Gate: Journey In The New World Vol I

Disclaimer: I don't own Gate or Nihonkoku Shoukan as it belongs to its rightful owners.

Arc 1: Rodenius:

Chapter 5: Somewhere Now

"It's all well to be as expected, Be it from another world or not, the same old things would come back to haunt you."

- Excerpt from New World Journal

The Figure was always there watching from behind the shadows.

The image of the menacing demonic eyes had been engraved in the back of everyone's !bbbbhbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbhbbbbbbhbbbbb!bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb!bbbbvbbb!bbbbb bx! all

Legend has it that it only preys on people with bad intentions. The ones, who had committed the most inhumane acts.

Rumors had finally spread across the lands, and it only manages to fuel the fear in the midst of a dangerous impending war.

According to the first reports that finally came up, various members of Reconnaissance teams had claimed to see a figure often lurking behind the decrepit structures of villages, monasteries, and even the forest itself. Even the captured Imperial soldiers had given them the early warning, which was eventually treated as a skeptical testimony for a while.

No matter where they go, it would often follow them.

Infrared Cameras and other technologies had been used to detect and to discover if the figure was actually a physical being, though they would only receive the same results.

A cold dark mass.

XXXXXXXX

The Night had come to a close as the sky began to change leading up to the world meeting the light once more.

The First Morning had come forth, as the sun started to rise and show its presence.

It was often the cold morning breeze that would keep someone asleep until they could feel the heat rising. Although, for the rest of the RCT3 and the American ranger crew, the situation was different.

Almost everyone had woken up just before dawn had broke in. Much to the great exhaustion that still strongly latched on to the rest of them since yesterday, they had no choice.

They had to be thankful that they were able to get at least this opportunity to rest and recharge themselves before continuing the operation.

Yuji awoke from his slumber once more. While sitting on the grassy ground of the countryside, the Japanese-American tried to keep himself from falling asleep while holding a hot cup of instant coffee.

He had to admit that he had never felt so exhausted before, or perhaps it was because his body was still adjusting to the new experience?

He quickly went to take a nice sip in order to push his consciousness back up to the top. He was at least relieved that someone had brought a portable water kettle, a type of kettle that was specifically designed for traveling, as well as a sufficient supply of water.

As a result, everyone's morning started off a bit better as they all got to drink their own hot beverages. Some even started small conversations recapping what had transpired the previous day.

There was a reason why they had to at least set up their first overnight camp.

He could tell that most of them were taken back from what they had seen.

He could only let out a little laugh regarding it, prior to that it was pure excitement and optimism that stuck around since leaving Fort Alnus. But when they came across the first row of ransacked and burnt villages, that is when everything took a 360-degree turn. He still couldn't believe how all of them managed to go through and successfully investigate more than 10 of these destroyed and ransacked villages in a span of 12 hours and it was no joke, to begin with.

For a couple of minutes, He observed his current surroundings, spotting the rest of the members going about their own usual business for the time being.

He could hear Kurata's small laughter as he tried to lighten the morning mood with the still sleepy Tomita and a quiet smiling Mari, much to everyone's current silence. Shino, on the other hand, awoke much earlier to begin her usual routine of warm-up exercise drills in preparation for the next phase of the operations. She was not alone, however, as she was joined by several team members, including fellow US Army ranger Al Marks.

From that then on, things were slowly picking up.

It was not too long, that a voice then called him, bringing him back to his senses.

"Yuji!" The familiar voice said.

The man's gaze darted to the source of the voice, and he found himself staring at the chubby face of the young US army ranger, who was holding his own hot cup of coffee.

"Are you okay?" Carl asked, the brown-haired Californian had noticed the lifeless persona of the Japanese-American writer.

"Oh, Yeah I'm fine Carl"

Yuji forced a smile, despite his visible weary eyes." Just a bit tired from the stuff yesterday."

He let out a sigh.

"I never expected it was going to be that morbid." He commented, referring to the tragic fate of the numerous deceased villagers they had come across. which also gave him a tough time translating what he had seen in writing.

"How are things going so far?" He then followed up a question, wanting to avoid the topic as possible.

For a few moments, the young Californian soldier stared at him before giving sigh, though he formed a small smile after.

Eventually, He decided to sit down beside him to continue the conversation and to also pass the time.

"Well, It's going great so far." He replied, pointing towards a certain direction." Brian and Lieutenant Itami been discussing the possible routes to take." He explained.

"Have they studied Map further though?"

"Yeah, It's a good thing the Map showed the roads and places, but I doubt that we would find a village, that is not destroyed like others," Carl said, taking another sip of his coffee.

"Oh, did I ever mentioned how shitty are the roads here?" The young man added a personal comment.

In those first 24 hours that the team had spent outside of the walls, they were first greeted by the somewhat poorly maintained dirt road system that stretched across the lands. It posed a slight challenge for them to traverse their paths since there were possibilities of wheels getting stuck on unexpected muddy areas.

In addition, their first day was plagued with scattered strong rains, which also gave them a delay in reaching the abandoned villages at a faster time.

Yuji slightly nodded." Yeah, I can see that, and don't forget the bad weather too." He gave a small smile before gazing at the clear sunrise.

"Really hope the weather would be nice to us this time." He added.

"Yeah..."

Silence befell for a moment before the topic had shifted to a new one.

The mini-military exercise that was currently taking place had eventually captured the majority of everyone's attention for the remainder of the morning. The sheer work ethic of one petite short-haired young woman had somehow wowed the Californian soldier. Sure, he knew a lot of fellow female soldiers back in the batch who all had the same work ethic, but the only difference was the intensity that this girl had brought to the journey.

"Say Yuji, That JSDF girl..." Carl trailed off, trying to figure her name.

"Oh, you mean Shino?"

"Yes, I mean her."

"What about it?" The writer raised both of his eyebrows in curiosity. Theories were starting to form inside his mind, He noticed the man's interest visibly showing, though he did not bother to ask it directly and let things go with the flow.

"I heard she caused a lot of commotion back in the base." He commented in a more amusing way." I mean she literally beat the crap out of the guys and no one really dared for a rematch."

"Oh, now I remember." Yuji said." Is it true that the guys created a nickname just for her?" He asked, only to receive a nod from the man.

It was only a couple of weeks when the name "Little miss Demon girl" had spread amongst the American contingent. The certain gym back in the base which was recently being shared by both the Americans and Japanese became that of a mini-spectacle.

Yuji had the opportunity to personally watched one of the sparring sessions and he couldn't believe how the girl took down one of the marines in a matter of minutes.

" I swear to god, I genuinely thought she would have to be put down just to end the match!"

