130 Ch.130

"──Are you going to eat?"

The chilled combat ration, to put it generously, was not delicious. Moore twisted out the solidified cheese spread from the pouch, smeared it on vegetable crackers, and tossed a wrapped package to Anis.

Inside was a commercial chocolate bar included in the combat ration. Although she might be tired of the taste, Anis eagerly tore open the packaging, especially in this busy situation where even her organic brain felt fatigued.

Yesterday, they had departed from a house in ruins, and after a night, they took a major break in the middle of a coniferous forest, ensuring the safety of their surroundings after traveling for over a day. Moore had decided to consume calories early by taking out combat rations and starting a meal, but she still didn't seem to appreciate the sweetness in the contents.

Anis broke the chocolate bar she received and, while chewing, handed half to Neon, who was standing guard around them.

"─I really wanted something sweet~"

"...There's also gum..."

"...Master. Is that gum a substitute for brushing teeth?"

To Anis, who was chewing on the now smaller chocolate bar, Neon gave a wry smile as Moore attempted to suggest the gum included in it.

It seemed he wasn't fond of mint gum or similar varieties. He didn't seem to eat them willingly. He seemed to prefer caffeine gum, if his comments about it were anything to go by.

Moore shrugged his shoulders and chewed on a cracker smeared with cheese spread.

When he noticed Rapunzel sitting on a rock in the corner of his narrowed field of vision, gazing at them, he also turned his monocular gaze toward her.

"─Rapunzel. Why have you been staring at us? Do you have something to say?"

Almost simultaneously, Anis seemed to notice too. Having finished the chocolate bar, she looked at the golden saintly woman who was watching them intently ─ asking with a tone that seemed almost like a challenge.

"Wow... Anis is back to her unbelievably non-trusting self! She'll even pick a fight with someone who hasn't done anything!"

"Oi!"

"...That's also yesterday's joke. It's expired."

Whether Neon was admonishing Anis with sarcasm or not was a delicate line. Perhaps he was teasing her. In response to Anis's denial, just as the exchange was getting interesting, Rapunzel's smile overflowed.

"─Hehe. I'm sorry. That was rude."

"...Are you going to eat?"

Thinking that she was staring at them because she envied the scene of them sharing the chocolate bar, Moore, misunderstanding, took out a remaining vegetable cracker from the package.

"Thank you, Brother. But just your sentiment is enough. ─However, everyone's presence is heartwarming, and it reminded me of the old days a bit."

"The old days?"

The reason why she declined the cracker, which seemed to be offered gently, was explained by her. Neon reacted, tilting his head.

Rapunzel sighed softly, raised her gaze to the coniferous canopy above, and narrowed her forget-me-not-colored eyes nostalgically.

"...Yes. In the past, when I was first assigned to the squad, we were also very lively."

As the snow began to fall gently, the golden saintly woman extended her arm as if to catch it.

"─The surface was much more dangerous then, and the war was much closer than it is now."

She caught a single snowflake in the palm of her extended arm. Watching it closely, the snow melted into a small droplet.

"─Just being together was happiness... like you all... laughing... crying... and enjoying the journey."

"Hmm," a small sigh leaked out. Returning her hand, which had been extended, to her knee, Rapunzel explained the reason she had been watching them. Neon, reacting, asked hesitantly.

"...Um... Are those people now...?"

"...Some of them have gone somewhere that I don't know... Some are still together, but... they've changed as time has passed."

There was no need to choose words carefully. When the golden saintly woman spun the facts as they were, she glanced at Moore for a moment.

─He seemed to be enduring a sudden and bothersome headache, furrowing his brow in pain. Despite this, he maintained a calm demeanor, making an effort not to cause concern for the girls.

"...Sorry... I'm a bit on edge..."

"No, no! It was really heartwarming for me, so please don't worry about it."

The pain subsided, and Moore chewed on a vegetable cracker he had picked up again.

The dry sound of chewing crackers echoed oddly loudly, likely because the girls were silent, unsure how to react.

Witnessing this, Rapunzel, with a troubled expression, lowered her forget-me-not-colored eyes.

"...I'm sorry. I disrupted the atmosphere, didn't I?"

"...No, don't worry about it. It's probably an important memory for you, right?"

Rapunzel's weary brain, excluding memories of the past year and a series of events, intentionally erased by her, knew or unknowingly affirmed the anchor that defined her. They existed at that time, in that place. He confirmed that undeniable proof.

