After sinking Solemne’s steam battleship, I decided to examine the prisoners, whose identities I had completely forgotten.
It’s convenient that you don’t need to torture them because their Library information becomes completely exposed when they lose consciousness.
“That’s the situation,” I said.
“…Yamato, can you just throw him into the sea?”
“There’s no way I can do that. He’s a valuable source of information.”
Still, I can understand Sayuri’s feelings.
After all, this is the identity of that prisoner.
Huge Roye Schmelzstern
43 years old
Lv. 32
Human Race – Human
Former 3rd Prince of the Solemne Empire, Duke Schmelzstern, Commander-in-Chief of the Solemne Army
“A former 3rd Prince of Solemne and current Duke, he’s nothing but trouble.”
“But in terms of position, he’s undoubtedly the supreme commander, wouldn’t you say?”
“He is. Well, Torencia has already declared war, so it doesn’t matter who the prisoner is.”
“However, from Torencia’s perspective, we must consider what to do after extracting all possible information from this man.”
I agree with Lydia’s opinion that this man is the supreme commander.
The title itself indicates that.
It’s likely that the Commander-in-Chief himself appeared for the steam battleship’s debut.
Furthermore, as Mana said, Solemne declared war at the same time Kazushi and Elieal passed away, so they’ve been at war for nearly 30 years.
Given that their invasions have been thwarted countless times during that period, he should have been prepared to be taken prisoner, regardless of his rank as commander.
He might have been too preoccupied with the steam battleship to think about such things, but that’s none of my business.
The problem, as Emperor Hildegard said, is what to do after extracting information.
If I and Prim had fought normally, this Duke would certainly have died, so I think a simple execution would be fine.
“I agree with Yamato. Torencia has helped us many times, and yet they declared war the moment Kazushi and Elieal died. They seem ungrateful, so I think we should make an example of him.”
“We cannot decide that so easily. While Solemne is indeed a hateful enemy nation, that is precisely why we cannot act in the same manner as our enemy. Doing so would tarnish Torencia’s prestige and, at worst, reduce us to a barbaric nation that repays blood with blood.”
I can understand Emperor Hildegard’s opinion as well.
If you debase yourself to match your opponent, you are no different from them.
For Torencia, which inherited the will of Kazushi and Elieal and possesses a noble spirit, being treated the same as Solemne would be an unbearable humiliation.
“I understand that, but even so, that Duke should be executed. There’s no benefit to keeping him alive, and if we release him, he’ll just attack Torencia again.”
“I understand that too. That’s why I am not considering releasing him, and I intend to permit not only Knight Magic but also torture to extract information, so it is possible he may die in the process.”
Oh, they’re thinking of something more gruesome than I expected.
I believe Knight Magic can obtain information, but if torture is also used, wouldn’t even the most hardened individual break down immediately?
And would they accept his death even if it happened as a result?
Well, it’s probably not that unusual.
The Torencia Knights are organized similarly to the Order’s Guild, under the name Saber’s Guild, so their Guild Magic would be what they call Knight-Spirit Magic.
However, Knight-Spirit Magic and Knight Magic are nearly identical; they are just called differently because the guild names are different.
“I thought Torencia also primarily used Knight-Spirit Magic for interrogation, but you’re resorting to torture as well.”
“Solemne soldiers are tight-lipped, even after using Knight-Spirit Magic. Personally, I don’t think we should do it, but it’s unavoidable since we absolutely need to extract information.”
So, several people have already died because of it.
I was surprised that Solemne soldiers were so tight-lipped, but it seems many of them are loyal to the Emperor. With the development of steam battleships making the unification of the Philia Continent a reality, it’s not strange for more people to think that way.
“Then there’s that woman.”
“I examined her with Examining Magic, but it seems she’s unconscious from mana exhaustion.”
“Mana exhaustion?”
Mana exhaustion implies she was using mana, and since that mana is called ‘inshi’ on Earth, we can assume she was using Engraving Magic.
However, Engraving Magic is highly mana-efficient, so mana exhaustion is extremely rare.
