Eclipse - Special Operations in Another World

Episode 12's

Ensuring the weapon remains clean is something that must be done routinely so that the weapon does not get stuck when used. The trick is to separate the gun body without the need for tools then lubricate and clean the trigger, bullet chamber, extractor, ejector, and some other inner parts. We call this activity the Field Strip.

This is the first thing I learned before learning to shoot. One of the materials in special forces training is to separate and then reassemble the rifle without looking. Maybe this is why the Field Strip is so easy.

After reassembling my Type 89 assault rifle, I sighed for a moment, listening to the increasingly heavy specks of rain outside the window. It has been 2 days since the attack that killed 9 of the best knights of the Order of St. Whales and injures dozens of others. We are currently staying at the residence of Duke Elashor, one of Alfheim's nobles and the city leader of Grosugrheim.

Grosugrheim is located quite close to Fraegligr, just a few tens of kilometers away. However, the rain that fell was quite heavy, plus the sun that had already sunk forced us to rest for a while. Me, Muse, and the other knights are currently in the hall where the party is usually held. Unlike Blade, Montez, and Jeanne who got bedrooms, we stayed here because there were not many guest rooms available. Of course, some knights were complaining but most preferred to accept it for what it was. High-rise rooms like this with carpets that look expensive are like five-star hotels for me considering that it is not uncommon for me to sleep under a fighting vehicle or in the homes of residents who have half collapsed.

While my childhood friend and I were dismantling the pairs of weapons, the other knights were busy with their respective affairs. Some were cleaning weapons and equipment, some were chatting with colleagues, and some were asleep. Montez forbids the knights from going to the city to avoid things that are not desirable given the relationship of Finia and Alfheim has not completely recovered.

I turned my attention to the surrounding situation towards Muse reassembling his weapon that had been separated while humming.

Lovely chance pettanko - chan!

Lovely chance pettanko - chan!

Oh my God, what sin did I have in my previous life until I had to be a squad with this onion-smelling wibu....

PEEJI mekuru kyou no SUTOORII

Dakishimeru mune ni himeta PAWAA

RUUTO GAIDO ni nottenai atarashii e

Regardless of Muse's singing, I grabbed a bottle of firearm lubricant next to me.

"Yes....Muse," I'm trying to get some lubricant from Muse, but...

RETTSU GO METAMORUFOZE!!

"Muse!" Muse stiffened the volume of his singing. So loud, some knights glanced at us. "MUSE ME!!!"

Hime hime!! Hime!

Suki suki daisuki!♥

Hime!! Hime!!

Muse ignored and continued singing while sitting here and there, making my patience run out. I threw a lubrication bottle at him. "Woi!"

The empty bottle that I threw right about his left eye, made him complain of pain. He rubbed his eyes before grumbling. "Not to be loud, dog."

"Anybody talking about cake?!" Ketus. Maybe if only the two of us were here, we'd been struggling from earlier.

"What's wrong?"

"Have LSA[ LSA = Lubricant Small Arm. Lubricants to smooth the contents of firearms.]?" The young man simply shook his head and returned an annoyed snort. Shit, how do I clean this gun?

Suddenly someone put a bottle of LSA lubricant on my shoulder. I turned my head, looking at the man. Blade Turns. "Your congratulations have arrived" said the man, grinning.

I opened the bottle of lubricant while looking at him, smiling mischievously. "I don't want to sound like a faggot, sir, but I can kiss you."

The man grinned and patted the back of my head. He stood before us and raised his left hand like a king who would give some of his wealth to the people.

"Rejoice, lads. I got word from Zeus that we're gonna get extra rice for the month."

The purpose of the 'rice' was the ammunition & equipment we needed, such as batteries, rations, spare parts weapons, and other items. Brother and team of scientists seems to have succeeded in making an artificial portal, but the shape is still very small and can only open for a moment. It took a long time to develop the machine.  

Hearing the brief announcement from Blade, Muse grinned ferociously like a psychopath who was about to kill his next victim.

"Hell yeah."

