+++ Lieutenant Hans Hoffman +++

Three birds circled around them.

Behind him, Adelyn's Wanderadler also pulled into a sudden break, surprised by Hans' sudden stop. Adelyn's voice, slightly alarmed, spoke in the comms.

"Hans? What's the hold-up?"

"..."

"Hans?"

"Look up, Captain," Hans replied, his tone cold as he observed the creatures above them. "It's not looking good."

The Diligence's turret turned slightly to the left before its targeting cameras shot up. It stayed that way for a while, stone-cold silence taking over their comm link. Hans could even hear little Alizée giving out a tiny eep before she spoke.

"Lady Adelyn…those are firebirds. Legendary creatures of magic…"

"Magical monsters then," Hans pulled back a bit, analyzing them further. "They don't seem demonic in nature. But why are they above us?"

"I've read a passing about them in the guides recently," Adelyn said. "They're very territorial and intelligent creatures. We must be in their breeding grounds or whatever, and they deem us as a significant threat."

"Do you think they'll give us a lot of XP to level up?"

"Lieutenant? Are you insane? Those birds are powerful. Probably near a demon's strength."

"That so? You think an MPAT round set to airburst mode wouldn't shoot those fiery feathers to the ground?"

"Probably not. Besides, wasting munitions on creatures that can be avoided seems pointless to me, and so is inviting unnecessary danger. As it stands, we're at a disadvantage, because they can fly, and their flames can melt even steel."

"...I see," Hans pulled back a bit further. "So we'll just shift our routes?"

"Yep."

The two pulled back fully into a retreat, their mechs driving rapidly out of the bird's territory. Even then, Hans could notice with his targeting cameras how the 'firebirds' watched them closely. Their fiery orange eyes seemed to even be narrowed, a clear sign of hostility.

However, within a few minutes, they were out of sight. Hans took a deep breath of relief. Being burned by a non-demon would sure suck. But then again, they defeated literal land dragons back then. Why not firebirds?

That thought was kept behind his mind as they continued their drive northeast.

It was a long journey through lands ravaged by the demonic infestation. Towns, villages, cities—they passed through them, most of them destroyed and emptied. No matter where they went in the northeast region, it was almost as if the demons cleaned all those left while they retreated with Injustice.

Some villages they stopped by even had corpses that were still days fresh, indicating that they were recent additions to the death toll. The rural and urban devastation these creatures could cause, it was truly astounding, that Hans struggled to reason why there was still, to this day, no official response from the Imperium.

Did the Holy Empire already collapse then? Was the last vestiges of mankind's resistance now only up to fractured, fragmented, local leaders of the great principalities?

Most of all, he asked himself, why…why people like Injustice turned into that. Of course, he knew some answers, that despair was one of the main reasons. But in Terra, despair was a fact of life.

Yet they had none of this. Ancient magic? Divine magic? Were demons, as in, demons, truly real?

They soon stopped at a single-living town. It was already afternoon by this point, and the distant town at the base of a mountain seemed quaint and silent. The wheatfields around it seemed mostly empty. With winter already stopping, this should be planting season already.

Yet, there wasn't much. The land itself was fine, there was no sign of contamination or damage. But irrigated water and farmers planting seeds were not there. When they entered the town itself, the walls were wide open. Save for a few famished guards outside, no one manned the wall.

Hans grabbed his submachine gun as Adelyn called out, ordering him to come out with her. They would make contact.

Popping his hatch open, the guards looked up at him with fear, their shoddy muskets aimed at him. One of them snarled, shouting for him to identify himself, but Hans just waved at them.

"We're from the Imperial Army," Hans called out, as Adelyn dismounted her mech behind him. "We're an advanced scouting party!"

Hans climbed down his mech, while the guards looked at each other. This town must have been so badly isolated from trade and communications, that they haven't heard of the two yet.

Well, that breaks the usual at least.

"Such a strange steed you ride on, sir," one of the guards replied, his voice weak and hoarse. "Are you really from the Imperial Army as you claim?"

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Behind him, Adelyn caught up, and she produced an insignia of the Nomosian Army at them with a smile.

"We are," she answered. "I am Captain Adelaide von Wittenstein, from the 1st Anti-Demon Unit. I swear, in my honor, this town of yours is liberated—and we'll keep you safe."

"...Where are the rest?" the eldest guard approached them.

"They are behind us. They should reach this place in a few hours or about a day."

The guards seemed distraught at that. Adelyn could only smile faintly, trying her best to cheer them up.

"Don't worry," she reassured. "General Ercole himself is leading them. They will arrive here no matter what, and we can evacuate you soon."

+++

Hans cracked his knuckles as he relaxed on the side of a tree. They were parked on the northern side of the road that passed through the town. Their mechs, like guardians, silently stood empty on the side of the road, their guns aimed at the wide horizon.

