Rune Troopers Volume 1 Chapter 2 part10-12
—–End of Part 9. Part 10 below——-
Kuze was looking over the flight plan when suddenly the "Ibuki's" radar showed that it got hold of land around here. Ichinose, who is sitting across of Kuze, got tired of looking for land that didn’t seem to give any indication of being there and had fallen asleep. That is when——
"I see it! It's Land!"
The pilot screamed in joy. Kuze excitedly looked outside the window and he could clearly see and confirm the outline of the land. The land that he saw for the first time made him, without thinking, bend forward in interest…
"It’s a town…"
Kuze mumbled without really talking to anybody. The recon squad maintained a triangle formation with the land team’s Black Hawks around the marine helicopter and lowered their altitude.
One could clearly see the procedure as the helicopters lowered their altitude. There’s no mistaking that this is a town. No, from its size it seems like a major city. It had stone foundations and dark reddish-brown roofs on top of white walls. There are also wooden houses.
The screen showed a scenery that looked like the Mediterranean Sea, they thought. There were no high-rise buildings, but in the middle of the city there was something that looked like a plaza. A little before the plaza, a belfry preparing the way for a large building towered over the surroundings. From the sky, you could tell the terrain is formed like a crescent moon.
The helicopter flew above the tip of the cape where the lighthouse looking building was. The view captured by the camera is probably being shown to the crew on the vessels. Kuze thought that they would probably be in an uproar over it. Though he himself couldn’t believe it, with that mermaid sighting and the time the whole crew saw that person riding on a giant bird, this world certainly did have a feeling of discomfort, as though they didn’t fit in it.
To the cityscape unveiling in front of his eyes, Kuze and company, the Self-Defense Force, was at a loss for words.
"Is that a castle?"
Kuze mumbled about the giant conspicuous structure. The marine helicopter decided that the highest facility would have a strong possibility of being important, so it headed in that direction. When they did, the pilot’s voice rang out.
"We’ve got a reading on the radar! In the direction of 11 o’clock, flying objects are closing in rapidly! They are neither taking nor receiving enemy or ally distinct radio waves. Commanding aircraft, shall we evade them?"
"Wha-?!"
Kuze went to cling to the side door and confirm the state of things. And, his eyes grew wide.
"It’s that bird!"
He saw a countless number of giant birds started flying out from the castle. Apparently one section of the castle was like a runway of sorts. From there, giant birds started flying after catching wind of an upward current and at once gained altitude.
Humans were riding on the backs of the giant birds. They gathered in a magnificent formation and the helicopters dropped a little below, but the giant birds did a sharp turn and gained on them. Because they were living things, they could do such feats.
"What an ability to do sharp turns!"
Kuze could hear the pilot’s groaning voice. Continuing, then the co-pilot’s voice rang inside the cabin.
"An order from the commanding aircraft: Each aircraft, we will break formation due to the group on our tail. Do it discreetly so as to not provoke the enemy. That is all."
Kuze gulped. Certainly, these are the people of this nation. Suddenly, they noticed a squad of helicopters and made it into a scramble.
In Japan, if an unknown, flying objects suddenly appeared, the same thing would happen as the Aviation Self-Defense Force would set out. Thinking like this, we were the rude ones. The fault is with us, so we shouldn’t do any aggressive enemy-like movements. The commanding decision from the white marine Sea Hawk is not wrong.
But, the subordinates feel uneasy.
"I-is it fine like this? At this rate we’ll be shot down or something."
"W-we’re surrounded, Platoon Leader Kuze!?"
Kuze used the radio across from him and screamed.
"Everyone listen! Calm down! We have not spotted any weapons on these people! We still don’t know if they mean any hostility!"
Hearing the voice of the commander kept the subordinates from trembling. That time, what was important to the soldiers was something easy for Kuze: they needed some kind of instruction.
Soldiers without any instructions will start making movements on their own. That’s why it’s important to have a system for commanders to communicate with their soldiers.
"But, what are they really trying to do…?"
Kuze thought this as he gazed at the increasing number of giant birds with people riding them. What they’ve learned is that this is the same as the incident yesterday with the young girl riding a giant bird.
"Really, this is some parallel world, huh…"
Ichinose, surprised, made an expression of deep, mixed emotions and whispered to Kuze. Now that you speak of it, looking from the sky, the boats in the bay were all sailing ships with oarsmen and carrier ships.
On the streets were only carriages and carts for the giant birds and such, and there was nothing you could call a vehicle like an automobile that they could see. Their civilization level was, to a surprising degree, lower than their own world’s.