He recalled one terrified Marine describing the sparring match. The intensity that this young woman had brought up.

"And it's just one member of a 12-man team of capable individuals, I wonder what kind of surprises they could pull off along the way."

Then at that moment, something came up to the Californian soldier's mind and he turned his gaze back towards the Japanese-American.

"Tell me something Yuji, but Is it true that, a month ago, you fought against some guy riding a dragon, or whatever you call it?" He asked, wanting to get a confirmation of a certain rumor that had also spread amongst everyone at the base.

However, He only received silence from the man, as the writer gave him a simple sigh and a smile.

"Well, that's another story for another time."

XXXXXXXXXXX

"According to this area here, There's seems to be a village that is still functioning."

The morning had started differently for the two Lieutenants, waking much earlier than the rest, and in a blink of an eye, they immediately found themselves discussing the next phase of the operation, and in addition, an extended map which was provided to them in a brief meet up with another Recon team.

They were currently using the hood of one of the Recon Vehicles as a temporary table for the map.

Itami was no stranger to adjusting his daily routine. In fact, He had a lot of routines back home, which often confused him a lot, resulting in not knowing what he was gonna do next, though of course he always knew he would choose his options directly from the heart.

The current situation had apparently catapulted him from his usual adjusting phase to full-fledged JSDF captain mode. It was like attempting to overcome jet lag on your own in a shorter amount of time and at the cost of your own mood.

Everybody could tell the 33-year-old old Japanese man was not his usual self. even though, the laid-back demeanor was there. For the first time, He looked more like a real leader of the team.

"I suppose it'll take a while to get there." He nodded and drew out a small pen, marking several locations on the map. "For the time being, thirty more villages are waiting for us ahead." He went on to explain. "And I'm not sure if there are any survivors we could find this time or any hopes of contact. "

The American Lieutenant nodded." I see."

Standing at least 6ft tall, The brown-haired Lieutenant sighed." I guess we have no choice then." He said, picking up the small pen and placing a small checkmark on the specified spots on the Map.

Lieutenant Brian Wilson had accepted what was going to happen after this. The first time he had seen the first group of the destroyed villages, it had a slight effect on him. It kind of left him in shambles, seeing the life of these people being taken away by forces with bad intentions, and by the next couple of hours, he was going to see more of these tragic places.

He shook his head as he tried to clear his mind again. He brought his gaze over to a certain fellow US Army Ranger, who was already preparing his things for the impending departure. A slightly worried look emerged from him as he pondered on why his little brother had to follow in his footsteps.

As much as he tried to convince him that this kind of life would lead him to nowhere, the young man still chose to join him.

"Dammit Carl, You better not do something stupid."

As he was about to do head back to his convoy, a voice suddenly called him out.

"I'm afraid we haven't met Lieutenant Wilson."

He was brought back to reality as he turned to the source of the voice and came face to face with the Japanese-American man.

"Oh, I'm very sorry, I didn't notice you." The American Lieutenant apologized, before reaching out to offer a friendly handshake.

"But you can just call me Brian for short."

Yuji smiled as he shook hands with the American man." Sure thing Brian." He replied.

"I'm Yuji by the way." The man smiled as he introduced himself." Yuji Takamori."

"Pleased to meet you Yuji," Brian nodded back, before realizing something." I guess you're that journalist guy that beat the crap out of that Dragon rider or something?" He asked, wanting to get the confirmation as well.

It seemed that his story was all over the place since that event.

In response, the man gave a slightly nervous grin. "Ummm...I guess so." He responded awkwardly, unsure of how he was going to explain how he ended up in that situation.

The American Lieutenant, on the other hand, chuckled. "Nah, it's fine, I had my own encounters as well." He said this to add to the mystery before changing the subject.

"I supposed you've met Carl, He's a childhood friend of mine, but I treat him as my little brother." He explained.

The Japanese-American simply nodded." Oh yeah, Carl... He's quite the fellow actually." He said.

There was a quietness that befell for a moment.

Brian sighed, as he gave a distant glance towards his young Californian man, who was starting up the Light armored Vehicle.." Yeah, quite the brother he is." He commented.

"Well... Nice meeting you Yuji, I guess I'll be prepping myself." He smiled, before leaving the area.

Yuji simply nodded as he observed the brown-haired Lieutenant walked off. He couldn't help himself but notice the bothered look in the man's eyes. From what he learned from the younger US Army ranger, there was some kind of sibling issue between them, though he did not bother to ask since it was very much a sensitive topic.

There was already a lot going on. So far, he'd discovered that the Team he'd been assigned to was full of people with colorful histories. He had to admit that meeting this unique group of soldiers was a little overwhelming for him.

The young man took a deep breath as he turned his gaze towards the countryside. The sunrise was nearing its peak as it gave the sign that their temporary rest was finally over.

"Back to Work."

XXXXXXXXXXX

"It had only been a day since we left the fort that we already discovered the first signs of civilization." For the first part of the Journey, the land was mostly countryside, Though it wasn't just any ordinary countryside, contrary to our expectations, It would be all grass with a few farms thrown in for good measure, and that's how I imagined the land to look. However, by the time we got to our first possible village, it wasn't anything that we had expected."

- Excerpt from New world Journal

Four Military Reconnaissance Vehicles trundled down the ancient highway, rocking roughly over the jarring wide dirt road along with the remnants of paving stones that were left unmaintained for a long time.

As a result, the remainder of the journey continued its uneasiness ways. Most of everyone inside the recon vehicles was feeling that small rocky world as there was no sign of a smooth ride. The Bumps on the road were starting to annoy some of them.

Aside from the rocky journey, the weather had taken a turn for the better and had become somewhat kind to them. Too Kind, to be exact. The scattered rains and cloudy atmosphere from yesterday had been replaced by a very humid-like atmosphere.

Sure, the sky was pretty clear and they were happy to see the sun triumph again, but the situation was just annoyingly hot.

Fortunately, Yuji paid no heed to these small distractions as he continued on with his business. One of his hands slowly ruffled his hair in a small bit of frustration. The blank slate of the mini-notepad on his backup smartphone stared back at him as it waited for the man's first words.

Several hours had already passed since the team began the next phase of the operations.

The once empty countryside view had now changed as scores of the now destroyed villages could now be seen from just a few miles away. It was quite the surprise since for everyone, the general look of a fantasy world countryside was often the empty plains, hills, and the majestic view of mountain ranges. Save for a few farmhouses here and there.

Though it was not the case already as soon they stepped foot and explored countless of these villages.