“That in itself is quite a feat. Ah, perhaps it’s because of the assistance from an Engraving Tool?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The high mana efficiency of Engraving Magic is due to the assistance of Engraving Tools.
I don’t know about ancient times, but current Engraving Magic is used through Engraving Tools, and all the activation engravings used for Engraving Magic are registered in the Engraving Tool.
By channeling mana into these activation engravings, Engraving Magic is activated and then emits, using the surrounding mana, which is structured so that excess mana is not consumed.
Of course, by channeling excessive mana, the power and precision can be increased, but for ordinary daily life, situations that lead to mana depletion are unlikely to occur.
In other words, for that woman, such a situation occurred. But if you ask me what it was, I have no idea.
Well, there is one possibility.
“It was likely the snake, wasn’t it?”
“Indeed.”
“A snake?”
Flam tilted her head, and the others did the same.
Well, except for Emperor Hildegard, I’ve explained this to everyone else before.
“Didn’t I tell you before? Both Sayuri and I were transported to the Helios Orb after being swallowed by a snake monster.”
“I couldn’t do anything, but I heard Yamato was on the verge of overwhelming it. The reason that girl is collapsing from mana exhaustion might be the same reason as Yamato.”
That explanation seemed to jog their memories.
Still, that snake was quite formidable, but it wasn’t impossible to overcome.
Of course, it would have been dangerous if it were a surprise attack, but fortunately, I noticed it beforehand, so I was able to fight it head-on.
I don’t know about her, though.
“Ah, Yamato-san. She’s woken up!”
Oh, perfect timing.
Following Meena, another woman came out of the VIP room, looking visibly confused.
Well, it’s understandable, since this situation is beyond anything she could have imagined.
“Huh? Mikami-kun? No, you look alike, but… aren’t you Asuka-kun?”
She looked surprised to see me, but I was equally surprised.
That’s my father’s name.
“Um, I should probably thank you for saving me, right?”
Although still flustered, the woman bowed politely and expressed her gratitude.
That’s not the important part for me; I’m more concerned about why my father’s name came up.
“Saving might be the wrong word; ‘rescuing’ is more accurate. It was a coincidence, though.”
“I’ve heard a brief explanation from Mina here. This is another world called Helios Orb, and I was somehow transported here.”
Mina and Marisa must have given her a simple explanation.
If they hadn’t, she might have panicked even more, so that’s a relief.
“I understand it’s hard to believe.”
“No, I’ve seen some evidence. Ah, forgive my manners, I am Katagiri Mako. No, I should say Mako Katagiri.”
Katagiri Mako, then.
She’s a dignified beauty with upturned eyes, but she also has a slightly stern look.
Well, that’s probably to be expected of someone so beautiful.
“I am Sayuri Reina Amister. I go by this name now, but I am, in fact, from the same world as you.”
“I am Yamato Hydrangea Mikami.”
The others also introduced themselves, but as we were all guests, it was probably best for Sayuri and me to take the lead in the conversation.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’d like to ask right away: is there a way to return to our original world…?”
“I’m afraid the answer is as you expect.”
I genuinely regret it, but there’s nothing that can be done about this.
There might be a way if we search, but the other guests have searched for years, even decades, without success.
“I see…”
“I’d like to ask you something in return: were you attacked by a snake-like monster?”
“Eh? How do you know that?”
So, it’s as I suspected.
Well, with my and Sayuri’s cases, it wasn’t difficult to guess.
“Both Sayuri and I came to Helios Orb through the same process. Though, I must admit, it was my own carelessness at the very last moment that caused it.”
“It was a surprise attack for me, so the moment I was attacked, I was in Helios Orb. What about you?”
“I was in the middle of a battle. I was attacked right after it ended, but I resisted, so I must have sustained some injuries.”
Wait, what happened during that battle?
“That ‘in the middle of a battle’ part piques my interest. Tell me one more thing. What year and month was that?”
“I don’t quite understand the meaning, but it was March 5th, 2101 AD.”
No way, that’s before I was born.
