思うよ？　もうちょっと会談の続きしたほうが良かったんじゃないの」

「功樹、交渉は母さんの役目だ。急いで帰るぞ！」

　なに言ってるんだ？　おいマッチョ、交渉は30日後なのにどんだけ張り切ってるんだよ。俺が『はぁ？』見たいな顔をしている事に気づいたのかマッチョは声を張り上げる。

「馬鹿野郎！　母さんは地球にいるんだぞ！？　30日後っていうのは30時間後って事だ、理解したならお前だけでもノア島に帰ってゲートを潜れ。今こそ音速を超えて飛行しろ」

Oh, oh. Got it!

　I hurriedly pressed the red switch next to the panel - - and went through the wall of sound.
　In the rapidly accelerating suit, a question comes to mind. What was the name of that fifth member of the squad who was further behind Cote and Jonathan, who was completely in the air?