According to the available Intel that he had learned from Itami, The recent Air recon operation had proven that there was indeed a functioning village miles away from where are they now, though the decision regarding exploring more of the destroyed villages came first.

The same scenario would often greet him and the team.

Dead burnt or charred bodies dumped into one spot.

Half or fully torn down medieval-like houses

And the occasional heretic-like execution, where some of the deceased villagers would be pinned or tied down in some make-shift wooden cross either burnt or displayed in the village entrance or the main plaza, some even hanged on nearby trees.

Children were no exceptions.

XXXXXXXXXXX

It was definitely a horrifying sight to witness. Only the strongest minds would have come through that psychological torture.

The man felt that slight depression rising throughout as they investigated those villages one by one.

The strong silence radiated inside the compartment of the main Light Armored Vehicle.

Yuji had decided to stop his writings in the meantime, in order to clear the unnecessary thoughts that still remained in his mind.

He moved his eyes around to see the semi-depressed looks of his fellow comrades. All of them either heads down or their hands on their foreheads trying their best to sort out their own bothering thoughts.

The man had really nothing to say right now, as much as he wanted to lift their spirits up. Though, at that very moment, the silence suddenly died out as a new sound made its presence known in the form of a recognizable first word of a verse.

Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me

I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed

She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb

In the shape of an "L" on her forehead

The catchy and jolly melody of the famous song had startled the others but at the same time began to change their moods altogether.

"Hey, it's that song!" Tomita raised all his eyebrows in surprise, bringing back a part of his childhood.

"Get off my Swamp!" Yuji jokingly uttered a famous line from a favorite childhood movie.

"Captain, what the heck is this?" Shino spoke for the first time, albeit puzzled, curious and shocked.

From the big rearview, her Lieutenant flashed a smile.

"Well...our American friends provided us some music to listened to in case we got bored or something." He let out a little chuckle, much to the surprised reactions of the group on the back.

Shino could only stare in shock as she couldn't believe what she was hearing right now. For the first time ever, her Otaku captain had played a non-Otaku song. Prior to this happening were countless repeating nightmares of her hearing the annoying music of girl idols and such., being played during exercise drills.

Oh, how she has thanked God for helping her overcome those nightmares.

"Told ya Shino, We're not that kind of people you're imagining as to be." Kurata entered the conversation with a grin." Oh come on, don't give me that look."

There were chuckles now being heard amongst the people at the back.

The young woman just rolled her eyes as if she seemed to not care about his statement. Sooner or later, they would revert back to the cringy anime songs that they would often sing and listen to, once the song ends.

She was more focus on other things.

"Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming

Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running

Didn't make sense not to live for fun

"Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb"

"So much to do, so much to see"

"So what's wrong with taking the back streets?"

"You'll never know if you don't"

"You'll never shine if you don't glow."

By this time, The curiosity within Shino and a few others in the Japanese contingent began to rise as they wanted to get to know more about their American counterparts. With Itami and Kurata were still quiet and listening to the current song being played, the combat expert finally broke and grabbed the walkie.

"Lieutenant Wilson, is it alright if I could ask you a question?" She spoke through the radio.

"Sure go ahead." Not too long, came the response.

"Is it true that you're a musician back in your home?" The young woman asked, genuinely curious regarding the man's past. She recalled seeing the American Lieutenant playing the piano in one of the free rooms back at Fort Alnus. She remembered being drawn by the melody and visible passion that the man was producing.

"Yes, not that you mentioned it, I'm curious about that myself," Tomita spoke this time as he also recalled seeing the man performed in at a small gathering back at base a month ago.

"Don't forget He has a nice and angelic falsetto too!" Everybody's attention turned to Mari, who just gave a smile in return.

Everyone's interest and curiosity about their American counterparts were skyrocketing. Because of other important matters, they didn't have enough time to learn more about them, but given the circumstances, they saw this as an excellent opportunity to get to know them better.

A loud sigh could be heard from the radio, followed by a certain Army ranger encouraging him to share his story.

"Well, I guess music is my passion since I was a little kid and it also runs in the family." The American lieutenant explained." My father taught me how to play the piano when I was nine or ten and I just fell in love with the concept and all." He replied, also remembering those good old days." One of my dreams is to actually write and produce music."

"We also have this band back in my hometown." He added." I play the bass, Carl here plays the guitar, and Dennis, a distant cousin of mine also plays the drums." He explained." And recently, one of our cousins and a friend joined the band."

Yuji raised both eyebrows in surprise." Dennis?." He thought to himself, having recalled meeting a young man with the same name and also a member of a Tank Platoon back at base.

"I see, why did you choose to join the army then?" Kurokawa asked this time, his interest peaking.

"Well, My Grandfather also served in the army back in the day and I decided to follow in his footsteps." He replied, before sighing." I mean, It's just for the sake of protecting my family, my kids, and also helping people in times of distress." He explained.

Shino slightly widened her eyes."Kids?." She thought."He's married?"

"It's true guys." Carl spoke this time." I had a tough time in high school and that's why I also joined the army to help build my confidence." He added." I wanna learn how to defend myself."

Everyone remained silent as they absorbed the words given to them by the Army rangers. It was really unique to learn their backstory. Who could have known that music and military would blend well together? Heck! there are writers, who were former soldiers themselves, and began writing their experiences into fanfictions or novels. For Shino, she couldn't help this wholesome feeling that suddenly rose within her. A small smile crept across her lips in return.

"Oh..." The young sergeant replied." Well...Can I ask one more question?"

"Alright what is it?"

As the young Japanese woman was about to open her mouth, she was then suddenly interrupted as both Itami and Kurata had broken the conversation and began singing to their heart's content.

"Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play"

"Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid"

"And all that glitters is gold"

"Only shooting stars break the mold"

It was the last straw for her as Shino reached her boiling point.

"What the heck guys! I'm trying to talk here!" She yelled out her frustration in a comical way at the two singing Otaku soldiers.

However, for the first time, the rest of them burst out laughing at the scene.

As the mood has finally shifted into a more upbeat tone.

Yuji could only sigh, unable to believe what was happening in front of him. He was relieved, that the team had a chance to unwind before continuing on with their operations.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Lieutenant Brian placed back the wired walkie on the radio and rested on his seat.

He let out a tired sigh as he tried to clear his mind at the same time.

His eyes diverging towards the right direction as he decided to watch the wonderful view of this world's countryside.

"It pretty much looks like Europe to me." He commented inside his mind, wondering the eerie similarities between this world and his.

A lone sun in a clear blue sky, the vast fields that stretched out to nowhere, familiar animals such as goats, buffalos, and cows, to which were spotted wandering around the abandoned ancient-looking farms. Moreover, what caught his attention was the increasing number of crows that flew above these places. It was kind of creepy but at the same time, hauntingly beautiful.

