CH 9.6

The uninhabited island we arrived at by chopper was about 5 km square.

The center of the island is a small hill but there is little vegetation and no deer or any bigger creatures seem to be present.

The only thing that stood out was a two-story concrete building that doubled as a helipad.

This may be a training camp.

The fact that there is a building on the island suggests that the island is being used by some sort of organization.

I heard that no one is stationed here permanently.

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When Yui and I entered the hall of the building, there were about 20 men and women.

They were mainly in their early 20s to late 30s and only around 20% were women.

They are all dressed in Nordic-style military uniforms.

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Are they the ones who will participate in this operation?

Apparently, they are treated as military personnel.

What kind of work they do is not disclosed to the public though.

In contrast to Japan, where they are only connected with politics behind the scenes.

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When Tetsugan called them “soldiers”, I thought he was referring to them as tools for fighting but it seems like they are really soldiers.

「Are you the warriors introduced by our sponsor?」

A stout, bald headed man in his early 40s stepped forward.

From the way he was standing and the way the others were looking at him, I guess he was the leader or instructor.

So, Tetsugan is being treated as a sponsor?

Also, he asked in English.

「Regardless of warrior or something, we are probably it.」

「Fumu……I’m Berthold, your training instructor.」

The man seemed a little surprised that I responded in fluent English and held out his right hand.

Yui, by the way, has always been able to speak English like a native.

「Pleased to meet you」

When I moved my hand forward for a handshake, Berthold shook my hand with a strong grip.

If it was a normal high school student, his bone might have broken already.

Of course, I was fine.

I could have squeezed his hand back but I didn’t want to fight with muscle brains like this.

If they get too aggressive with me, of course I’ll let them know their place.

「Hou……」

Berthold muttered to me like that and let my hand go.

Berthold then shook Yui’s hand.

At first, Yui raised her eyebrows but then, she concentrated her magic power in her hand and squeezed his hand back.

「I see…..You’ll be joining for training with us starting today, right?」

Berthold looked at me and Yui alternately and lifted the corner of his mouth with a grin.

「I don’t really care.」

「Instructor! Are you really going to let these kids participate?」

One of the members of the team shouted in a mocking voice.

He was a handsome man in his late twenties with blonde hair and blue eyes.

「I heard they defeated variants in real battle」

The instructor said with a slightly nasty smile.

I’m not sure if it’s because he recognized us from our handshake earlier or because he still underestimates us.

「Probably one or two, right? I did my tenth the other day. And it was only three of us!」

Their level of skill can be estimated from that boast alone.

Given how Yui fought in her first match and my fight against the Japanese organization, I finally knew what the elite of the elite is.

「Bastard, don’t underestimate children」

「Gyahahaha! We are one of the top teams of the Nordic organization. There’s no way we’d be beaten up by a couple of Japanese high school students. If you want, let’s give them a try.」

「Fumu……sounds interesting. Let’s do it for socializing purposes. Kazu and Yui, do you need to change your clothes?」

Sounds like we have no right to refuse.

Regardless of whether they win or lose, I guess this is a good opportunity to see how good they are.

「Unnecessary. We always fight in everyday clothes. We are not soldiers. We don’t want to wear military uniforms.」

I’m wearing jeans and a t-shirt and Yui is wearing her usual miniskirt, black tights, and t-shirt.

「This is Axel. As you can see, he has a lot of blood on his hands. However, he’s good. Let’s see what you can do.」

Axel, who was introduced to me, looked at me with a grin.

He is totally taking advantage of this.

I think it is necessary to embarrass them given their attitude.

「Then instructor, is it an all-in match?」

「Yeah, everyone, out!」