The chosen elite

Upon receiving a message from Eve…
Me and Senior Forusha rode a beetle-like vehicle called the ‘Bloom’ together, and immediately returned to the village.

Feeling the presence of the deployed optical camouflage of ‘Mamiya’ behind me…
We landed at a point in the village where people were starting to gather.

“What in the world is going on!”

Eve, Banho, and Uruka were also present, but the majority were the elves from the autonomous district.
Therefore, Senior Forusha, who got off from the back seat, took charge of the situation.

“These huts around here should have stored supplies…”

I looked around the huts and followed suit.
Through the past two days of blaster training with the elves, I had a good idea of the village layout.

The rumor was that Ente left the village, so why were people gathering here?

The answer was two elf girls – whose actual ages were uncertain – at the center of the crowd.

“We’re sorry!”

“It’s our fault for being careless!”

They were bowing deeply…
The two girls bowed deeply to Senior Forusha almost scraping their foreheads on the ground.

“No need for apologies.
Just tell us what happened in a nutshell.”

Now is not the time for excuses.
In response to the Senior’s words, the two girls nervously started explaining the situation…

What Ente sought by leaving the settlement…
To put it simply, it would be military achievements.
The issue is what she wishes to achieve with those military achievements…

“No matter how many merits she gains, there’s no way I’m handing over the rifle…”

Listening to their story, I couldn’t help but mutter in disbelief.

“I’m sorry. I can only say that I must have raised her wrong.”

In response to my words, Senior Forusha lightly bowed.

“It may seem like favoritism, but that child is a genius when it comes to archery and magic.
To nurture that talent, every time Ente showed results in those fields, I ended up rewarding her.”

“I see…”

I was speechless at that explanation.
Well, I know a very similar case…

There was a very wise prince at one time.
The prince excelled in martial arts and magic, but especially in academics… particularly in archaeology, he displayed an unmatched talent.
The king, his father, was greatly pleased with this and praised him, encouraging the prince even more…
And so, the prince, thinking much of those words of praise… spent a long time deciphering ancient texts that no one else could solve.

…It was a situation like that.

Now, you may wonder what happened to that prince?
Erased from the family tree, that prince stands here now.

Well, that’s how it is…
I somehow understood Ente’s thoughts.
It feels good to be praised by your parents, you know.
So, if you receive words of praise and various rewards every time you show results, it makes you even happier.
With such days continuing, you start to think that a little bit of hardship can be tolerated as long as you show results.

The difference is that, although I ended up like this, I followed the proper path…
Perhaps due to her young age, she did not do that, rushing ahead on her own.

Moreover, she even made two accompanying girls faint while trying to stop her.

“This is a disgrace for us…!”

“Even if it was the Senior’s daughter, to faint so easily…!”

The two girls were full of apologies, but there was nothing they could do.
After all, Ente is a talented girl who can catch my quick draw with her eyes.
Sorry for them, but as Senior Forusha said, it’s just different.

“Anyway, there’s nothing we can do about how things turned out…
Eve.”

“Yes.
Ente-sama took a rifle with her, so we can pinpoint the location thanks to that.”

“Is such a thing possible?”

To the surprised Senior Forusha, Eve nodded in my place.

“Yes.
To ensure that not a single rifle is lost in the upcoming battle, all rifles are designed to transmit location information.
By following that, tracking becomes easy.”

With her hair constantly changing colors, my loyal maid asserted expressionlessly.
This could be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune…

I planned to insist on keeping ancient technology like ‘Mamiya’ a secret, which the Senior would likely agree to due to his character, but the issue would be the potential loss of equipment.

For now, I do not want to make the existence of laser rifles public…
Therefore, it was essential to be able to retrieve them later by knowing their locations.
Operating covertly is quite a hassle.

“Banho, can I count on you?”

“Haha!
I will lead a team of two immediately for the tracking mission-.”

Following Uruka’s orders, Banho was about to act promptly when it happened.

“I report!
The monster forces have started to move!
Judging from their route, it seems they are heading towards this settlement again!”

One of the samurai, who was conducting reconnaissance with a drone, rushed over here in a panic.
Involuntarily, I made eye contact with everyone present.

“Disasters always seem to pile up, huh…”

With a bitter feeling, I managed to utter those words.
At the same time, Senior Forusha made a decision.

“There is no need to pursue my daughter!
Consider her dead from now on and focus on defending the village!
Everyone! Prepare for battle!”

He firmly stated that and watched as the elves who received the orders dispersed, then turned to me.

“Asuru-dono, as you have heard.
I appreciate that you tried to help, but please abandon any thoughts of rescuing Ente.”

He was trying to maintain a neutral expression, it was so awkward and imperfect compared to Eve’s.
I understood his feelings so well that it hurt my heart.
That’s why I said this.

“No… I will definitely save the young lady.”

“But…”

“In this battle, victory is not possible unless you, who leads the elven forces, are at your best.
It is said that a father can truly demonstrate his power only when his beloved child is safe…
Will that not be true for both humans and elves?”

“…I am grateful.”

Deeply… truly deeply, Senior Forusha bowed his head.
According to rumors, Senior Forusha is a person of such advanced age, that he is even acquainted with my ancestor - the founding King Zagi Lombard.
In all my life, I have never seen such profound gratitude before.

“Alright!
Now, the question is, who will go…”

Looking at my group members like Eve, Uruka, and Banho, I pondered as I spoke.

“First off, Banho won’t do.
You’re the only one who can lead the remaining samurais.”

In this battle, the elves are important, but the samurais’ role is also crucial.
After all, elves were just taught how to use the Blaster Rifles.
But samurais aerial combat tactics using Tanishi are essential.

Just to digress, it’s not just about leading them. The trust from the samurais is different.
It’s a matter of life or death in actual combat.

“So, having equal skill to Banho…
A knowing how to handle ‘Mamiya’ equipment…
And, ideally, Being proficient in magic to adapt to various situations is desirable in this case!”

Everyone’s gaze was fixed on me.
Yeah, honestly, I already knew without needing to put it into words…

Is it a bad idea for the supreme commander to go? That’s only if there are plenty of people.
A small to medium-sized group needs a leader to take the initiative.

And with a smile, I boldly declared,

“I’ll be off!”