Wasn't the appearance of crows supposed to be a sign of death?

"Over and over,

The crow cries to uncover the cornfield.

Over and over."

"Over and over,

The thresher and hover the wheat field.

Over and over."

He began singing to a lyrical passage from a certain song as the scenery in front of him coincidentally matches the imagery inside his mind. It was becoming something more of a euphoric experience, a chance to get inspiration for things.

"Hey Bri, are you alright?"

His friend, who he had treated as a little brother, and who was driving the military vehicle called out to him, bringing him back to reality.

"Yeah, I'm fine Carl." He replied back.

"Oh.."

Silence befell once more before the younger army ranger continued the conversation.

"Hey listen, I'm really sorry for what happened." The young Californian said." I just want to help what I can." He explained, genuinely wanting for him to understand.

His friend remained silent, though he took a brief gaze at him and return it with a small nod.

"You don't have to apologize." The latter said, turning his gaze back towards his right window.

"Just don't let yourself get into more trouble."

The younger army ranger simply nodded as he resumes back to driving. Though, in the back of his mind, there was something more to that.

He didn't want to talk about their current situation as it would just ruin the overall mood. His thought went back towards their Japanese counterparts.

"They're pretty much wonderful people." He said, having an opportunity to meet at least a few of them.

There was this fellow soldier named "Kurata." Who was the ultimate weeb or what many people call them nowadays? The guy was just full of excitement and Enthusiasm, as he even shared his thoughts of the possibility of meeting cat girls and other humanoid species in this world.

The fellow was very weird at a certain level.

He was also curious if the guy knew anything about fantasy worlds. Since arriving in this world, the guy had frequently discussed an anime genre known as "Isekai," in which a person is transported to another world by being hit by a truck or being sucked into a portal.

"Think about all the things we could discover here!"

"Not just catgirls, but being heroes of our own turf and defeating hundreds of Demon Lords together!"

He shook his head afterward before letting out a little chuckle.

"Cat Girls Huh?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Several hours had passed as the team continued to investigate and survey more of the land. In an unexpected twist, they barely spotted any destroyed or abandoned villages in those hours. At the same time, the afternoon's final phase was approaching, and the team had yet to arrive at their destination.

The possibility of setting up another overnight camp was pretty much on the horizon, though before they could go through with it, they decided to travel more and at least investigate one last village.

The four military vehicles drive through the wide dirt roads one more time. They soon discovered that the area they were in had recently been blessed by rain, which meant they were on yet another muddy path.

The situation inside the main vehicle had returned to a more quiet status. Exhaustion and Fatigue were slowly catching up to the rest of them, though they were able to muster one more strength and energy for one more exploration.

Yuji drank as much water from his tumbler as he could. The effects of heat and fatigue were catching up with him. He was almost drenched in sweat after hours of following the same protocol and routine. It was nice to feel revitalized once more. Still, his mind couldn't get over the fact of the tragedy he had witnessed and it was still not over yet.

The Japanese-American man rested himself as he took a deep breath and exhaled all the pressure for a while. For the first time, He felt a bit drowsy and began contemplating whether he could take a little time to shut his eyes and take a nap. But as he was about to literally fell into a slumber, the radio crackled to life for the first time.

"Heads up guys!" Lieutenant Brian's voice announced." We got a situation on the road."

The military vehicles halted one by one.

Meanwhile, inside RCT3's main command vehicle, all of their eyes lit up when they heard the announcement; mixed emotions overtook the group immediately, as everyone straightened up and braced themselves for a possible confrontation.

The sleepiness faded away right after as Yuji sat up and took a peek at the front window of the mobility vehicle.

"What's going on?" He asked, only to receive a look and a nod from Itami.

Yuji wasted no time as he exited the vehicle, stepping on the slightly muddy path, He headed towards the source of the commotion. He could hear the sounds of a horse struggling and a voice of a worried man.

The convoy had apparently come across a horse-drawn wagon traveling in their direction in the middle of their journey. However, it was currently engaged in a struggle because the wagon had become stuck in the mud and its owner was attempting to free it.

"Come on now, You can do it." The owner of the wagon said as he tried to help the only horse that was powering this wagon.

By this time, Yuji, Itami, Lieutenant Brian, and a few of RCT3's recon members stepped out of their vehicles to investigate the situation.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

A sense of surprise would soon overpower them as they looked into it more closely. Eventually achieving a good appearance. The owner was big and chubby, with white-grayish hair, dressed in a dark blueish 18th century-style outfit and big brown boots. He appeared to be in his early to mid forties. Furthermore, he exuded a strange enigmatic presence and facade.

Coincidentally, The owner of the Wagon took notice of them and flashed a friendly tired smile.

"Gentlemen, good afternoon! Do you mind if I ask for assistance ?" said the man with a nervous smile.

"I'm kind of stuck in an unwanted situation."

The others were taken aback by the individual's casual attitude toward them. Normally, people in this world would be as amazed and astounded as children visiting the zoo for the first time.

This fellow was much different. He also spoke in some kind of English Accent, even though there was no accent, to begin with.

For a brief moment, some of them wondered how they could understand what the man was saying, but they quickly shrugged it off as they remembered that there was no such thing as a language barrier in this world.

Lieutenant Brian and Itami exchanged glances before giving each other a simple nod. As the two muscular men approached the Wagon and helped the poor man push it out of the mud, they signaled to the other recon members in Tomita and the other US Army ranger in Al Marks.

The owner of the Wagon observed the brief scene and was overwhelmed with joy. He jolly clapped his hands thereafter and said.

"I'd never seen such strength in a group of men! I must say." As the two soldiers returned to their previous positions, he made a remark.

"It's no problem, sir, It's just a good old healthy diet and exercise." The US Army ranger replied.

The chubby man gave a chuckle. " Considering you ride in these strange metal contraptions, makes you looked like warriors of the God of War."

"Is he talking about the video game?"

A voice emerged from one of the Walkies, followed by someone saying the faint word of "Shut up"

"Uhmmm, We call them Vehicles sir," Tomita awkwardly added." And it's powered by an engine."

"Ooh, Interesting!" The man said, looking at those metal contraptions reminded him of similar ones he had seen before from the "Civilized Nations." of the north. He wondered if these men were the rumored beings that came from the sacred hill.

"Very well, " He said taking notice of the color of their clothing, before adding."Thank you for your assistance...Men in Green!" He slightly bowed.

"You can address me as Duke, I'm but a humble Merchant, and if you need anything of business, I'm here!"

