Party & Communication

The knock on my door had been an upperclassman coming to retrieve Leon and myself.

We were being taken to a stylish looking bar outside the academy where students around our ranking were gathered.

"I'm glad I can meet students of the same position this year."

A man was giving a speech to us first years. He was a barons successor and as such not so wealthy upperclassmen from the countryside had gathered around. This was akin to a welcoming party.

While Leon and I were conversations, a young man with tanned skin and short light brown hair was approaching.

He approached Leon first.

Daniel Fou Darlene, he said his name was. I'll call him Daniel for now.

He was well built and tall, far from the kind of build I had. Despite my training, most of my body hadn't really grown much. I was taller of course not as tall as the huge lumbering man in front of me, but my body hadn't filled out like I thought it would. I had muscles but they weren't bulging like his. I looked rather thin compared to the people around me.

Even Leon was just a few cm taller and more muscular looking than I, but I doubt I'd lose in hand to hand combat to either of these people.

Leon spoke to Daniel.

"So what are we doing here, is this just a welcome party?"

"You don't know? People in the same group gather together to talk about their troubles and to exchange information. Things like marriages or other important matters, you see."

This time a boy shorter than I am, by about a full head spoke up. He had shoulder length bobbed hair where his bangs were chopped off. Pushing up his glasses as he spoke, there seems to be a rebellious streak within this one.

"Even if it turns into a scramble for a woman, we'd get along as a group of similar people, so we wouldn't do anything absurd. If there's a dispute, we'll negotiate it amongst our group. Well, moments where we would compete against each other will probably be rare though."

With that understanding, the greetings from the upperclassmen concluded and the party started.

One upperclassman came toward our direction.

"We've got two promising adventurers here, a commoner and the third son of a baron, huh? Oh right I'm 'Rukul' nice to meet the both of you. I look forward to working with the promising first year students."

The third year student has come over and attacked us with his words. Is what it felt like.

It's not that I didn't want my identity as a commoner exposed, it would just make things far more difficult than it needed to be.

"Promising first years?"

Leon tilted his head at the prior statement.

"Tch. I'd prefer if you didn't play dumb. I could expect the commoner to do such things but you're the third son of a baron. Not to mention the both of you were fairly successful as adventurers before entering the academy."

Daniel and the other boy Raymond were shocked.

""Those rumors are about you?!""

Leon casts his face down. A dark cloud manifests itself above his head.

"I had no choice. If I hadn't come up with the money for the academy, I'd be sold to a perverted old woman."

As if sensing the old trauma that had been reopened, we all silently agreed to never bring this up in front of him.

"I as well didn't really have a choice. I was all but kicked out of my families residence when I accidentally angered a lord. I had to fend for myself as an adventurer. Lucky for me I came across some things that helped me along my journey."

"And that lead to you acquiring your own barony?"

"In a roundabout way yes. What I did, I think has no real impact on the kingdom. So for them to bring me in as a baron feels strange."

Leon pats me on the shoulder and whispers in my ear.

"There's no way they wouldn't grant you anything but a barony after having found what you did."

Ahh I see, that makes sense now.

They simply didn't want me to defect to another country, or try to incite a rebellion. The easiest way to do that would be to grant a reward suitable enough to keep me happy and under their control.

Rukul began talking to Daniel and Raymond about the academy and their worries about not finding a partner during the academy.

If a man didn't become wed by the age of 20 he was considered leftovers. Then the only one who would marry him was a woman who's man had run away.

And if there was a reason to run away, there was a reason to try and avoid that outcome in the first place.

What a troublesome predicament I find myself in.

"Oi, Elrich. Do you mind if I speak to you. Somewhere private preferably."

"Ah yeah. What do you need Leon?"

We've walked around the outside of the bar and into an alleyway.

"So, are you a reincarnator as well?"

Huh? How did he find out so quick?

"Uh… yeah, but how'd you know?"

[I would be the cause. My master calls me Luxion.]

A monotone gender neutral voice pierces my ears and I take a good look at the culprit.

A small, grey floating orb. With a single red light acting as it's eye. Spoke to me.

I actually forgot what Leon's cheat item was. It's not necessarily the overpowered mech he owns. But the nigh omniscient AI that leads him through the story smoothly. Luxion.

[I took the liberty of sampling your DNA when I heard you speak English. The reincarnators, or as I call them 'old humans' of this world seem to have a unique genetic strain that sets them apart from the new humans.]

"I see, then you're reincarnated as well then Leon?"

I already know this but I at least need to acknowledge it.

"Yes, I was a Japanese man. Speaking of, what do you know of this world."

"Strictly speaking, I don't know anything about this world. Only that it's vastly different from my previous one. All I did was work in the military and play shooting games."

As far as I'm concerned I really don't know how this story is going to turn out.

"I see. Well to me this world is reminiscent of a game I once played."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. I'm not expecting you to know what an Otome game is, but that's what it was."

"No I get it. One of those reverse harem games. I've seen stories about them."

"That makes things easier."

After this he gave me a basic rundown of the original plot of the story he witnessed.

[Master Elrich, may I ask what that sword is.]

If even Luxion doesn't know what it is, then there is only one option.

"It's something from…an alternate universe. That's all I can say as of now. I hope you understand."

[Yes understood. Would you mind demonstrating its capabilities.]

"Yes. I can. It's a little flashy, but it's dark out. I doubt it'll gain any attention."

Leon stands watch for me making sure no one will spot me.

I draw the sword out of its thin black leather sheath and pull the trigger. A blue glow erupts out of the blade as I cut the air in front of me.

[Interesting. Not magitech. Pure science. Something far superior.]

A long blue cut appears in the air. And I step through it. It sucks me in and I appear 2 meters away from another cut in space.

"The sword is sharp. Nigh indestructible in fact, I used it in combat quite often. But it's main use seems to be in short distance teleportation. The portal exists for only 15 seconds. I've never let myself stay in there when it collapses so I don't know what happens, and I'd really rather not find out. This is all I know about the sword."

[It was a pleasant demonstration. Thank you for this. I still can't seem to understand it. It is truly an amazing technology.]

"Don't worry I don't understand it too. V doesn't know either."

"Who's V?"

Leon interested in the conversation steps in.

"A semi-sentient AI just like Luxion. However he is bound to a mech, not able to freely travel. I can communicate with him anywhere though. I would call him here but that might cause quite the panic. Though I can do this."

Pulling up my left sleeve. There's a panel strapped to the outer portion of my forearm arm glowing faintly blue. Giving it a few taps, a lens toward my hand begins spitting out blue lasers forming a small hologram of V.

"This is V."

"Hello Pilot, Ronin Prime class titan, designation VS-4431. At your service."

A deep mechanical voice rings out of the speaker on my wrist.

"I also have a ship. Goblin class drop ship. Rather small, but it gets what I need done easily."

A few more taps on the blue screen and a new hologram appears next to V.

The reason I've done this. Exposed all my cards. Is because I feel like I can trust Leon. He doesn't seem like the person that'll take advantage of me and I need somebody to trust in this world.

[If you're going this far to give us information, then there must be something you want. If it's information you want, then here.]

The red eye glows brighter for a second. And V give an affirmative gesture at receiving the information.

"Thank you for that, but that wasn't really necessary. This sounds rather embarrassing, but I just want friends, someone I can count on. I've been alone in this world for a very long time."

Now that I've found someone similar to myself. In more ways than one. I can't help but feel a sense of comradery.

Leon smiles as the floating orb nudges his back toward me.

"Yeah I understand. Friends, from here on out?"

I can't stop myself from smiling.

"Fiends it is."