It seems that they didn’t have anything you could call a modern soldier. It was a natural thing that they wouldn’t take or receive enemy or ally distinction radio waves. Everyone was satisfied in thinking that we wandered into a different world.
"What is that…?"
One black giant bird moved in front of the helicopter squad, as if it knew its path and had moved to block it. Riding on its back was a fairly tall woman. She wore what looked to be a black coat and held a long lance. In one hand, as if holding a flat of the forces, she held it above her head in a way that's reminiscent of a grim reaper.
In an instant, Kuze felt his eyes meet with the woman’s. Through intervals in her dark-green hair, he could catch glimpses of her beautiful face. In terms of years, she was about the same as Kuze’s age, maybe a little younger. The beautiful woman was not impeded. Her lips moved.
"Follow me."
Is what he felt like she said. Though that’s what he felt, there’s no confirmation for her words. However, upon seeing her actions, the possibility of her saying that seemed strong, he felt. He then pressed the radio’s talk button.
"Commanding Aircraft, Can you hear me? This is Second Lieutenant Kuze of the Land Forces. Lieutenant Colonel Katou, I have a report."
"Yes, yes, this is Katou. What is it, Kuze-san?"
The marine leader’s answering voice over the radio had a fair bit of superficial surprise in it. But, in this situation, the exchange didn’t sound like it disrupted him, it was reminiscent of a different kind of surprise. Kuze presently gave the report to the squad commander.
"I think that, maybe that woman riding on the giant black bird who is conducting the group wants to lead us somewhere."
"Ah, I also vaguely felt the same feeling. My opinion is in agreement with yours, eh? Well then, let’s go follow her!"
"I-is that OK? If after we land, something were to happen…"
"That’s why you guys are here, right? I’ve said it since long ago, ‘you can’t catch the baby tiger if you don’t go into the tiger’s den (TL Note: This is an idiom which means "Nothing ventured, nothing gained")’. You’ll be my support. Over."
Even after he cut the communication, Kuze still firmly pressed the talk button. Kuze couldn’t believe that the joint marine and land forces that came across these giant birds and the like are led by THAT marine force leader.
Was he just your usual oaf, or was he a heroic man of courage? It was either one of these or the other.
Following the commander’s lead, the helicopter squad began to follow that giant bird the girl was riding on and started to descend. Under their eyes, they could see the humongous castle.
—–This is the end of Part 10. ——
Rune Troopers Volume 1 Chapter 2 part10-12
—–End of Part 9. Part 10 below——-
Kuze was looking over the flight plan when suddenly the "Ibuki's" radar showed that it got hold of land around here. Ichinose, who is sitting across of Kuze, got tired of looking for land that didn’t seem to give any indication of being there and had fallen asleep. That is when——
"I see it! It's Land!"
The pilot screamed in joy. Kuze excitedly looked outside the window and he could clearly see and confirm the outline of the land. The land that he saw for the first time made him, without thinking, bend forward in interest…
"It’s a town…"
Kuze mumbled without really talking to anybody. The recon squad maintained a triangle formation with the land team’s Black Hawks around the marine helicopter and lowered their altitude.
One could clearly see the procedure as the helicopters lowered their altitude. There’s no mistaking that this is a town. No, from its size it seems like a major city. It had stone foundations and dark reddish-brown roofs on top of white walls. There are also wooden houses.
The screen showed a scenery that looked like the Mediterranean Sea, they thought. There were no high-rise buildings, but in the middle of the city there was something that looked like a plaza. A little before the plaza, a belfry preparing the way for a large building towered over the surroundings. From the sky, you could tell the terrain is formed like a crescent moon.
The helicopter flew above the tip of the cape where the lighthouse looking building was. The view captured by the camera is probably being shown to the crew on the vessels. Kuze thought that they would probably be in an uproar over it. Though he himself couldn’t believe it, with that mermaid sighting and the time the whole crew saw that person riding on a giant bird, this world certainly did have a feeling of discomfort, as though they didn’t fit in it.
To the cityscape unveiling in front of his eyes, Kuze and company, the Self-Defense Force, was at a loss for words.
"Is that a castle?"
Kuze mumbled about the giant conspicuous structure. The marine helicopter decided that the highest facility would have a strong possibility of being important, so it headed in that direction. When they did, the pilot’s voice rang out.
"We’ve got a reading on the radar! In the direction of 11 o’clock, flying objects are closing in rapidly! They are neither taking nor receiving enemy or ally distinct radio waves. Commanding aircraft, shall we evade them?"
"Wha-?!"
Kuze went to cling to the side door and confirm the state of things. And, his eyes grew wide.
"It’s that bird!"