The golden saintly woman blinked her forget-me-not-colored eyes several times, then nodded back at Moore with a calm smile.

Having finished the meal, he gathered the empty packaging into his backpack and stood up.

"...Rapunzel, how much longer?"

"How much longer─Oh, until I am felled by you!? Haa, haa...! Th-that's... anytime Brother wishes...!!"

"No, I asked about the time it would take to reach the destination..."

There was some element causing her cheeks to flush, and her breath to become heavy. The questions were endless, but he deliberately asked calmly. Rapunzel, sensing a misunderstanding, cleared her throat and stood up.

"L-let's, um, get back on track. We'll be there soon."

Following Rapunzel's guidance, about three hours passed through the coniferous forest and snowy mountain path.

Suddenly, as the field of view opened up, they arrived at a deserted village with houses resembling ruins. Apparently, this was the destination Rapunzel mentioned—the promised land.

The sun had already begun to set, and as the night darkness crept in from the east, in their line of sight was a petite figure with silver hair and a conspicuous figure wearing a large hat.

"─You're late."

"─I'm sorry. We're late."

One of them, Snow White, acknowledged Rapunzel, who led the group, and spoke. She probably wasn't blaming her for the delay, but the golden saintly woman nodded in response, completing the greetings of the long-awaited reunion.

"─The crescent moon hasn't set yet. It shouldn't be considered late."

Continuing, wearing a prominent large hat, and holding, presumably, some kind of sword, the pilgrimage's Scarlet, with a carefree attitude, reassured Snow White.

"Besides, she brought guests. Let's overlook this much."

His amber eyes moved, and when Scarlet caught sight of Moore and the others, she raised his voice in welcome with narrowed eyes.

"Long time no see, young ladies. I heard the youngster got shot. Are you okay?"

"..."

Though not that young, from Crimson Lotus's perspective, he must be young himself. Thinking this, he lightly shrugged his shoulders and silently conveyed that everything was fine.

The question of who he heard about being shot remained unanswered, but recalling Rapunzel operating a handheld device during the journey, it was likely she communicated and updated the situation.

"─Hey, Snow White! Don't you check your messages!?"

"─That's right! If Snow White had checked the message properly, we wouldn't have had this much trouble!"

Greetings aside, two members of the squad approached Snow White with a combative attitude. To her, it probably wasn't a big deal, but Snow White tilted her head in confusion, not understanding the meaning of their words.

"…A message? Was it sent to me?"

"Yeah, I sent one. I couldn't send an email, but I left a message with the details."

While looking at Moore, whose face was partly covered with bandages, she inquired with her golden eyes. He nodded in response. Suddenly, Snow White, in a somewhat flustered manner, took out her mobile device—apparently finally noticing the incoming call notification. Whether she was reading the message or not, her golden eyes moved busily from side to side.

"Yeah, that's right. I... didn't notice the message. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. You have your circumstances too."

"...Well... if you apologize so honestly, there's nothing to complain about."

"That's right."

Moore seemed indifferent as he spoke, but Anise and Neon seemed to recall the struggles they had gone through. They sighed reluctantly.

Setting that aside, Moore turned his eyepatch-covered gaze towards the pilgrims in front of him and then asked Snow White while looking around.

"...Is Marian not with you?"

Seeing no familiar figure, he asked, and she nodded.

"Yeah. She's with us, belonging to the Pioneer, so she should have come with us as a rule, but... I heard from Rapunzel that you guys were coming, so I didn't bring her."

Moore frowned, puzzled by Snow White's answer. She seemed to sigh briefly, as if saying, "You don't understand."

"...Even though we just parted ways, meeting again might make both you and Marian waver."

"...We and Marian understood the situation when we parted ways. There's no wavering now. ...Well, I'm not very confident, though..."

Indeed, it was the right answer, and Snow White shrugged her shoulders lightly in response.

"...So where are you now?"

"I left her in a trustworthy place. So don't worry. Though they can be a bit greedy and nag to become their people... 'White Knight' is a fitting name, and they won't betray your trust."

"Ah, if I had to guess who you entrusted them to, it would indeed be the knightly young ladies."

Moore and the others were unaware, but from the flow of the conversation, it could be inferred that the pilgrims were acquainted.

"...Are those people also Pilgrims?"

When Rapi asked this question, Rapunzel nodded with a gentle smile.

