Chapter 1

First Lieutenant Itami Youji (33 years old) was an otaku. He had been an otaku, and would surely continue to choose to be an otaku into the future.

Although he could be called an otaku, he was not the sort of creative otaku who would write his own fan fiction stories and manga, or lovingly assemble figures and dolls with spherical joints. Naturally, he did not make a Vocaloid sing either. And he was not the sort of active otaku who would post reviews and ratings of others' "creations" or "drawings" on BBS sites. He was a passive consumer otaku who would just earnestly read manga and stories that had been written by others.

He would participate in the summer and winter doujin festivals without missing a single one, and although he'd never visited Yasukuni Shrine, he would make the trip to Nakano and Akihabara each time he had a day off. On the wall of his house hung the square framed autograph of Takahashi Rumiko that he'd obtained when he was in middle school, and doujin magazines were lined up on his bookshelf. He never opened his legal books and teaching- or military-related publications, leaving them in brand new condition but tying them together with a vinyl string and tossing them into his closet.

Because he had that kind of disposition, his attitude toward his work was somewhat lacking in enthusiasm. For example, even when exercises were scheduled, he would boldly apply for leave while saying "There's an event that day..."

He would be brazen.

"You know, I work so that I can live for the sake of my hobby. So if you ask me whether I would choose my work or hobby, I will prefer my hobby."

It seems that this man somehow ended up joining the JSDF, but it's already happened so you'll have to let it go.

To begin with, his life until now could be suitably described as "eating, sleeping, having fun, and having a somewhat Japanese life when there's time to spare". He had strongly agreed with the words of a manga he'd read with pleasure long ago: "When you're taking a break, you should live your life." Although that wasn't the reason, he chose a high school with a low college acceptance rate, and uneventfully got in without studying much. His grades were in the lower-middle range. He spent every day absorbed in reading stories and manga in the anime and manga club. He passed three years while occasionally lining up at the movie theater in the early morning for the first showing. For his post-secondary education, he chose a newly established college that had a low degree of competition between applicants, and got into that while again not studying much. He graduated in four years while enjoying anime and continuing to read manga and light novels every day, and attended all his lectures with a record of perfect attendance and no lateness, with his lecturers tending to think "it's Itami, so I'll take it" and give his work a grade of B or "pass".

Around the time the students began to ask each other "How are you planning to look for a job?" he muttered that he didn't like to visit workplaces, and knocked on the door of a local branch (presently a local collaboration office) of the JSDF in a certain part of the city.

Someone may have said, "I can't believe this fellow joined the management."

His superior, who had lost his temper with him regarding his will to protect the nation--or rather for his attitude toward his duties which lacked enthusiasm--said "I'll cure you with a bit of discipline" and forcibly sent him to the cruel training to be a ranger that was for established management. *

As you would expect, he immediately gave up and thought "I want to quit", but then he received a phone call.

His superior had also been troubled by this. He had been trying to encourage him in various ways, trying to get him to put out more effort, but nothing was working. In the first place, if words would work, he wouldn't have been so troubled from the beginning. Tired and not knowing what to do, he sighed and muttered.

"If you stop here, I won't give you off the 29th, 30th, and 31st at the end of the year."

"Okay, I'll do my best."

Even to this day, Itami's superior was confused about what he'd said that had produced such an effect.

Well, on a certain summer day, when this Itami was waiting for the "Yurikamome" at Shanbashi Station to go to an event at a certain place in the city, he came across an unthinkable incident.

It was the one that would later be called the "Ginza Incident".

The Gate that suddenly appeared.

The military forces containing strange beings that poured out of it.

By now, the government has come to call the other side of the Gate the "special region" and such, but Itami instantly understood that it was "another world". He grasped it completely.

And then he thought.

"Damn it! At this rate, the summer doujin magazine sales event will be suspended!"

His subsequent activities were so vast that they weren't able to be conveyed without using the entire front page of a major liberal newspaper.

With Kasumigaseki and Nagata-chou both under attack, government officials and politicans were just running around cluelessly. Because they hadn't received the order, the JSDF couldn't go out there even though they wanted to. Because the government district south of Sakurada Gate had been essentially devastated, the chain of command had gone to pieces and the police were unable to operate effectively.