Silence befell for a moment, as the rest gave their own amused faces in reaction towards the chubby man's elegant introduction. It took a few more moments before the two leaders finally introduced themselves.

"Good Afternoon Duke, I'm Lieutenant Brian Wilson and this is Lieutenant Youji Itami, Is it okay if we could ask a few questions." The American Lieutenant said approaching the merchant, also eyeing his Japanese counterpart to bring up the map.

"I'll gladly assist you in any way I can." With pride and humility, the Duke addressed the men.

Soon after, Itami drew out a small map from his pocket and handed it over to the merchant." We just want to clarify if there are any other villages ahead from here." The Japanese Lieutenant added.

The Duke simply nodded as he studied the map, moments later he gave "Hmm, You are looking for Coda Village is it?" He then asked.

"Yes sir," Itami replied.

The chubby man scratched his chin. "Well, there's a village a few miles away from here, though I'm afraid that village has long since been deserted and abandoned." He elaborated, the sadness in his voice emerging.

"What Happened to the other Villages in this land sir?" Yuji couldn't contain himself as he spoke this time, garnering the attention of the others.

The Duke raised an eyebrow." Have you people not heard? The Empire has begun its conquest by invading the remaining lands here." He explained." It's normal for these villages to be raided and ransacked and their villagers massacred." He said." Though, I'm sure The Empire is not the only one responsible for these actions."

The rest of the Recon gave him confused and surprised looks.

"What do you mean Duke?"

The Merchant just chuckled. "Well, there's a powerful beast that lurks in these lands all the time. According to some old friends of mine, the beast is capable of destroying multiple towns and even kingdoms." He went on to explain. "However, I must warn you to always take care of your well-being and to be as prepared as possible if you ever cross paths with it." He expressed a slight genuine concern for the soldiers.

An eerie silence descended on the area. Hearing the Duke's statement had left a little hint of fear amongst the rest of the Recon Team.

What kind of beast he was talking about?

Lieutenant Brian sighed as he gave a simple nod." Thank you for the information, Duke." He said." I guess we'll be on our way now." He gave a small smile, signaling the team to head back to their own respective convoys.

"Thank you, sir." Itami slightly bowed and said, before heading off.

"Be well." The Merchant smiled once more before taking notice of the black-haired young man.

Yuji could only nod and smile in appreciation to the latter. But just as he was about to turn around, the man called out to him.

"You know, An old friend of mine once told me stories about a man much like you." The Duke said, with a cryptic voice." It's pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Takamori." He smiled, giving a slight hint of excitement.

Yuji's eyes widened in surprise and shock. "How did he know...?" He trailed off and was about to ask the man when Itami cut him off.

"Hey man! Time to go!" Itami called out to his friend, beckoning him to board back the vehicle.

Yuji blinked a couple of times, before realizing that the Duke had gone back to his Wagon. He stared in disbelief before immediately returning back to the main vehicle of RCT3.

As the engines of the recon vehicles roared back to life once more, they finally continued on with their journey towards the supposed last abandoned village, and while the two convoys left the area, a smile crept towards the Merchant as he observed the moving metal contraptions passing before him.

"You'll find out eventually."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As it was expected, There was indeed a village located a few miles ahead and near a forested area.

Yuji maintained a hardened expression as the man observed the half-destroyed medieval timber-like houses that surrounded him yet again. He walked down a small dirt path that led him throughout the village. He took advantage of the opportunity, holding a small digital camera, to take a number of photographs to add to his documentation.

It was a truly morbid and horrifying sight to see, but unlike the other villages that preceded this, this certain village was closely intact. Furthermore, the strangest thing that he noticed was that there were no dead bodies or burnt corpses in the area. It seemed that the Duke was telling the truth on how there were hardly signs of death and persecution in the village.

It was more like the case of the Lost Colony of Roanoke that first settled on the North Carolina coast in the 1580s and that the entire settlement simply vanished without any traces, even to this day remains a mystery.

"Coast is clear!"

"Area is clear!"

"No signs of life here!"

Several voices coming from his own walkie-talkie could be heard.

Members of the Third Recon and American Convoy had both begun the routine area checks in the village, looking for survivors, signs of life, and any information they could find. They were able to find some documents in the form of medieval-style scrolls and papers, but they were difficult to decipher because the majority of them were burned or half-burned, indicating that whoever raided this village attempted to erase all information.

Along the way, the man decided to head off the main path and continued exploring some of the unexplored areas.

He didn't expect that he would hit the jackpot soon when he spotted a wooden structure at the west end of the village. His curiosity rose up and hurried his way there. Passing by some of the few destroyed houses and avoiding any suspecting debris.

He arrived at the location after a minute. A big wooden shed stood in front of him. Mostly undamaged and untouched by destruction. The site added to his confusion, as he wondered why the invading raiders bandits or Imperial soldiers would spare such a structure if it was only used to store farming tools and other equipment. Furthermore, the shed's design was unlike any other shed he had seen in the previously destroyed villages. It kind of looked like a mini-chapel with mysterious symbols and letters engraved on its wooden surface.

"Weird."

Yuji took the first few steps towards the shed's entrance doors.

The man put his camera back in his pocket and semi-grabbed his handgun from his back pocket, in case of a possible threat inside. There was this heaviness that started to overpower him. When he got to the old wooden doors, he slowly pushed them open as it produced a slight creak, and by the time he was fully inside, he was then met with a strange sight.

His suspicions turned out to be correct as it was indeed some kind of worship area for the lost villagers.

The still lit-up candles illuminated the darkness of the small church, giving an overall hauntingly beautiful atmosphere.

Yuji felt a shiver run down his spine as he walked towards the main altar in the front. There wasn't much to see except for the empty wooden pews surrounding him and the broken pieces of wood strewn about. When he arrived at his destination, his eyes widened in awe at the sight of the Altar.

On the main table itself, there were at least twelve well-carved wooden small statues of what appeared to be deities, displayed on the table. Two large candle lights were placed at both ends of the altar, providing the man with a good view of the scene. Small heads of flowers were scattered across the long table, and some small characters were engraved on these statues which were revealed to be some sort of individuals of religious importance.

"Interesting." He commented, seemingly mystified to see each of them.

His attention was drawn primarily to a statue depicting a long-haired girl dressed in long black clothing standing in the center of the altar, looking up to the heavens and praying to the gods. When he observed it, he felt a little hypnotized, not realizing he had been standing there for several minutes. Something about this place never ceased to amaze him. His trance, however, did not last long.

It didn't take any longer for him to snap back to reality when his own walkie came up to life.

