༺ A Road Flows Together With A Traveler – 3 ༻
Even without their five senses, humans could feel unfamiliarity.
I had a relatively comfortable bed and a small but neat space, yet I could not fall into a deep sleep; my body couldn’t adapt to the unfamiliar surroundings.
“Get up at once.”
There was a subtle difference in pillow height and a slightly altered posture due to the softness of the mattress. The temperature was a bit higher than the Abyss, with more dust. Added to that, the noise coming from outside slightly irritated me.
The scent of military soap mixed with the smell of dry grass lingered around my nose. It was an unfamiliar scent. Though not unpleasant, it was certainly annoying; it was the scent of the Military State. From it, a dry freshness seeped through.
“Get up at once…. Three attempts have been made in failure. Based on inductive logic, it is determined that further repetitions will be meaningless”
Even the noise by my ears was something I hadn’t heard before. All these sensations were disrupting my sleep. A light sleep that seemed like it would break with just a word….
“In accordance with the emergency response manual, the forced-waking protocol will be activated.”
Wait a minute. Somehow, this felt like déjà v-.
“UrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRR!”
“YIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH”
Startled by the sudden noise, I rolled over the bed. Hurriedly standing up, I saw the Captain, already dressed in her uniform, staring at me intently.
She looked at me calmly, as if unaware of what she had just done, so I proceeded to yell at her.
“Why are you making such noise?!”
“It’s been 10 minutes past wake-up time. Since you did not wake up even after I turned off the alarm and finished preparing, I had to implement forced-waking protocol.”
“Just nudge or tap me next time! That would be better!”
The Captain shook her head slowly.
“First is a request. Second is a warning. Third is the use of force. Direct physical contact is a last resort.”
“No, but that warning was just as intense as a use of force! It felt like you were punching my eardrums, so I’m telling you to just nudge me gently next time!”
“I refuse. Approaching closely enough to touch may cause damage to the golem due to reflexive flailing.”
“Captain Abbey, you do realize you’re in your real body right now, yes?”
The Captain blinked twice and exclaimed.
“Ah!”
Aghh, this dunce.
How long had she lived as a golem that she was still not adjusted to her own body?
“And even if I flail around, it won’t even hurt you. Next time, just pat my shoulder to wake me up.”
“…Noted.”
The Captain reluctantly agreed.
After putting on my clothing packet, we went downstairs for the provided breakfast. After filling our stomach with canned bean soup and standard bread, we took our transit passes and headed straight to the Meta Conveyor Belt Terminal.
The supply officer saluted the Captain, then quickly checked our passes.
“Amitengrad Terminal. Two passengers, spending approximately three days. Take along a sleeping bag, multi-purpose lamp, canteen, and food. Will you use a packet for the sleeping bag? We also have non-packet sleeping bags for those with low mana.”
“I shall take the packet. As for him….”
The Captain glanced at me. I scratched my head, feigning embarrassment.
“I’ll take the non-packet please. Unlike Bbey, I’m a bit low on mana.”
｢Bbey?! Still?!｣
Though I was just a Level 1, the supply officer treated me respectfully, perhaps due to being a family member of a captain.
“Understood. For your brother, a non-packet sleeping bag. Please make good use of the cord as the performance might not be optimal.”
｢Negative! He is not my brother…! Keuk! Patience! It will all be over anyway once we board the Meta Conveyor Belt!｣
I wonder…Would it really? Do I look like the type to give up this enjoyable fake identity once I board the Meta Conveyor Belt?
Haha. No shot.
And so, with our supplies, Abbey and I headed to the terminal.
Even in the night when everyone slept, the land flowed and the cargo arrived. So, what was the solution?
Simple. Don’t let the laborers sleep.
Laborers were divided into day and night shifts because night-time arrivals also needed to be retrieved. Night shift laborers, with evident signs of fatigue under their eyes, alternately looked at the approaching containers and the day shift laborers coming to relieve them.
Some, hearing our approach and thinking it was the end of their shift, brightened up, then turned away disappointed, fearing the Captain’s gaze. They sighed, simultaneously preparing to rush towards the cargo and start the shift change.
We passed them and headed to the boarding area.
‘People’ on the Meta Conveyor Belt were often long-distance travelers. There were especially a lot of soldiers on missions or reassignments. Unlike cargo, they could board and disembark at will.
Hence, at passenger terminals, instead of weary laborers, well-disciplined guards were stationed.
“Confirmed, Captain. And the Captain’s brother.”