Amid all that, Itami grabbed hold of a nearby police officer and pointed west.

"Guide everyone to evacuate to the Imperial Palace!"

But the response he got was "There's no way I can do that." The idea of using the Imperial Palace to shelter people was outside the realm of consideration of an ordinary police officer.

In fact, the Imperial Palace had originally been a military structure called Edo Castle. So it was actually well suited to accomodate tens of thousands of people and protect them from medieval-grade troops. They weren't even being sieged, so there was no need to hold the castle; it would be fine for the people taking refuge to just escape to the west through the Hanzou Gate.

Itami sought the cooperation of police officers who were willing to risk their lives to protect civilians even though they'd been cut off from the chain of command, along with that of civilians who were taking shelter, and holed up in the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Guards were upset by it, but they were calmed down by a word from an "important person" who lived in the palace.

Thanks to the talent of the Tokugawa, Edo Castle was a fortress that had never experienced actual combat. However, it displayed its true worth as a fortress after having passed through hundreds of years to reach the Heisei era.

Later, the "Defensive Battle at the Palace Double Bridge Moat" was taken over by the first riot squad who called themselves the Imperial Guards protecting the palace, along with the fourth riot squad who came from Ichigaya on their own initiatve. But everyone recognized the great actions that saved thousands of people during the few hours leading up to that. That is how Itami ended up being praised by the Minister of Defense and promoted to first lieutenant.

It's already a done deal.

And a short time later, he was in the special region dispatched force.

The morning after the third offensive.

The brightened view was one of innumerable corpses of people, horses, and other beings that completely covered the earth.

There was even a winged dragon that lay stretched out after having fallen from the 40 mm armor-piercing rounds of an anti-aircraft gun.

Although in legends dragons were said to have scales harder than iron, that was what happened. It hadn't been able to endure mere 40 mm bullets.

Itami thought while looking at it, "Looks like we just parted from a bit of suburban gossip."

The enemies who attacked at Ginza had numbered about 60,000.

Since the beginning of last night's attack, there had been roughly 60,000 (beings like orcs and goblins weren't included in those tallies). Altogether 120,000 soldiers had been shot, so he wondered what they intended to do now.

There was no way to know what this world's people were saying about all this. As things stood now, they had only secured the outskirts of the Gate, and still hadn't done any kind of investigation.

But if you think with common sense, there was no way that a tribe or nation which lost tens of thousands of its military forces would just stay calm. Among the fallen soldier were ones who were unmistakably children. It wasn't clear whether they were really kids or just some species with that sort of appearance, but... If the country had come to the point of sending children into battle, you could say that it was already falling apart.

Even Itami had felt this way, so the rest of the leadership naturally also thought.

That they needed to investigate this world.

They were short of information to help decide whether their current objective should be to advance forward and expand their territory, or just continue to protect the circumference of the Gate, or go even further and negotiate with the enemy. Fortunately, they had been able to map the surrounding area using the aerial photography of an OH-1 helicopter. If they could make a runway, they'd be able to send out unmanned spy planes. Therefore, what they wanted to investigate next were the populations, races, industries, religions, and political structures, along with the character of the inhabitants.

How would they investigate that?

By going there directly, of course.

"That might be for the best."

"Don't talk like it's someone else's business! You're going!"

Lieutenant Colonel Higaki spoke as though exhausted from dealing with his subordinate who was lacking in empathy.

Itami tilted his head in puzzlement at the words of his newly appointed boss.

Itami himself was a detached member of the leadership, a first lieutenant who'd been attached to the fifth combat troupe as though he were a bonus or something. It wasn't like he didn't understand what sort of mission "investigation" referred to, but he didn't have any subordinates to do that.

"Could it be you want me to go alone?"

It wasn't as though he could think "no problem".

"No way I'd tell you to do that. First of all, I'm organizing six-person deep investigation scouting parties. Your duty is to command the third numbered one. Come into contact with the locals in your assigned area and grasp their condition. If possible, for the sake of obtaining their cooperation in future activities, form friendly relationships with them."

"Haah... Well, if that's all."

And so Itami, while scratching the back of his head, became the commanding officer of the third scouting party.