"Our Rendezvous Point is at the Plaza, be sure to reply once you get there."

"Roger that!"

The other soldiers' conversations broke the silence. Yuji was taken aback as he rubbed his brow. He felt a little dizzy before regaining his composure a few moments later. He realized he was still inside the chapel at that point. He sighed as he drew out his camera once more and began photographing the surrounding area, including the statues themselves.

With his sense of respect, he left the place untouched, not even taking any items with him.

Walking back to the main path, thoughts flooded his mind as he pondered why bandits or even Imperial Soldiers would not loot and destroy such a place of worship. Was it due to local superstitions in this world, or was it due to fear?"

At that moment, Yuji suddenly felt a presence behind him, He immediately stopped his tracks as he immediately turned around only to face nothing. Though, he caught a glimpse of a shadow from the shed's rooftop that quickly vanished.

The man suspiciously narrowed his eyes before taking off, never to turned back again.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Village Plaza is clear!"

In a span of just an hour, the whole team was able to investigate and swept every area of the last village. Though, as usual, they weren't able to find anything significant. Though there was a hint of realization of the fact that there were no dead bodies found, showing that every villager had left their homes long ago due to possible fear of being raided by bandits or Imperial Soldiers.

Yuji emerged from a small path from the west side of the village, and at the same time, two teams consisting of the Japanese and American contingent led by Itami and Lieutenant Brian had reached the rendezvous point, which was the village plaza.

"Is it or me this village kinda reminds me of that village from Biohazard 8?" Kurata wondered, a bit amused, as he observed the rest of his surroundings. It gave him the creeps on how every area in the village itself he had been to eerily resembled the setting of a video game that recently came out.

"Yeah, you're right, It does kinda looked like it," Itami commented as he walked towards CenterPoint of the plaza to meet with the rest of the squad.

The squad led by Itami emerged from the Northern side of the village, while the squad led by Lieutenant Brian along with Carl and Al came out from the eastern side.

Both groups bearing unsuccessful news.

"Have you guys found anything?" The American Lieutenant asked once they reached a well located at the center.

Itami shook his head as the man sighed." Not anything of importance Lieutenant." He informed.

"Just the same old stuff like the other villages," Shino added, taking a yawn for herself.

Lieutenant Brian simply nodded in return, though as he was about to speak...

"Well, I did found this Village's place of worship, and managed to take good shots and clips of some figurine-like statues of deities and stuff," Yuji said, garnering the attention of the rest.

"Though, other than that, no survivors, not anything significant or valuable information."

"I see," Itami said.

Carl widened his eyes for a bit." Did you say you found some kind of church in this village ?" He asked.

The writer smiled and nodded." Yup, the place's interior actually resembled that of our churches back home, but the only difference is the symbols and strange statues." He said.

"Well, that's cool!" The Army Ranger said." Though, I'm curious about the statues."

Hearing the Californian soldier's statement made the Japanese-American sigh." How should I explain this?" He thought to himself, before being cut by Itami.

"I guess we should cross this on the list?" He said, looking towards the rest of the team." There's nothing much to see here, to be honest."

Silence befell them for a few moments.

The sun was already on its way down and it's just only a matter of time before the night could catch up to them. By this time, they already need to set up their camps elsewhere to pass the night.

Lieutenant Brian sighed." Alright, Team, This village has been marked, let's head back to the convoys." He announced to the squad, much to their relief that the whole of Phase 1 had finally come to an end.

It didn't take too long for the two squads to get themselves out of the eerie village once and for all. Much to some of them claiming to have been watched by a mysterious presence.

XXXXXXXXXX

It turned out that deciding where to set camp for the night was less difficult than they had anticipated.

Third Recon and the American crew had finally established camp in the middle of the vast open fields, not far from the previous village they had visited.. They had already informed HQ that they'll be camping this one out for the second time and they got the approval.

By the time they were able to settle down, the night had completely taken over.

The team had managed to gather wood from an abandoned shed from the last village, which was also spared from destruction. As a result, a bonfire was created and acted as their main light for the night.

The campsite's layout was in the formation of a large circle. A number of small tents were erected around the fire, while the four military vehicles were parked a few meters away, which were also in the same position.

For the first few hours of their second night, they were able to reflect and look back on what they had just done.

For the first time, most of them were able to loosen themselves up and proceeded to take off their masks and be themselves just for once.

Dinner Food on the other hand was dominated by Meal, Ready-to-Eat foods, or MREs for short.

It was kind of a staple in all Military teams sent to the jungles or in the desert back home. Another thing is that occasionally these food packages tasted delicious and that became a big contribution for the rest of the evening. Moreover, Shino and Mari volunteered to distribute the MREs to the rest of the members.

"Is it me, or these MREs are really delicious!" Kurata made comment on his own MRE, which was a Japanese-styled burger curry dish." As if Furuta-san cooked all of these dishes!"

Furuta, who was eating quietly, heard the latter's remark and responded with a shrug of his own.

The young man's comment also caused little laughter amongst the rest of JSDF.

"Oh give me a break Kurata." Shino rolled her eyes, distributing the last of the MREs. "You're just imagining things again!"

"You think it's delicious because you're just hungry and that's all."

Kurata returned with an innocent cat-face expression, to which the young woman just ignored, though it made her slightly irritated.

As usual, her short rant received a few chuckles from the rest of the team.

Though after cooling down, she slowly moved her eyes towards a certain soldier from the American Convoy, who was eating just beside their vehicle itself. She could hear her heart beating loudly yet again as she pondered on whether she would take the opportunity to talk to the man. Yet at the same time, her stomach was craving food. Not long after, she sighed as she went back to her spot and sat there finally eating deciding to eat her dinner.

This scene was just one of the many scenes happening around the camp. It was like a mini-community being formed in the middle of the journey.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Are you alright Shino? "

Mari voiced her concern once the two young women have finished their tasks and were now sitting on their respective spots amongst the circle.

Quietly, they had their small conversation in the midst of the still noisy atmosphere produced by lively members of the Third Recon, which was also led by Kurata, who had gone back to his usual Otaku self, trying to uplift and preach in the name Anime and Nekos.

By this time, the rest were singing along to a popular anime song, which the young women had never even heard or known about.

Mari observed them for a few moments before shaking her head and turning back to the short-haired JSDF sergeant, who was trying her best to eat normally despite visibly being bothered by something.

"Hey, just ignore them." She said, with a small smile of encouragement." I mean, we've been together with the guys since the beginning." She added." I'm sure we are all used to that-"

"It's not what I meant Mari!" Shino finally spoke, giving a slightly frustrated cringe.