Hans yawned a bit, before sipping a cup of coffee. Adelyn was watching over Alizée, as she practiced her magic on the side. The young girl was doing 'mana shaping' practices, creating balls of light and bending them in many ways to her heart's desire. Every time she took a minor break, she'd take that grimoire that she bought with her, read it, and test out more spells.

Magic sure is starting to become interesting. Hans looked up at the sky. Sucks that I have no active skill for it.

The only magic he could do was based on his closed skills and his mech. That was…quite it. Limitations, limitations, defined Hans' entire life here. He was, perhaps, one of the most mundane characters he imagined from the outside. He was no true mage. He was no angel or any fancy crap.

All he was, was a mere mech pilot with a fancy vehicle that could do all these kinds of crazy maneuvers. Sometimes he wished he could do more. Something as awesome as Adelyn's special rounds, or what she did when she manifested her ideal. That…that was the peak of a mech's firepower that he had ever laid his eyes on.

"You look like you're brooding over there," Adelyn called out from the side. "Is it you that's down now?"

"Nothing," Hans laughed. "Just…magic. It's wonderful, isn't it."

A bright smile grew on Adelyn's face.

"I swear, one day, once this war ends, I'll study magic in depth to become a powerful mage," she declared. "I've said it back then, and I'll say it again. It is very wonderful. Unfortunately, I only know basic spells and the most rudimentary combat magic that Emilia taught me."

She sat beside Hans.

"I wish that Alizée would have a different future. As a Vanus, and an Angel herself, she can one day become stronger than us," she grinned. "Once this war ends, she'll definitely get herself into the best magical academy. I'm sure we'll have enough money for it."

"So you're really adopting her?"

"Well, we already decided on that. All that's lacking is making things truly official," she looked up at the skies. "I've never imagined that I would ever be in another world with magic, much less become a hero in an adventure over there, much less, do it while raising a girl."

Hans laughed, sipping his coffee.

"Hero. It's quite ironic how the people in Venido treated you."

"How they treated me is only to be expected. As the 'Golden Angel', as they put it, I have to protect them. It is only right for them to feel anger when I fail that role."

"That so?"

"Isn't it the same with you?" Adelyn turned to Hans. "Back in our homeland, didn't you always direct your anger and frustration at those with the power to do things during the war?"

Hans groaned.

"Well, that was because they were incompetent and selfish assholes. So many people die pointless because—"

He stopped. Adelyn on the other hand looked at him, her painful smile growing, before she looked away.

"As I told you earlier…that's what those people feel. That's why, I don't have any resentment about it. Sure, it sucks, but…as the 'hero' of this land, I'll just have to bear with it."

"You know, you really do have delusions of grandeur, Captain."

"Do you still have to refer to me by my rank so coldly like that?"

"Can't help it when silly things come out of your mouth."

Adelyn laughed, hiding her mouth with her gloved hands.

"You know, you always get so mean for no reason out of nowhere. It's quite a bummer."

"Sorry. Any guy's going to be a bit cranky if you're in my situation," Hans laid his back on the tree. "I still lack magic and all the cool things you two can do, after all."

"I don't think any of us can fight like you. Your way of doing things is so…different," Adelyn frowned. "I remember that battle earlier with Injustice. The way you held him alone, it was…crazy."

"You think so?"

"It was a performance of a true ace pilot at ground warfare. The way you utilized the terrain, kept him in his toes with precise shots whenever he was distracted, or how you somehow always kept yourself mobile while under fire, moving and stopping at the right moment…"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard it a hundred times," Hans waved it off. "I'm a good pilot."

"Good? That's such an understatement. I'd say, in my eyes, you're the best mech pilot I've laid my eyes on. The level of mastery you have over your machine…it's, admirable and enviable. If you even only had a fraction of my firepower and armor when I summoned my ideal, you would be an unstoppable monster."

"You think so?"

"Think about it," she poked Hans' shoulder. "You, Lieutenant Hoffman, someone who defeated countless demons and two calamities by facing them head-on. Many times, while alone. Using nothing but a fragile, almost paper-like vehicle, armed with something closer to a peashooter. It's…inconceivable."

Hans laughed.

"Enough of the praises—"

"But it isn't just praise, it's acknowledgment of reality. Someone like you only needs minimal tools in his repertoire. Why? Because you make up for it with the most important things in combat," she grinned. "Positioning and mobility. So long as your mech's upgrades for detecting enemy demons are on, it seems to me that you can do almost everything. No matter what it is."

That's only possible because of my Cycle of Truth skill…

"...Hah, alright, alright. Still, I want an open skill one day. Something…that'll let me do some basic magic," Hans looked at Alizée a bit. "It…looks fun, after all."

"I can understand that," Adelyn nodded. "So, how about this? While we're waiting for the rest of the Army, why don't we take this opportunity to hunt some small fries for some level of progress, hmm?"

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