United States of America

White House

"Mr. President, sir. Here's the sixth briefing regarding the Gate that appeared it Tokyo."

President Dirrell, glanced through a few sheets of paper placed in a binder. After quickly scanning it, he tossed it onto the table.

"Mr. Crealon. According to this report, even though the Japanese army finally went to the other side of the Gate, they put a wall up around it and shut themselves in like turtles tucking in their necks. Is that what's going on?"

"Indeed, sir. The Japanese self-defense force is tightening its defenses and staying still."

The aide nonchalantly corrected the President's use of "army" instead of "self-defense force".

But the President kept talking without noticing that.

"Hmph... They have an overwhelming tech gap. Good soldiers who've undergone advanced training. Just what are they hesitating for? Tell me what you think."

"Mr. President, allow me to explain. Japan reflected upon the lessons it learned during World War II. They might have an overwhelming military force, but it's insufficient to control a vast area. Their only option is to clearly ascertain the special region's political climate, then seize specific targets."

That could be understood by looking at the composition of the special location deployed force that unusually contained intermediate level commanders. After it completed the phase of securing the Gate, it sent small units to various places in the special region for intelligence gathering and pacification work.

The President used a napkin to wiped some butter near his mouth, then looked at his subordinate. "So basically, you're saying it's because the Japanese army is checking the situation in the special region?"

"That's right, Mr. President. Prime Minister Houjou seems to be a man who acts carefully and takes many precautions. He isn't rushing to a conclusion."

The President sipped his coffee.

When Houjou took a tough stance after the Ginza Incident, he received an unprecedented boost in his approval rating that stabilized his political power. So one could say that he didn't need to rush.

But when Dirrell looked at himself, he saw that his approval ratings had plummeted. He needed to quickly present his people with some kind of concrete accomplishment. That was the position he was currently in...

"My good man, the Gate is a frontier."

"I quite agree, Mr. President."

"Just imagine what possibilities might lie on the other side of the Gate."

Untouched natural resources. Sheer economic dominance courtesy the disparity in technology. Unpolluted lands. Capitalistic economics placed value in all of that.

Resources existed there. There was no doubt of that.

When they analyzed the arms of the soldiers who had invaded, they established that their mineral resources were about the same as Earth's. On top of that, they identified the possibility of the scarce resources which on this side of the Gate were called rare metals and rare earth elements being present in abundance in the special location.

And they were able to infer from the type and construction of the weapons that there was a technology gap.

The craftmanship was excellent, but in the end, none of the objects went beyond the level of handicrafting. Objects of mismatched material properties and construction were not standard. By looking at the tactics inherent in sending knights with that level of equipment to invade, it was even possible to conjecture about their society's structure and productivity.

Furthermore, the fantastic beings, animals, and humanoids that didn't exist on this side of the Gate. The genetic information from those organisms could be called a mountain of treasure to researchers in bioindustries.

The Gate was invaluable.

Every scientist in the world was paying attention to all of this, including the supernatural phenomena.

"Don't worry, Mr. President. We and Japan are allies. We have the same values and firm economic connections. The profits from the Gate ought to be open to our country's corporations as well. We should work to make that happen."

"That's not enough."

The EU nations had already begun to exert that kind of pressure.

China, Russia, and other rising countries had also begun to act behind the scenes with their sights on the profits and resources brought about by the Gate.

"The question is to what extent we can guarantee our interests."

These are the accomplishments that Dirrell would be able to present to his people.

"To do that, shouldn't our country participate more assertively?"

But his aide shook his head regretfully.

"Our country has its hands full with the Middle East. We do not have the luxury to become involved in a conflict elsewhere."

Besides, the possibilities conferred by the Gate weren't necessarily all positive. If they were to try to tame and educate uncivilized savages, they needed to invest a large amount of people and money over an extended period of time. This was no longer the colonial period in which it had been fine to just plunder.

The President sighed deeply at the annoyance of a reality that wouldn't go the way he wanted it to.

"Looking at the report, doesn't it seem like the battle on the other side has been really rough?"

"The amount of ammunition they used seems to have out of the ordinary. But it's calmed down recently. The JSDF has probably defended well. The JSDF's equipment and training are very defense-oriented."