I just smiled with satisfaction, hoping for my favorite rice ration. I was tired of meat and vegetables served without seasoning every day and with bread or corn instead of rice. Many people say that Asians have not eaten without rice. I think it's got a point.

"What about you, Wand. Already better?"

Blade looked at me as he took off his armor one by one before picking up his rifle and sitting next to me.

"Looks, captain...."

I stopped talking. While my hands were working on spraying lubricant on the bullet chamber of the rifle, I was thinking about whether I should say it or not. Unlike the outspoken Muse, it was very difficult for me to confide in others.

However, I remembered the military exercises. I was trained to trust the people beside me.

I finally decided to tell Blade about it. Turning my gaze away from those pair of maroon eyes, I poured out my heart.

"It's just that I'm confused as to how to deal with Jeanne."

Muse's laughter made me feel bad.

"Near him, give him a tombal appeal and if the time is right, put your 'Excalibur' on his 'Avalon. Profits!" The blond young man ended his last sentence with a visual demonstration.

I put my rifle and stood up and tackled his body to the floor. People like this should be taught a lesson.

"Maybe I'll start by breaking your 'Balmung!" Excite me while stepping on Muse's vital equipment like I'm starting a manual motor.

"Yeah! Golly, Wand! Think about your nephew's future! Aaaa!"

The blonde youth screamed in pain until I felt many pairs of eyes pointing at us. Blade instead of breaking us up just laughed out loud. He was so grateful that Muse got his karma.

After he laughed, the man told me to stop. "Stop, Wand. You'll have to take responsibility if her boyfriend sleeps with Jody."

I let go and sat down at my place.

"Actually, his girlfriend had been taken away a long time ago...." I closed my mouth, pretended to cough and mentioned a name. "Ohuk, Tsubaki, uhuk...."

"Fuck you, Jap," He grumbled after hearing the cursed name. It seems, he is still traumatized by things in the past that I also knew about. A jody is a man who sleeps with a wife or girlfriend of soldiers who are away on duty. Yes, even species like ours are not immune from the Netorare virus either.

Meanwhile, Blade cleared his throat and began dismantling his G36C. Looks like he's gonna start college seven minutes for me.

"Sorry and talk to him as usual, that's enough. Just so you know, the word 'sorry' is as strong as a magic spell."

Hearing those words, I stopped reassembling my weapon and looked at him curiously.

"No believe? I've had a few fights with my wife, but with just an apology we can make up as usual...."

Japanese people always apologize about trivial things, even to the point of saying it when no one does anything wrong, but I didn't know that the words I used to say meant more to the Englishman in front of me.

"Hmmmm, so...."

"Never underestimate senior advice. I've lived 10 years longer than you," The Blade's last sentence dispelled all doubts in my mind.

"I'll try" The guy who studied philosophy at Oxford was really great. I haven't known him for a year, he's been like a brother to me. Maybe, I can trust him like I trust Major Kisaragi.

"After that, follow Muse's advice," Hearing that, Muse's laughter instantly exploded.

I pulled my words.... 

*****

The next morning, we got ready and set out for our destination, the Royal Capital of Alfheim, Fraegligr.

Unlike the city of New Verdannia which looks like a city in general in medieval times, the city of Fraegligr is very different.

The trees and on the slopes of the cliffs make it look more natural than the cities of Finia. A giant wall twice the size of the New Verdannian wall surrounded the city.

"Welcome to Fraegligr, Your Highness Princess Tiara De Finia," Welcomed the gatekeeper while bowing respectfully.

As our group entered the city, we were greeted by hundreds of tall buildings. However, the buildings did not completely remove the natural impression of this city. The whole city is very cool and shady because most of the sunlight is covered by various types of large trees. Several bridges connect one building to another. Large rivers and waterfalls flowed swiftly through the city, as if merging with the buildings of the city. Despite the bustling city, the air here is very cool, cooler than New Verdannia.