"Yes. They are called Crown and Chime, cute sisters trying to become the rulers of the kingdom."

"...If you say so, I suppose they are trustworthy people."

Not knowing their character, Anis couldn't completely dispel her distrust, but she seemed convinced in this situation.

Nevertheless, Moore wants to see Marian's face after such a long time. To say he didn't want to see her again would be a lie. Although, The reunion seemed to be postponed for a while.

Sensing this, Moore placed a cigarette in his mouth and lit it with an oil lighter just as Snow White looked up at him.

"By the way, why did you come all the way to visit us in this place─"

As she was about to ask Moore, Snow White, Scarlet, and even Rapunzel Moore almost simultaneously turned their gaze towards the mountain path.

Click. He reflexively released the safety on his assault rifle with his fingertip.

A metallic friction sound gradually approaching from a distance could be sensed. Slightly delayed, Rapi and the others also sensed that something was amiss.

"...What's this sound?"

"It's a Rapture. Looks like it followed you guys."

"...Did it find our footsteps...?"

"Who knows. ─Rapunzel, did the jammer malfunction?"

Probably a Rord-class. Snow White, while continuing to observe the approaching Rapture, inquired of Rapunzel as she looked up.

"Umm... well, you see..."

Rapunzel grabbed her long golden hair, tightly braided into three strands, and observed it closely. She acknowledged for a moment the faint golden shimmer it emitted, then twisted her head in confusion.

"It's functioning properly, but... maybe I used too much power to heal Brother, or perhaps it's a bit weak today."

"Check it later."

"Yes, understood."

Having received Snow White's nod, Snow White raised her large sniper rifle and peered through the scope, preparing for battle. Meanwhile, Rapi removed the safety of her assault rifle, making a distinct sound.

"We'll help too."

"Oh, it's okay. Guests, please rest. Originally, these things were meant to be resolved by the ones who were invited. It's been a while since we fought together."

"...Ugh..."

Rapunzel effortlessly twirled the staff she held in one hand like a baton twirler. Scarlet advanced with her sheathed sword in hand.

While the pilgrims prepared for battle one after another, Moore witnessed the scene. At that moment, excruciating pain circulated within Moore's skull, and he was about to be addressed.

"Bocchan, it's a rare opportunity. How about taking command?"

"...Huh?"

──Turning around over his shoulder, Scarlet looked at Moore standing behind her with amber eyes. Her gaze conveyed unmistakable curiosity and interest.

With just one phrase she uttered, though it was only one word, as soon as Moore heard it, the headache inexplicably subsided all at once.

With a dubious expression, he directed his eyepatch-covered gaze toward Scarlet, attempting to fathom whether the words were meant seriously.

"That's right. It's a rare occasion. Since we can't defy it, take command as you like... even to the point of being forceful with private matters... Ha, ha..."

Was she really of such a character?

For a brief moment, a dull pain passed through his skull, but Moore deliberately kept it from showing on his face.

He turned his eyepatch-covered gaze to Scarlet, and whether it was uttered seriously or not, he tried to discern the true intent.

"So, you're going to let me take command?"

"Oh, of course. What do you think?"

Ignoring Rapunzel's reaction, Snow White, who pretended not to see it, urged everyone to move to greet the enemy aircraft. At the same time, dragging his right leg slightly, Moore took a step forward.

Exhaling purple smoke from the cigarette in his mouth, he adjusted his breathing and spoke.

"Captain Show Moore will take command of this squad."

At this declaration, Rapunzel and Scarlet exchanged glances, and after a brief pause, they both smiled slightly.

"──Then, Bocchan, I'll leave it to you, as usual as you do."

"──Yes, otherwise, it won't have the same impact."

"──That's right."

The pilgrims nodded to each other. Amidst the three pairs of eyes fixed on him, Moore shrugged his shoulders.

Glancing back over his shoulder, he noticed his subordinates looking at him with worried expressions. While he thought they didn't need to worry so much, their concern felt appreciated.

Standing alongside the pilgrims, Moore placed the butt of his assault rifle on his left shoulder and peered through the ACOG optical sight with his left eye.

After a moment, a Lord-class Rapture appeared on the mountain path.

Confirming the presence of the enemy aircraft, which seemed to have followed them, Moore aimed at the machine with his reticle.

"──Encounter."

Quietly, the declaration of engagement echoed.

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Author: As for Captain Moore's true identity? I have no idea (casually evading).