"Hmph. So then, how do you think our country should respond to that?"

"At the current stage, it should be fine to just keep supplying the Japanese government with weapons and ammunition. We can take care of that by just calling out to the weapons industry. Later, we can say we want to send people to the other side of the Gate for a interdisciplinary scientific investigation of the special region. I imagine that what we do after that will vary according to the situation."

If they supported Japan too much, if things went bad they'd be in danger of getting dragged into the situation.

There was no way to know how things would change. Most countries acknowledge that Japan had just cause to send the JSDF into the special region. But some of them, like China and Korea, said that Japan was returning to its past militarism and criticized its so-called aggression. Those countries had a history of criticizing Japan for anything it did, but what he'd heard bothered him. If Japan were to move in the direction of monopolizing the profits from the Gate, more countries who sympathized with that criticism would emerge. If that happened, he at least wanted to avoid the US being called complicit.

"Japan should be the one to pick the chestnut from out of the fire."

And if the situation took a turn for the worse, it would be fine to intervene and seize control of things. To do that, they would make arrangements with the UN. That was what his aide had said.

But Dirrell was still unsatisfied.

As long as Japan kept doing well like they were now, it seemed unlikely there would be a chance to verbally or physically interfere.

Dirrell was being confronted by the need to show his people concrete accomplishments. On the other hand, it was certainly true that he couldn't ignore the misgivings of his aide. The President clicked his tongue while nodding and saying "You're right," then moved the conversation forward to the next important problem.

The Gate's appearance. It was a historic event that led to the discovery of a new continent.

Just as Spain became a worldwide empire after discovering the American continent, it could be assumed that the Gate's discovery would greatly change the world's structure. Because the government of every country understood that, they were closely watching Japan's actions.

Ula Bianca (Imperial Castle)

Every day, hundreds of lords and nobles would visit Emperor Molto's castle.

Senators, nobles, and courtiers would meet and do all kinds of things, politics being treated as though it was just something that needed to be taken care of.

There was the sense that they would enjoy the pleasures of dancing elegantly at meetings, indulging in gourment food, gambling, and entertaining themselves with romances, and then just talk to one other a little bit at the assembly hall. The nobles had occasionally decided whether to send out the army based on the number of trophies from a game of fox hunting.

However, the very recent defeat was quite sufficient to lower the spirits of the imperial court's lords and nobles. The gaudy works of art seemed dulled, and the energetic music seemed lifeless.

What sustained Emperor Molto's prided luxuries were his mighty military and vast assets. Even a child knew that those two things were exactly what supported the Empire's hegemony over the continent.

But now, one of those supports had been lost.

Given that military officers and nobles who were part of the imperial court had gone to the battlefront, there had been no small number of casualties among their fellows. The number of widows skyrocketed, and the nobles had to attend the funerals that were conducted every single day.

The Emperor had to prepare for mourning ceremonies, and the inactive days of the imperial court continued on.

"Your Majesty the Emperor, the damage to the Allied Federation of Armed Forces has become truly grave. The number of deceased and unaccounted for is approximately 60,000. When we include those who cannot fight again because of injurities, we expected that the casualties exceed 10,000. It appears that the defeated Allied Federation of Armed Forces have lost their leadership and begun to return to their hometowns."

Those numbers didn't include beings such as orcs, goblins, and trolls. Humanoids whose intelligence was inferior to humans were given the same treatmeant as warhorses.

The Emperor moved his body listlessly in response to Domestic Minister Earl Marcus's report.

"Hmph, one could say that everything has gone as planned. With this, those senators who became frightened because of some slight losses should feel relieved."

"However, the movements of the enemies who appeared from the Gate are of concern..."

"You appear to have lost your nerve as well."

"This timidity has accompanied me from birth, and I have been unable to attain magnanimity such as that possessed by your Majesty."

"So be it. In that case, I shall act to relieve the worries of my trusted retainer. This is not such a difficult problem. The distance from Alnus Hill to here is far. It will fine to use the Empire's extensive territory as a bulwark."

The Emperor continued.