｢Nega…tive is getting tiring to say as well. I just want to leave….｣
Seeing that her expression didn’t change even in the midst of this, it seemed like she had learned how to keep her thoughts to herself properly. If it wasn’t that, maybe she had just given up on everything, hence the lifeless expression.
“The estimated time of arrival is three days from now at noon. Please make sure to get off the flow on time. Otherwise, you will end up going around once more in the unceasing flow.”
The simple listing of facts itself had now become a humorous expression, characteristic of the mystery of the Meta Conveyor Belt. The engineers who had been working on it for 25 years weren’t walking around with pride for no reason.
Without this, the Military State truly would have collapsed long ago.
As the guard’s salute was accompanied with the opening gate, the Captain returned the salute and I, pretending to be a clueless civilian, awkwardly bent my waist and slightly raised my hand. The guard didn’t bother responding to my greeting.
｢It must be nice having a Captain as a younger sister. He even gets to ride the Meta Conveyor Belt for free. Tsk, can none of my younger siblings go to a military academy…?｣
While his posture was proper, his inner thoughts were far from it. Leaving the sullen guard behind, we stepped onto the flowing land.
As we first stepped on it, our bodies swayed slightly. However, we quickly adjusted our posture.
The speed of the terminal was a tenth of the original flow. At this speed, there was no way we would wobble. I watched the slowly receding terminal. Even the slowest-moving automaton carriage was faster than this, so the world seemed to move at a snail’s pace.
However…
As streams from other terminals merged into one, the speed of the Meta Conveyor Belt gradually increased.
Containers passing through the terminal went straight through. Right after, at the point where the streams merged into one, containers that appeared small from a distance gradually approached until they filled our view.
Simultaneously, the sensation of speed began to actually be felt. Suddenly, a strong wind was blowing in my ears.
It was a strange sight. I was clearly standing on the same ground and the earth was solid. Yet, the scenery whisking outside was changing.
It was as if the world was leaving us behind.
Nearby signboards disappeared, as if darting away from us. Trees in the distance leisurely walked backward. Yet, the world surrounding us remained the same.
The wind still blew; this immobile wind proved that the land was racing forward. Although the ground occasionally moved, it was generally still, so every time the Meta Conveyor Belt Moved forward, it hit us like a headwind.
The symbol of immobility and the symbol of fluidity were reversed, crying out in their misalignment.
“…Cold wind. It is quite fierce. It is a sensation I have never felt before….”
The Captain, dressed in a military instructor’s uniform, held her cap tightly to prevent it from being blown away by the fierce wind. Meanwhile, I shouted, wrapping my face with a flapping sleeping bag.
“What should we do? Should we wrap ourselves in sleeping bags here or should we walk and look for other people?”
“…Walking seems better. I disagree with looking for other people, but we do need a windbreak.”
“Alright. Let’s go!”
We each took a step.
I walked against the land while the Captain walked in the direction where the land was heading.
After walking three steps and realizing the other wasn’t following, we turned our heads sharply. The captain, still holding her cap, shouted.
“Isn’t it obvious that we should go forward? Walking backwards, when we can reach our destination faster forwards, is against the mission!”
“You want us to face this wind head-on? Don’t be ridiculous. Even with our backs against it, it’s barely tolerable, let alone going forward!”
“A trivial thing like wind cannot deter us from the mission!”
“Are you looking down on wind right now? If you struggle against it, you might be blown away! It’s obvious we need to walk backwards while searching!”
Our opinions were parallel lines; it would never intersect. There was no choice but to resort to the precious promise humanity has prepared to resolve such trivial conflicts.
I raised my fist and shouted.
“Let’s decide with rock-paper-scissors!”
The Captain firmly shook her head.
“Negative. That’s impossible. We cannot determine our approach to a mission with something like rock-paper-scissors.”
“Ah, seriously! Why are you like this!”
Should I call this being diligent or just being stubborn?
How on earth did the Military State manage to produce something like this? If all the citizens of the Military State were as self-driven as Captain Abbey, this country would have been eternally prosperous and powerful.
“I really didn’t want to use this method.”
But still, going forward in this situation was madness. It was better to endure wind-type attack magic than to walk against this current to search for an uncertain windbreak.
So, what’s going to happen next is all your doing, Captain.
I twirled around.
“…? Why are you turning around? Didn’t I say we should go forwar-”
“Catch me if you can!”
I dashed backwards. The Captain, watching me flee in bewilderment, pointed at my back and chased after me.
“Ah! Stop right there! Breaking away from me is not allowed!”
“Hahahaha! If people stopped just because someone told them to, why would we need laws and why would we need the police? Catch me! Only then will I stop!”