Ah, could that be why her name came up?
“Yamato, you’re holding your head. Is something wrong?”
“Yes. That date is more than 20 years before I was born.”
“What!?”
Mako also looked surprised, as was natural.
“20 years? Huh? Oh, perhaps… Yamato-kun? Is your mother perhaps Maoh?”
“You even know my mother’s name…”
“This is turning into quite a troublesome situation…”
My companions and I could only facepalm at this unexpected turn of events.
“Yamato, what’s going on?”
“I’d like to know, but it seems Mako-san was an acquaintance of my parents.”
“More like classmates, perhaps?”
“Yes. Asuka Mikami and Maoh were my classmates and close friends…”
My head hurts…
Is this situation truly beyond help?
For Mako, this is the moment her hope of returning to Earth became despair.
“Even if there were a way to return to Earth, it wouldn’t be possible for me, would it…”
Mako seemed to have understood as well and wore a sad expression.
That’s natural. Suddenly being caught up in an isekai transfer, and then meeting an inhabitant of that world who turns out to be her classmate’s son… logically, returning home would be hopeless.
“I can’t say anything about that, but Helios Orb isn’t such a bad place, you know? Especially concerning aging.”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
“Have you heard about magic?”
“Yes. Mina-san and Marisa-san showed me something called a Library. I also heard about levels briefly.”
“Then this will be easy. ‘Libraling’. You’ll understand once you see this.”
Sayuri then showed her Library.
Indeed, regarding aging, it was the most convincing evidence imaginable.
“Eh? You’re 107 years old?! But you look like you’re in your twenties…”
Her surprise was understandable.
On Earth, 107 years old would conjure images of wrinkled elderly people.
“Of course, not everyone is like this, but if certain conditions are met, aging can be suppressed. I suppose you could say mana activates or protects the cells, suppressing aging.”
“Oh, is that so…?”
For women, anti-aging is an eternal challenge, so she seemed very interested.
Even if it wasn’t entirely genuine, it was a good topic to distract her.
“Like this? ‘Libraling’! Kya!”
A cute scream, incongruous with the stern beauty, echoed out.
It was understandable to be surprised, as it was her first time revealing her Library.
“This is my…”
“There are many other kinds of magic. Yamato-kun, you happen to be wearing something suitable, so why don’t you change?”
Oh, I’d completely forgotten, but I was still wearing the Arc Order’s Coat.
But indeed, it’s quite suitable, so I’ll excuse myself to change right here.
“Yes. Then, excuse me. ‘Ee-quipping on, Crest Defender Coat’.”
“Eh? Eeh!?”
My Crest Defender Coat was also completed within these few days.
Everyone else’s Defender Coats are also finished, and I’ve properly received them.
“You’re surprised, aren’t you? But it’s convenient, isn’t it?”
Ee-quipping is indeed convenient.
Despite having to chant it, I truly think it’s a wonderful magic.
However, Mako seemed completely taken aback by the existence of an instant-change magic.
Her Library is also still open, so I can see it clearly.
“Um, my Library is visible, you know?”
“Eh? Oh, it’s fine. It’s personal information, but you’ll need to be shown how to use it.”
With that, Mako revealed her Library to us.
“Whoa, that’s amazing.”
“That’s way better than mine.”
“Really?”
“This title implies…”
I wasn’t the only one surprised by Mako’s Library.
Well, it can’t be helped.
Mako Katagiri
20 years old
Lv. 66
Human Race – High Human
Spiritual Valkyrie, Valkyria, Engraver from Another World
This is Mako’s Library. Her level is much higher than mine was when I first arrived in Helios Orb.
In fact, it’s almost at the level of Ancient Class.
She even has a title called Valkyria, and a epithet called Spiritual Valkyrie.
Engravers with epithets are first-class creators, and “Valkyria” is a title held by women, starting with my mother, whose name is renowned not only in Japan but worldwide.
Some people tremble just hearing that name, and for me, it’s a name that triggers a certain trauma.
I never expected Mako to possess the title of Valkyria…