He saw a countless number of giant birds started flying out from the castle. Apparently one section of the castle was like a runway of sorts. From there, giant birds started flying after catching wind of an upward current and at once gained altitude.
Humans were riding on the backs of the giant birds. They gathered in a magnificent formation and the helicopters dropped a little below, but the giant birds did a sharp turn and gained on them. Because they were living things, they could do such feats.
"What an ability to do sharp turns!"
Kuze could hear the pilot’s groaning voice. Continuing, then the co-pilot’s voice rang inside the cabin.
"An order from the commanding aircraft: Each aircraft, we will break formation due to the group on our tail. Do it discreetly so as to not provoke the enemy. That is all."
Kuze gulped. Certainly, these are the people of this nation. Suddenly, they noticed a squad of helicopters and made it into a scramble.
In Japan, if an unknown, flying objects suddenly appeared, the same thing would happen as the Aviation Self-Defense Force would set out. Thinking like this, we were the rude ones. The fault is with us, so we shouldn’t do any aggressive enemy-like movements. The commanding decision from the white marine Sea Hawk is not wrong.
But, the subordinates feel uneasy.
"I-is it fine like this? At this rate we’ll be shot down or something."
"W-we’re surrounded, Platoon Leader Kuze!?"
Kuze used the radio across from him and screamed.
"Everyone listen! Calm down! We have not spotted any weapons on these people! We still don’t know if they mean any hostility!"
Hearing the voice of the commander kept the subordinates from trembling. That time, what was important to the soldiers was something easy for Kuze: they needed some kind of instruction.
Soldiers without any instructions will start making movements on their own. That’s why it’s important to have a system for commanders to communicate with their soldiers.
"But, what are they really trying to do…?"
Kuze thought this as he gazed at the increasing number of giant birds with people riding them. What they’ve learned is that this is the same as the incident yesterday with the young girl riding a giant bird.
"Really, this is some parallel world, huh…"
Ichinose, surprised, made an expression of deep, mixed emotions and whispered to Kuze. Now that you speak of it, looking from the sky, the boats in the bay were all sailing ships with oarsmen and carrier ships.
On the streets were only carriages and carts for the giant birds and such, and there was nothing you could call a vehicle like an automobile that they could see. Their civilization level was, to a surprising degree, lower than their own world’s.
It seems that they didn’t have anything you could call a modern soldier. It was a natural thing that they wouldn’t take or receive enemy or ally distinction radio waves. Everyone was satisfied in thinking that we wandered into a different world.
"What is that…?"
One black giant bird moved in front of the helicopter squad, as if it knew its path and had moved to block it. Riding on its back was a fairly tall woman. She wore what looked to be a black coat and held a long lance. In one hand, as if holding a flat of the forces, she held it above her head in a way that's reminiscent of a grim reaper.
In an instant, Kuze felt his eyes meet with the woman’s. Through intervals in her dark-green hair, he could catch glimpses of her beautiful face. In terms of years, she was about the same as Kuze’s age, maybe a little younger. The beautiful woman was not impeded. Her lips moved.
"Follow me."
Is what he felt like she said. Though that’s what he felt, there’s no confirmation for her words. However, upon seeing her actions, the possibility of her saying that seemed strong, he felt. He then pressed the radio’s talk button.
"Commanding Aircraft, Can you hear me? This is Second Lieutenant Kuze of the Land Forces. Lieutenant Colonel Katou, I have a report."
"Yes, yes, this is Katou. What is it, Kuze-san?"
The marine leader’s answering voice over the radio had a fair bit of superficial surprise in it. But, in this situation, the exchange didn’t sound like it disrupted him, it was reminiscent of a different kind of surprise. Kuze presently gave the report to the squad commander.
"I think that, maybe that woman riding on the giant black bird who is conducting the group wants to lead us somewhere."
"Ah, I also vaguely felt the same feeling. My opinion is in agreement with yours, eh? Well then, let’s go follow her!"
"I-is that OK? If after we land, something were to happen…"
"That’s why you guys are here, right? I’ve said it since long ago, ‘you can’t catch the baby tiger if you don’t go into the tiger’s den (TL Note: This is an idiom which means "Nothing ventured, nothing gained")’. You’ll be my support. Over."
Even after he cut the communication, Kuze still firmly pressed the talk button. Kuze couldn’t believe that the joint marine and land forces that came across these giant birds and the like are led by THAT marine force leader.
Was he just your usual oaf, or was he a heroic man of courage? It was either one of these or the other.
Following the commander’s lead, the helicopter squad began to follow that giant bird the girl was riding on and started to descend. Under their eyes, they could see the humongous castle.
—–This is the end of Part 10. ——