On the side of the road made of stone there are many pedestrians, the majority of whom are Elves. Statues and ornaments adorn various corners of the city. Right in the middle of the city, there was a gigantic tree whose height even pierced through the clouds and touched the highest sky. It may be 5 to 20 times higher than Tokyo Tower or even Burj Khalifa. This place is like pornography for photographers.

"That's Yggdrasil."

I looked towards Princess Tiara who was sitting inside the carriage right behind me. I currently have the task of sitting in the coachman's seat with Muse who is again ordered to drive a carriage. Unlike the previous horse carriage owned by the Princess, this one horse carriage looks ordinary. Duke Elashor 'kind' lends us one.

I feel like he's looking for face. Politicians even in other worlds are like that, right?

"If I'm not mistaken it means World Tree in their language. Please let me know if I'm wrong" I said politely.

I moved my gaze from Princess Tiara towards the giant tree. Look at how tall the tree is and listen to the story of the Princess.

"Through the tree, our predecessors came to Uressea. They built this world and started a new civilization as big as it is now."

So anyway? Now I understand why many of the cultures and languages of the inhabitants of this world resemble those of us on Earth. Although it is still a legend, but it is very possible. We just need to deliver this to Headquarters.

"Wand, I wonder if you really killed our prisoner?"

I bowed my head and nodded with a slight feeling of fear. Will he be angry with me too?

"Why?"

"If I don't kill him, that guy will kill Muse," I answered his question briefly.

"So," I breathed a sigh of relief after hearing her seemingly ordinary reaction."I also heard that you had a fight with Jeanne."

I don't like where this conversation goes. It's not that I'm upset, but I don't know what to say to the Princess.

"Please forgive him. Jeanne hates murder, let alone against those who are helpless because it violates the oath of chivalry." If what the Princess said was true, Jeanne was probably one of the people who regarded war as something noble and full of rules. He also never set foot on the battlefield. Most young knights in this era thought that way.

Even so, people like me have no right to judge it.

"I know exactly why you did it, but...."

"I don't blame Jeanne. I just...." I stopped my mouth talking. I'm not sure what I want to say.

"What only?" Ask the Princess in a slightly pushy tone.

Breathing deeply, I told Princess Tiara my thoughts were as honest as possible.

"I was just upset at the girl's naivety. Refusing to finish off the enemy would only put him in danger. But...."

I stared at Jeanne who was now riding on the horse in front. I could see the girl's head lowered. His hand held the horse rope tightly.

"To be honest, I also feel guilty for killing two people who have a bright future. However, even if you want to feel guilty like anything, it is a risk for them to fight us. I hope you understand."

"Wanda..."

"I'm sorry, I seem to be talking too much," I sighed deeply.Although a little unpleasant was too blunt on a Princess, I felt relieved to be able to tell my thoughts. "At the end of the day, even if I were to expose any kind of thoughts, I would be forced to smear my hand with more blood because it was in a dangerous zone. Kill or be killed."

I took a deep breath. Whatever Princess Tiara answered, I was ready to accept it.

"I understand," The Princess' reply surprised me. "My father did the same for the land of Finia. Montez too, to the point that he sacrificed everything and threw away his honor as a knight, allowing himself to be insulted and scorned for the sake of this country."

"Sacrificing everything? Honor?"

"Eh?! M-I'm sorry, I promised not to say it," Hmm, why is her face flushed? His violet eyes tried their best to avoid my gaze. This white haired girl was trying to shift the subject. "Oh yeah, what do you think of the cities of Fraegligr and Alfheim? Beautiful isn't?"

"Very beautiful, Princess. I have never seen a place this beautiful. Really like in a fairyland," The scenery here is as beautiful as the interior of Finia. Well, I can't say that we sometimes infiltrate the surrounding area to hunt for information.

I stopped looking around and asked Muse, who strangely had not spoken a word at all. "What do you want to say?"

"Your words were like a hippie communist" he replied in a lethargic tone.

I grunted and put on an annoyed face. I looked at the face of the blonde young man.

His face looks worse than the undead.

His eyes were unfocused and a little sleepy. Lips dry-contaminated. His face was extremely pale, like there were only bones inside his skin.