He commanded that if the enemy were to begin to move, they should burn down all the roads and villages from Alnus to the imperial capital, put poison in the wells and fountainheads, and seize all the food down to the last grain of wheat. He said that if they did that, the enemy would be unable to continue to supply themselves and would be brought a halt amid the scorched earth, and if that happened, surely they would show some weakness to take advantage of, regardless of how powerful their military force and amazing their magic.

If they couldn't take from the locals, they would have to transport food from their own country, and the long distance transportation of food would be a major burden, even if they used horses. With things like that, their tactical strength would decline proportional to their closeness to the imperial capital. In contrast, the Empire's military forces would have more of an advantage the closer they were to the imperial capital. If they constructed bases in every location and forced the enemies to bleed, the enemies would lose their momentum and naturally crumble on the spot. That was the common sense that formed the basis of this world's military science.

Make the enemy do a long march, and hit them when they tired. It was an extremely popular and easy to understand strategy in any world, which is why it was so effective. However, the effect of using a scorched earth tactic on your own country was serious and hugely significant, and recovering was not easy. Since it callously completely disregarded the livelihood of the Empire's subjects, the people would definitely become disaffected. They were not being protected. On the contrary, the resentment that their food and drinking water was taken from them would be perpetually inherited. If one considered that effect, politically speaking there was no way they could easily do such a thing. But...

"It seems that the tax revenue will be in decline for a while."

Earl Marcus just muttered about the people's suffering with a way of speaking that treated it as a slight hindrance.

The Emperor just responded, "There is no other way. I suppose we will call off a few garden parties. That, and it would be best to postpone the construction of the imperial villa." For the powerful empire, things like the people's suffering and popular opinion meant little.

"Although I do imagine that Marquis Carzel and the like will raise a fuss."

"Why do I have to pay attention to Marquis Carzel's mental stability?"

"Although it may be needless fear, he has shown signs of conspiring with other senators to have the counsel put into operation a state of emergency."

The senate's final counsel was the empire's highest means of making decisions. If the senate declared it, they could even dismiss the Emperor. Historically, no small number of emperors had lost their status in accordance with the senate's final counsel.

"Hmph, how amusing. Then it would be best to see that they like things for a while. It may be a good chance to round up people who would sympathize with such a plan. It would be best to order my spies to investigate."

Earl Marcus was briefly astonished, but then immediately bowed reverently.

The Emperor's weapon against the senate's final counsel would be the crime of treason. He ordered that his spies fabricate evidence under the guise of collecting evidence.

"There are many who mistake the granted honor of being a senator for a right. While a bit troublesome, I must put matters to order with something like this."

The Emperor muttered that and commanded Earl Marcus to withdraw.

Earl Marcus bowed his head respectfully. But then, a dignified voice that resounded like a bell broke the peaceful mood as it echoed through the imperial court.

"Your Majesty!"

The person who walked briskly up to the Emperor's throne was the imperial princess--in other words, one of the Emperor's daughters.

The girl demonstrated peerlessly splendid courtesy as she went down on one knee, and she had flame-like vermillion hair along with white porcelain skin that was wrapped in a white silk garment.

"What is it?"

"Although our country is in such a critical state of affairs, what is your Majesty doing? Have you gone senile?"

Thorned sharp words were emitted from her elegant face.

Realizing that even here there was someone who mistook grace for privilege, Emperor Molto smiled faintly. The imperial princess's tongue was as sharp as always.

"Your Highness, on just what business are you causing trouble as a relative of his Majesty?"

The Emperor's third daughter Pinya Co Lada had such a physical form that she would be called a peerless work of art if she just sat down and smiled. But if you gave her room to talk, she would speak words so sharp that a timid man would faint on the spot, and that was what made her name known throughout the empire.

"Obviously, it's about those bandits occupying Alnus Hill. I heard that Alnus Hill was still in the enemy's control. I cannot help but think from looking at your Majesty's calm appearance that you have not heard what happened to the Allied Federation of Armed Forces. Marcus, didn't you report the truth to his Majesty?"

"Your Highness, I certainly did give the report. The Allied Federation of Armed Forces did suffer heavy losses, but they splendidly defended against the enemy's invasion of the Falmat continent. Thanks to the brave Armed Forces who did not hold their own lives precious, the enemy who received both mental and psychological damage are shivering in fear and maintaining their firm strategic position, hibernating like bears. Enemies like that are no threat to us at all."

