Chapter 358: Towards Independence ① (1/2)
The Weitz Orphanage was receiving dawn as usual.
As if reacting to the brightening sky, the children were coming out to the garden.
It is because it is gymnastics time which has become a custom in the early mornings.
It was begun in order to get the children to have the minimum amount of physical strength to endure the training.
“Hey, the war is going to begin today, right?”
“That’s right. We are going to crush the Aion Kingdom.”
“Everyone will be made fillet by Lime-san.”
“If I become a soldier, will I be able to eat tasty stuff like the ones the Kuzunoha Company brought the other day?”
“It would be better to join a company and become a merchant to eat tasty food!”
The voices of innocent children were resonating heartwarmingly from here and there.
For some fate or another, the Rembrandt Company, the Kuzunoha Company, and recently even the Bronzeman Company were showing up at the Weitz Orphanage.
Even if they have no intention of having them hear it, the conversations from the adults would leak bit by bit, and leaving aside just how much they understand of it, they were able to make conversation in this way.
Well, the children are energetic.
They were adapting to their new lifestyle at outstanding speed too.
Their environment as orphans must be serving as a plus, because you could tell even from the side that they are doing their best at studying and training.
Of course, there’s those that are good and those that aren’t, and children are children.
There’s those who tend to get tired, and those with a limit to their concentration.
There’s no doubt the ones dispatched to be teachers were having a tough time.
But the number one problem at present isn’t that.
It was the staff team that were mixed with the children and had somewhat fatigued expressions.
Due to them being thoughtless adults, their speed to absorb knowledge and technique in general is slow.
It takes them their all just to deal with the sudden changes happening everyday, and most feel like they have no leeway to concentrate on the skill ups.
Reaching the conclusion that even the young and passionate staff members like Seina and Tigu would be breaking in a few days at this rate, they cried about it to Tomoe who is their window to the Kuzunoha Company.
They are being required to be like elementary school teachers; know and teach all subjects to a certain extent, and be able to answer questions.
Because of that, their training is combined with actual practice which is slightly brutal, but as people working in an orphanage, the treatment they receive is unbelievably great.
Seina and the others supplicated to have the expected line for them to be having the knowledge of a middle schooler or high schooler, for their specialization to not be high and limit it only one subject per person, but…Tomoe laughed it off.
Regarding the list of equipment and the money request they brought in addition, she just skimmed through it and signed it.
‘So lukewarm. Do it.’
Tomoe had managed to keep a fixed smile from beginning to end as she accepted or rejected.
Because of all that, the staff members had tired expressions.
The reason why not a single one of them has run away is because, even if they were to excuse themselves, they felt that there’s no way there would be a job offer out there that would surpass the conditions here, and they also have a desire to somehow maintain this environment where the expressions of the children have made a clear turn.
They were pushing on by sheer strength of will.
“Hey, Seina-neechan!”
“…Whaat?” (Seina)
Seina, who was doing gymnastics by pure inertia and was dreaming about being able to sleep a bit more, reacted to the call of the child.
The bags below her eyes are beginning to get hard to hide, but she doesn’t forget to smile.
“There’s someone there.”
“?!!”
‘There is someone there’, those words made Seina open her eyes wide.
Right now there hasn’t been any incident where the Weitz Orphanage can be dealt direct harm.
However, since they have obtained this good luck, they shouldn’t lower their guards.
After the reconstruction, there have been propositions from many companies.
At the same time, the director Kimaro has warned all the staff members to keep their eyes peeled and not get swept under to make things even better.
He has seen and experienced many quarrels of varying sizes between companies as a relative of the Hanza Company, and he has been careful so that the Weitz Orphanage doesn’t see that since its beginnings.
Seina is one of the employees that works sincerely.
If it is someone that brings harm to the children, they must act at once.
“Eh?” (Seina)
Seina looked at the place where one of the orphans pointed at, and she ended up letting out a dumbfounded voice.
It couldn’t be helped.
They are currently at a height that could be considered that of the 3rd floor of a building, and the place they pointed at was at a far off place, where the city’s outer wall is at.
“…Is that…a person?” (Seina)
The shoulder and up was peeking out from the horizon.
A backfigure.
It was clearly gigantic.
She hasn’t seen a giant before, but according to what Lime has told her before, there’s no giant that could be seen from the other side of the horizon.
“What what? Aaaaah?! There’s someone there! Hey, over there! There’s someone!”
“SOOOOO BIIIIIIG!”
“It shone!”
“WOAAAH!!”
The attention of the children was fully on the giant at the horizon now.
“It must have to do with the war. Definitely.”
“Must be. Lime must be over there… Don’t die. Seriously.”
“I thought for sure that today we would be getting a free day and we would be on standby, and yet, we are operating as usual. If that giant is going to make today a free day, tell me.”
“From what I heard, the Aion army has a big army of 500,000 or 1,000,000 people. Will they be okay?”
The orphans were super excited, but the mood of the staff members was going down the dumps.
Tsige was surprisingly peaceful.
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“…What’s this?”
Sunrise.
The war will finally begin.
I was watching the live broadcast of the battlefield in the store of the Kuzunoha Company.
The Aion Army requested for a Blessing from the Goddess, and Tsige would be competing for that Blessing with a war of words…is what I thought would happen, but the Blessing was one-sidedly given to the Aion army.
Is it because the Apostle of the Goddess is on their side?!
Is what I thought for a second, but when I observed properly, Tsige didn’t try to obtain the Blessing in the first place.
Of course the Blessing would go to the Aion army.
I couldn’t tell what kind of battle it would turn out to be, and while I was watching the situation from my desk, Rembrandt-san had appeared in good timing around the outer wall.
However…as a super gigantic projection.
An illusion spell.
I can tell that, but I don’t understand the reason why.
There’s already no war of words, and the side the Blessing will be going to has already been decided.
Isn’t the only thing remaining to do a raw war with a clash of bodies?
“!”
The projection of Rembrandt-san waved his arm widely.
It had a truly strong presence despite being an illusion that can’t create wind or mow down enemy soldiers.
?
Aah, I was thinking something was strange. There’s light of many colors lighting up from below…no, those are called SE lights? This thing has a production value like that of a concert.
It still isn’t completely bright outside, so the effects of light and sounds are still present.
…It really is giving the atmosphere of a live concert.
“A speech.” (Makoto)
If you want to attack us, feel free to do so.
The battle has already begun.
With that as the opening, Rembrandt-san begins to speak things that were a given, and began to talk about the justification of the independence of Tsige.
The movement of the Aion army seems to be slightly dull.
In the first place, I feel like they are way too close.