"You why? How come tumben's not raving?"

"My Ripped Fuel's out," Hah, I expected.

"I told you, don't drink so much" I scolded him like a brother who found his brother playing with mud . Then, I reached into my stockpile and took out a bottle of Ripped Fuel. I took 2 capsules and gave them to Muse. "Now, from now on, I'll take a dose. For the common good."

"Hi, hi! Arigatou, Onii-chan~" said the young man with a smile with a deathly pale face. He swallowed the capsule and pushed it with water.

Refocusing my eyesight around, I noticed every facial expression the Fraegligans made. Their facial expressions vary. Some look from the roadside while amazed at our arrival, some look ordinary, but most frown as if showing their dislike. Princess Tiara was also aware of the thing I mentioned last, visible from the expression of her eyes that were glaring.

"The war is long over. But they still hate us" said a female knight. He rode a horse, guarding Princess Tiara's carriage from the side.

"Wounds may heal quickly, but scars are very difficult to remove."

"Hmm? What do you mean, Knight Wand?"

I looked at her with a small smile. "Think about it yourself...."

I've seen a country ravaged by war, recovering in an instant. However, nothing can erase everyone's memory of that dark history and the sacrifice of all the people, soldiers and civilians who lost their lives and all the things that were precious to them....

"I just understood what you mean" replied the woman after a long thought.

"Good."

"Oh yeah, you don't know me yet. My name is Alicia Le Blanc D'Lefeuvre. Just call Alicia, greetings, knight Wand," He introduced himself while bowing respectfully.

I watched him carefully. With his uniform consisting of a long white robe containing the emblem of the light blue cross of St. Whales and armor with those fancy carvings and super long names, I can guess that he comes from a noble family. Long silver hair with sharp gray eyes gave the impression of a firm and cold-hearted knight.

"It's nice to meet you too, Alicia."

Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys

Cowboys ain't easy to love and they're harder to hold

"Who's that freak next to you?" Maybe more precisely autistic people, huh!

"Call him Muse, my partner."

"Representative..mu?" He looked at us both in amazement. I'm not surprised if others question our closeness. We both are not at all compatible. Long ago the similarities between us were only interests in military and martial arts, nothing else.

Muse's little laugh made me feel bad. He then wrapped his right hand around my neck and pulled me closer. "Really! We were more than childhood friends. Every night we slept together and every time we took a shower I rubbed it from toe to toe. Isn't that right, Wand?" He hugged me tighter from behind.

"Muse," There haven't been 10 minutes I've known that female knight, Muse's words have given me a bad first impression in his eyes. My hands were shaking and wanting to punch his teeth. Before I could do it, he whispered in my ear.

"Hey, I'm helping you to avoid flies like that guy. Harem routes are not an option. You belong to Jeanne."

"Your harem Route? And since when do I own Jeanne's property?"

I heard a small shrill voice and glanced at Alicia. Before he turned his head, I saw his face change like a tomato color. Hot steam came out of his ears and head. His nose looks like it's going to bleed. His eyes looked to the side, trying our hardest to avoid our gaze.

"Oh, shit...." He must have misunderstood. Once we get back, maybe I'll start mutilating Muse.

*****

In a dark, almost empty room, a young man sat on a chair facing the door. In front of him was a table filled with one plate and an empty glass and a lantern that illuminated the darkness.  His feet were covered in boots and knocked on the floor before stopping after someone opened the door.

"Good morning," a mysterious man in a black robe covering his entire body greeted before closing the door and entering the room. He sat in the chair across the table. "How's breakfast? Have you done well? You wanna go out for a second? We can talk there."

The questions he asked were completely ignored by the young man. He just stared blankly at the mysterious man.

The cloaked man sighed then chuckled. "You're hard to talk to, yes."

"We're going straight to business. What about my offer? In exchange for your success in this mission, I will give you whatever you want. Hows it? You agree?"

The young man looked at the man in front of him coldly before finally answering.

"whatever?"

 The mysterious man returned his gaze while grinning ferociously. 

 

"Whatever it is."