Mari raised an eyebrow in confusion." So it's not them you're...?"

"Yes." The young woman replied, slowly bringing her focus towards the spot where the rest of the American crew were located.

She then took a deep breath.

"You know Mari there is a reason why I borrowed that walkie and tried to ask much questions as I can." She explained." I thought...maybe... you get the picture." She brushed it off.

Mari quickly understood what the young woman had meant." I thought you were gunning for Tomita?" She thought to herself. Fully aware of the certain goal that her friend had when she joined the JSDF.

Shino isn't the kind of person whose heart is difficult to grasp. In fact, she had previously fallen in love and dated several men only to beat them up in her family's dojo, effectively ending the relationship. She frequently held the belief that if they can beat her in a sparring match, they are deserving of her heart. Her efforts, however, were in vain.

It had been months since she found herself single again, and that streak hasn't been broken yet ever since.

The young petite woman continued to observe the American crew, before finally shrugging it off and continued eating her meal in peace.

"Can't believe He's already married."

Mari sighed, as she placed a hand on the latter's back. With a smile, she encouraged her yet again.

"Don't worry, you'll eventually get there."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wait, so these statues in that church represent the Gods of this World?"

The small group consisting of Itami, Lieutenant Brian, Sergeant Kuwahara, Tomita, and Carl were staring at the screen of certain someone's laptop which showed photos of the Altar and the twelve statues that were placed there.

"Well, that's a close answer but according to one of the captured mercenaries, whom I interviewed at the Interrogation building way before, There are Gods here that the locals worshipped, and these statues are actually apostles or servants of these Gods, but I'm not sure if they only just existed spiritually in the Lore," Yuji explained, not expecting to conduct a small lecture for the group.

As their interests continued to rise, more questions followed.

"Wait, you mean they are real?" Lieutenant Brian asked.

"I can't say for sure, but when I interviewed him, he spoke as if they were really actual persons." He explained, recalling how the mercenary told him the story of meeting one of these apostles by chance, and he even boasted the fact that certain apostles gave him a blessing, something that man had claimed to have treasured for the rest of his life. He also gave a description of the said apostle, a long dark-haired woman with her true face concealed in a black veil.

"Man, that's just giving me the creeps," Carl felt unease by the story, sharing his thoughts as he felt a chill going up on his spine." I can see more of them as demons or ghosts if you asked me."

"What can you expect? We're in another world." Sergeant Kuwahara stated while sipping bottled water. "My son has been going crazy about it, kept messaging me about finding living Goddesses in this place and, and I'm not sure how to respond to that." He let out a sigh.

Tomita nodded." Well, that's something Kurata would talk about."

"Anything is possible now at this point, I guess we've all seen glimpses of magic here, I mean back when that rogue army tried to invade Fort Alnus." Yuji shrugged.

When the Gate opened, the public's attention was drawn to the situation.

Of course, the existence of Magical Dragons and another World from the other side was enough to cause the Internet to erupt. Memes were created, and YouTubers began to create videos discussing that specific subject, among other things. Furthermore, Avid and Hardcore Anime/Manga fans had arrived, having their minds blown away and celebrating the fact that a favorite trope or genre had come to life.

For Itami, that was not the case for him.

In fact, he was struggling whether he would get excited that he was in another world or take a serious perspective and fulfill his duties.

In the middle of the discussion, something came up to Yuji's mind and he began to speak.

"Well...considering what's happening around right now, I guess we've been Isekai'd."

A brief moment of silence passed by as the rest gave their nods.

"Oh, that's the thing Kurata had told me before," Carl spoke, attracting some of their attention, his big brother gave him a puzzled look.

"Isekai?"

Yuji nodded and smiled." Well, it's a term often used in the anime community. It's actually a genre or a plot that usually involves the hero getting displaced in another world." He explained." And because that Hero is in a different place, He is quite special in the New World he was transported to."

"Oh, now I see." Lieutenant Brian nodded in understanding.

"How do you think this hero ends up in another world or whatever?" He followed up a question, slightly getting interested in the topic.

Itami was the one to respond this time. "Typically, the hero gets sucked into a portal, summoned by some blue-haired Goddess, or more frequently gets hit by a truck out of nowhere." He went on to explain." Some heroes even get transported to another world after buying some snacks at a convenience store.

He expressed his own thoughts, which elicited a grin from Kurata, who was apparently secretly listening in on the conversation.

"To some extent, there are also stories where a country gets sent into another world, I mean literally the whole country."

"No way..."

"Yeah, It just depends on which country gets summoned, and of course it's up to the different interpretations on what would happen next." Yuji, slightly cringed, recalling how he had tried to read these stories on a few Fanfiction websites.

Some were great, some were over the top, and some were just cringy to read.

By this point in time, each of the men began sharing their own thoughts regarding the small phenomenon.

Hearing their own explanations and perspectives caused the American Lieutenant to drift into his thoughts as he remembered reading books related to that Isekai Genre. He remembered reading Eric Flint's novel "1632," in which a whole town in Virginia is transported back in time to the year 1632, in the midst of the Thirty Years War. The novel itself was a childhood favorite of his, and he would return to read it from time to time again. Though now, reading the book again is somewhat now relevant to him, now that he is literally in another world.

The whole Isekai phenomenon was no stranger to them. Countless tales and stories have been created for hundreds of years even before they were born. They just didn't expect that it would somehow come true. There wasn't even an official explanation on why a Gate-like portal opened in Ginza yet, though it's up for the scientists and conspiracy theorists to figure that out.

One of the things that they were worried about was not knowing how this story would end for them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"The second day has finally come to an end, and we were able to find a convenient location only a few miles away from the last village." Personally, I thought it was one of the most difficult first-day reconnaissance missions I'd ever experienced. The first destroyed villages greeted us as we stepped out of the Fort. In fact, the layout resembled that of my world's Pre-Modern Settlements. Due to transportation issues, a lack of efficient food preservation technology to transport food over long distances, and safety concerns, most are built close to each other. The most recent village we visited was no different from the others, save for the fact that the infrastructure was in good condition and there were no signs of dead bodies. Furthermore, I came across a shrine that had been remarkably spared and had photographed what's inside of it for documentation. It was my first glimpse of this world's religion, and while the symbols were indecipherable, the scene was enough for me to realize that my world and this world are not dissimilar when it comes to multiple religions."

- Excerpt from the New World Journal

It was already near midnight when the man finally finished creating his report for the day.

Placing back his laptop in his bag, he then opened the vehicle door and left the military truck altogether.