“Warning…! If you do not stop, I will use force!”
“You don’t even have a speck of power to enforce! Stop the bullshit!”
Just like that, I ran backwards on the largest belt in the world with the Captain trailing behind me.
Perhaps unaccustomed to running in her own body rather than a golem, the Captain tripped twice while chasing me. Her red nose was pitiful to see, but in this harsh world, running on two feet was a basic necessity.
She ran determinedly, tears in her eyes, while thinking of it as training.
｢This realistic pain…. The sensation of riding the wind…. It is something I couldn’t feel when in a golem that had its sense of pain controlled. I am truly running in my own body…!｣
What should I do? I don’t think I can run anymore because she’s so pitiful. At this point, wasn’t the Military State the problem for raising Puppeteers as puppets instead?
Just then, I spotted a windbreak in the distance. I subtly slowed down so the Captain could catch me. She ran towards me with a joyful expression.
“I caught you!”
Eh? Uh, but why isn’t she slowing dow-
“AaaAAAACK!”
A heavy impact hit my back. Without slowing down, the Captain crashed into me. Even I couldn’t withstand the full weight of a back tackle and we both tumbled to the ground.
The Captain, who had landed on top of me, grabbed my arms tightly and spoke triumphantly.
“I sternly warn you. From this point on, if you arbitrarily leave my side, I will use any means to restrain and escort y….”
Clap, clap, clap.
Applause sounded from somewhere.
At the sound reaching her ears, the Captain lifted her head.
On the belt, some distance away, there was a structure that seemed to pop out of the ground; it was a windbreak.
Seemingly with great know-how, someone stood deftly on the concave-shaped windbreak, made to let the wind pass. A middle-aged man, with a lively and sleek impression, looked at us with a face full of interest while clapping. Even in this fierce wind, his body did not waver at all.
He wore a rascal-like smile, not fitting of his age.
“What a noisy appearance!”
Simultaneously with his words, the faces of people hiding beside the windbreak emerged. They looked at the new travelers with mixed feelings of anticipation and worry.
Meanwhile, the Captain’s gaze turned towards the middle-aged man who had climbed on top of the windbreak.
And then, pure shock filled her mind.
｢…?! How…Why is he here?｣
While the Captain momentarily lost all capabilities of speech at his sudden appearance, I, having clumsily risen, dusted off my hands and feet before pointing at the windbreak.
“Bbey! There’s the windbreak! Let’s hurry inside since it’s cold!”
｢Again, Negative for the name, Bbey! I have no recollection of allowing you to use a nickname! I never even had a nickname like Bbey! And!｣
While I was on this belt, I had to continue acting as the Captain’s brother. I calmly continued my act and shouted towards the person on the windbreak.
“Look, there are even people there! Hello! May we come in too?”
｢You, stop right there! Entering there requires a bit more serious consideration…!｣
The middle-aged man who had climbed up the windbreak nodded vigorously and shouted.
“Of course! That’s what the windbreak is made for! Come on in!”
With a solid yet sleek impression, he seemed like someone who held the world under his feet, exuding confidence and an upright posture.
And most importantly, his body, facing the raging wind head-on without a hint of wavering, seemed to declare that he was no ordinary person.
｢Warning…! You are currently walking into danger!｣
Eh? What do you mean? I don’t sense any hostility, though? Although he has an extraordinary aura, I’m a survival specialist who has lived through the Abyss, amidst the Regressor, the Progenitor, and the Dog King. I’m not someone to get anxious about people who don’t even hold any hostility.
Well, unless he’s a monster that’s some sort of murder tank….
｢Danger! I cannot even reveal this fact! A key figure whose existence itself has a security clearance attached! Not only is he known to everyone in the Military State, but he also holds position and power befitting such status…!｣
As I walked toward the windbreak, waving my hand, I suddenly creaked to a stop. Turning my head, I saw the Captain looking at me with eyes that seemed to be on the verge of tears.
｢If he asks me about my mission, I have no choice but to spill everything! There are no secrets that are not permitted to such a figure! This even includes the fact that you’re a laborer who survived the Abyss!｣
Due to her overly desperate demeanor, I read her thoughts again and realized the Captain’s concerns. Simultaneously, a sense of impending doom dawned on me.
Nahhh, surely not. Such a coincidence is impossib….
｢He is one of the Military State’s Six Generals, General Patraxion!｣
To think that I would face one of the top powers of the Military State. I turned my head again. General Patraxion was just about to jump down from the windbreak.
…If I ran away in the other direction now, I would actually suffer a game of ‘catch me if you can’, wouldn’t I?
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