Aberrant Shadow

Man, that was a hell of a quarrel. Keep this up, and one of you's gonna end up dead.

A quarrel? Um, I think you misunderstand... We were genuinely risking our lives.

Huh? Why's that?

For that matter, why'd you hit those guys so hard, anyway?

I mean, I know they started it, but still, you guys must really hate each other.

Um...

Pardon me. Forgive the interruption, but have you ever seen these automata before?

Nope, never. What are those things, anyway? At first I was freaking out 'cause I thought you'd killed 'em...

...but then I saw they didn't bleed even when their limbs broke off, so I thought they might be scarecrows. But makin' scarecrows that complex seems kinda pointless, so now I dunno what to think...

C'mon, what kind of scarecrow would go around picking fights?

Hahaha, good point!

...Hmm.

Mr. Fujimaru, could I have a word with you on the Shadow Border?

Tell me, what do you make of the villagers' reactions?

？！

Indeed, they seemed to be completely oblivious to the danger. They were far more worked up when they found us trampling their fields.

I can understand how they might regard our fight with Akuta as something that doesn't concern them.

But the same cannot be said for these mechanical dolls.

Akuta Hinako did not bring these over from Proper Human History. This technology is foreign to us.

What's more, Xianyang clearly sent them to her to reinforce her.

All this leads me to believe these automata are a type of weapon native to this world. And yet, the people who live here claim never to have seen them before.

So what? Maybe these are just a bunch of backward country bumpkins.

Fou, fooou?

We can assume that Akuta has formed an alliance with this world's ruler, just like we've seen in previous Lostbelts.

For the moment, let us further assume this ruler is, in fact, Qin Shi Huang.

If true, it is certainly sensible that he would send these automata to aid her in battle.

It then stands to reason that, on seeing us fight their nation's armed forces, these farmers would see us as a threat and treat us accordingly.

And yet...that proves not to be the case...

...

In which case, I can draw only one conclusion.

Which is that these villagers are so wholly ignorant of war that they do not even know weaponry.

Say what? Is that even possible?

It is. However, we all saw that their fight or flight reflex tended toward the former on our initial encounter.

So while I doubt that this world is completely devoid of dangerHm? Do you hear that racket outside too?

Aah! It's more of those strange monsters!

Wh-why are you freaking out? Isn't it the supervisors' job to get rid of things like that?

How the hell are we supposed to chase those things away with a stick!? Please, travelers, you've gotta help us!

Indeed, I believe we should lend a helping hand here as well.

Right! Moving to intercept hostiles!

Fou, fooou!

...Those creatures aren't native to this land, either.

No, they weren't. That was a Jötunn; a type of giant we fought in the Scandinavian Lostbelt.

Well this just keeps getting weirder, huh? A few of 'em are running away, so they probably got a nest somewhere around here.

A nest...

Yeah. Better track 'em down and wipe 'em out or things're gonna get way worse around here, seeing how this village has shit all for defenses.

Man, you guys really are amazing. I can't believe you took care of those scary monsters just like that.

There's nothing I like more than shielding the weak!

I hate to think of us as weak, but I can't blame you. The only way we could've won is with Heavenly Emperor's divine aid.

I see. Then the reason you supervisors wield weapons is indeed solely to defend the village?

That's right. Not that we have a lot to do, of course. Usually, the most we have to worry about is chasing off the odd stray dog or boar.

Well, that, and helping the occasional drunkard cool off, I guess.

What about invasions from foreign countries? Are you not concerned about those?

Foreign countries?

You know, the places foreigners come from.

Remember how the elder used to tell us he heard there were places other than here when he was just a kid?

Just a moment, please. What exactly do you mean when you say "foreigners"?

What do we mean? Uh, I'm not sure what to say...

We've just heard rumors that say they look just like us, but they're actually monsters that are scarier than any boar.

And that they like to eat our livers instead of our crops.

That's why we thought you were going to eat us when you first showed up. Sorry about that.

...I see. Now I understand.

The people of this Lostbelt have no concept of separate nations. Or at least, their only knowledge is derived from distorted ancient legend and hearsay.

So what, you're saying the probably-Qin empire dominated this entire world? You're kidding.

Is it even possible for people to put aside all their ethnic and religious differences to make that happen?

So that's why they've never seen soldiers before, let alone war...

That means this world is so perfectly peaceful that not only do people not need to arm themselves...

...they do not even know what weapons are.

This country is the ideal nation made reality. Can you even imagine such a thing?

I have arrived at Mt. Li, Your Imperial Majesty. Which warrior would you like me to unseal?

Hmm. If this were a foreign expedition, it would be no matter if they were somewhat free-spirited...

...but since this is a domestic matter, we would prefer not to use someone too...rambunctious.

Then, you are saying we should not evaluate our warrior on combat ability alone.

If they were to incite a rebellion, we could not keep an eye on them and Chaldea at the same time.

For example, do not even think about releasing anyone like the Taoyuan Brothers. They could get carried away and try to take over the empire for themselves.

We need a warrior who is not only brave, but also kind and modest. One who is fiercely loyal to this empire and its people, and who will defend them at all costs.

We would like you to choose this warrior, Captain.

Me, Your Imperial Majesty? Are...are you sure you want me to handle such an important task?

Why else would we send you, our captain of the guard, all the way to Mt. Li?

Surely you are aware that reviving a frozen hero carries some risk?

Well, yes, of course...

Something could even go wrong with their mind during the unsealing, causing them to fly into a rage.

It would be bitterly ironic if we were to release a hero for the purposes of preventing a war only for them to transform into disaster incarnate.

So we deemed it prudent to have you present for the unsealing in the event such a danger did present itself. Do you understand?

So, um...you're saying you want me to deal with them in case they happen to go berserk?

Indeed. This hero must be strong enough to defeat these Heroic Spirits from another world...

...but not so strong that you would be unable to stop them in such an unfortunate situation.

With all of these requirements to consider, would you not prefer to choose this hero yourself?

I see... Your kindness and wisdom humbles me, Your Imperial Majesty!

Frozen Heroic Spirits, hmm... Interesting. I see you have yet another impressive card up your sleeve.

Mt. Li is the jewel of our empire. It is the mausoleum where the brave warriors who once fought by our side now sleep in peace.

True, it's always tricky figuring out what to do with the brutes you use to establish a new regime.

Shortsighted, short-tempered rulers tend to go the whole, "You have outlived your usefulness!" route and just off their servants.

But not you, Your Imperial Majesty. How clever of you to literally keep them on ice so they can be useful to you again!

These warriors deserve to be praised for all eternity for their help in establishing peace.

That said, we cannot bestow all of them with the same immortality we possess.

While there is little that can be done to cushion the shock they experience whenever they are awakened and see how much has changed...

...fighting on new battlefields has become a common enough occurrence for them that they are now accustomed to it.

What do you think? Do you not agree it is a much cleaner system than your Heroic Spirits?

Oh yes, I can't wait to see what happens next. I've always loved the word "freeze"♡