The cold weather of the night welcomed him, as did the powerful moonlight that shone brightly across the landscape. As everyone was now sleeping in their respective sleeping tents and sleeping bags, Yuji decided to go to a nearby location where he could observe the rest of the countryside at night. It was a way for him to clear his mind and resurrect his drowsiness, which had vanished halfway through finishing his Journal entry a while ago.

The man stood there gazing upon the small hills that dominated the rest of the landscape.

As he found himself admiring the beauty of the night, a weak smile formed around his lips. The darkness had little effect on his surroundings, giving him a much better view.

From there, his thoughts began to entertain him for one last time.

There was this uneasy feeling that continued to remain after visiting the last village. His mind kept replaying his brief encounter with an unknown presence back at the shed.

Though he assumed it was all in his head, he couldn't help but be bothered by the fact that the team had been watched throughout their journey thus far. Prior to that encounter, several members of the Third Recon and American crew reported similar occurrences involving a mysterious presence or shadow lurking around the villages they'd visited and searched through. They were unable to detect it even after using specialized equipment. This caused some little fears that they'd somehow encountered something supernatural early in their reconnaissance.

Kurata even suggested that the mysterious presence was one of the Demon Lord's spies or any supernatural beings from the genre, despite the fact that this was an absurd claim, to begin with. Though they were in another world, so his theory could be considered valid.

His mind focused more on the Merchant, and what the latter had said to him prior.

He was still perplexed as to how the man knew his name or who he was referring to. Perhaps it was simply the exhaustion of his mind that caused him to imagine words that were never true in the first place.

At that moment, he decided to closed his eyes for a while. However, as soon as he did that, a memory then flashed before him, an image of a familiar girl, with a smile he had not seen for a long time. Along with that was just this feeling of sadness and mourning.

Yuji immediately opened his eyes again, greeted by his surroundings, and felt the exhaustion that had previously eluded him. As he rubbed his tired eyes, he finally removed his glasses.

"I guess that's enough for the night."

He muttered to himself before returning to camp to sleep the night away. But not before taking one last glance at the scenery. A small weak smile formed around his lips as a sense of anticipation grew within him. He'd been having that feeling since arriving in this world.

That things would become more interesting as time goes on.

XXXXXXXXX

General Hazama stood by the open window, overseeing a large area of the base, which was full of activity. Men and women from both sides of the coalition had been working nonstop since the sun came up. As the sun sets, the majority of the day's operations were completed.

The man took a deep breath as he welcomed the fresh air provided by the New World. For him, it wasn't any different. It was just like Earth, minus the pollution caused by his own kind. Taking a sip of his own hot cup of tea, he reflected on the events of the day thus far. Along with his American counterpart, he had to attend various meetings with the various coalition teams and forces. He wouldn't say it was all stressful because the majority of the reports that had come in so far had been positive.

It was often the usual mission accomplished stories.

His mind went back to the coalition's first operations in this world. There were about fifty garrisons or more than that were stationed across the region, and that the plan was to dismantle them one by one without causing any ruckus, with the exception of pulverizing the main Imperial base which was formerly situated on the hill itself.

The coalition's most difficult task after each operation was to make it appear as if the destruction of these bases and the disappearance of Imperial soldiers were the results of natural causes and somehow they pulled it off. Though this wasn't going to stay relevant and they had to move to a higher level.

As a result of these operations, they were able to achieve important information regarding the Empire's activities.

Now that they are aware of the Empire's impending invasion of Qua Toyne, the only thing they can do is devise a strategy for sending a diplomat to the nation without frightening them.

This was considered a very crucial move and if they were successful in establishing connections with those nations, that they can have a valid reason to participate in this so-called war against the conquest and bring justice to the countless innocents that have died back home.

Another problem that is currently plaguing the base was the increasing number of refugees brought in by the first Recon teams that returned from their missions.

At first, He and the other officials had thought that it would be a good opportunity to let the refugees in so that they could learn more about the people in the New World, or at least in this very continent. Though, as days passed, recon teams began to report more and more refugees encountered. These poor people were displaced from their home villages, forced to leave their homes in the wake of the Empire's ongoing attacks.

He folded his arms thinking of what should be done. Turning them away was considered a bad decision, not only they would get scrutinized by the Diet, but by the UN as well. He went back to his desk and sat down.

He took a heavy sigh as he reached for the telephone, though in that very moment, the door opened and a certain Akira Yanagida entered the room.

"Sir." He called out.

"Yanagida, what brings you here?" The older man asked.

The younger man cleared his throat as he firmly held a small stack of documents.

"Just to drop some files of other reports sir." He simply explained, also noticing something amiss from his superior.

"Is there something wrong sir?" He asked.

The Japanese General flashed him a small smile." Well, I was just about to call your office, but again..It's good that you're here." He explained, observing the documents.

"Just to clarify some things from the previous meeting, How many refugees do we have at the base."

"So far about a hundred, though it's increasing more each day." He replied, showing a little concern on the matter." If this continues, it could significantly compromise our base's security." He paused for a brief moment, before recalling something.

"Sir, do you think it's time to-" He was cut.

General Hazama nodded." That's why I was going to call you here." He said, looking at him straight in the eye." I want you to prepare the presentation for the next meeting tomorrow morning." He added.

"I understand, sir." The young man gave a nod. "I suppose it was fated to happen." He made a comment.

"And I'm sure Itami will have brought a thousand more by the time he and his team returns." He added.

The older man gave a sigh." Why I'm not surprised." He said.

It was a good thing they had predicted this would happen. It was just worrying when they imagined thousands of refugees on their doorstep, in need of assistance. However, it is a good sign that the coalition has already established a positive image among the people of this world and it was going to continue if they follow it up with the right moves.

Thus it was finally decided that a refugee camp will be established in Fort Alnus.

CHAPTER END

AN: Oh man, this is far one of the longest chapters, I've written. Took me about days to brainstorms additional scenes and also getting myself back on the groove of writing because of Finals and everything. I didn't know writing a chapter could lead you into depression sometimes, and spend the time looking for ways to motivate myself. But fortunately, I was able to finish this chapter. With that said, more on the story, so far I added more scenes in the chapter, unlike the old one which felt a bit quick. I wanted to focus more on the characters' interactions, backgrounds and their perspectives. Moreover, I am trying to get that feeling of "Adventure" throughout the chapter, though I think I need more practice in order to achieve that.

Some scenes here were also inspired by various sources.

Also, I apologized for any grammar and spelling mistakes since English Is not my main mother tongue. Moreover, I am also not a member of any military organizations so if there are any mistakes regarding military-related matters, please pardon me for any mistakes. With that said, Thank you very much for reading the chapter and your support! I really appreciate it!