At Earl Marcus's explanation, Pinya went "fuhn" and turned her face away as she made a declaration.

"Because you have no concubines or children, you know the phrase "smooth words make smooth ways". You know that, and needless to say, you even know the method to rephrase the crushingly massive defeat in the north into a success or victory.

"That is the truth."

"So you plan to sacrifice the truth and paint lies in the history books?"

"If you speak like that, there is no way for me to give you a reply."

"You crafty courtier! Is not our holy empire being suppressed by those fellows on Alnus Hill? Just how did our defense succeed? The truth is just being buried beneath the piles of corpses."

"We certainly did take some damage..."

"Then what should we do from here on?"

Earl Marcus feigned ignorance as he detailed a series of operations, starting from recruiting soldiers and going all the way to training and organizing them. Pinya clicked her tongue at being told the process of recruiting, training, and organizing soldiers that everyone related to the army would already know.

"If we started now, just how many years do you think it would take? Do you think that the enemies on Alnus Hill would just stay still during that time?"

"Your Highness the Imperial Princess. I feel that way as well. However, given the fact that we have lost soldiers, we have no other choice but to steadily continue to recruit soldiers, train them, and rebuild our army. This is true of various countries that lose soldiers. Even if we gather the Allied Federation of Armed Forces, the time it takes to reconstruct the army will be proportional to national strength. Even if the other countries reconstruct their armies later than us, we cannot speed them up."

Pinya was disappointed in his way of speaking.

"With that leisurely attitude, we will not be able to stop the enemy's invasion."

The Emperor sighed as he raised his hand slightly to stop the pair's verbal battle.

As he had guessed, Pinya had a tendency to quarrel with others. As is often the case with those who don't bear any responsibilities, she was someone who did nothing but criticize and had no constructive views. Whenever she offered one, it was like a fantastic story. She was unable to agree with anyone who respected tradition and social status. And then when something happened, she would go to people with practical ability who are thinking "This is tough, what should I do, what should I do..." and corner them to the point that they yell "Then what do you expect me to do!?"

For example, in this situation, there was no other option but to do as Earl Marcus said and steadily rebuild the army. Buying time for that was political diplomacy. That was why the Emperor assembled the Allied Federation of Armed Forces, and his plan succeeded because they were destroyed.

The slightly disconcerted Emperor faced his daughter and spoke.

"Pinya. If you say that, then even I must impart my thoughts to you."

"Thank you, your Majesty the Emperor."

"However, there is much we do not know regarding the enemies gathered at Alnus Hill. On that note, would you consider going there and taking a look?"

"Personally?"

"Indeed. The Empire is now in the process of rebuilding, and currently lacks reconnaissance soldiers. There is no way we can pull out the soldiers who have been distributed to various positions within the country. Even if we recruit new ones, as Earl Marcus said, it would take time to be able to make use of them. Now that I think about it, right now, those in your order of knights are the only ones with an above-average degree of training who are not occupied with something. That is... assuming that what you do isn't just playing soldiers."

The Emperor met her gaze as though to provoke her, and Pinya bit her lips shut.

The journey to Alnus Hill would be a ten-day trip on horseback, one way.

That place was the dangerous front lines, the ground on which more than 10,000 troops had been destroyed. He was saying that she should go there with just herself and and her order of knights.

Furthermore, it wasn't for a magnificent battle, it was for a straightforward scouting trip.

Although she could only think of it as an honor for her order of knights that was normally ridiculed as playing soldiers to be given a duty, she was dissatisfied with its subject.

And beyond that, her order of knights had zero actual combat experience. Could she and her subordinates really complete a dangerous mission?

The Emperor's glance conveyed, "If you dislike it, do not meddle."

"Well, then. Do you accept my decree?"

Pinya clenched her teeth, but lifted her head as though resolved. And then...

"I have certainly received it."

...she declared, after which she courteously thanked the Emperor.

"Umu, I look forward to your accomplishments."

"Well then, Father. I shall be on my way."

And thus Pinya turned her back to the throne.