Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 16: An Invitation from the God of War
“Yes… Uh-huh, we believe it’s the resistance, but we’re still investigating.”
A well-built man in his late thirties stood with a massive sword strapped to his waist.
His beard was neatly trimmed, and his stance showed the discipline of a seasoned warrior.
He was the embodiment of a true soldier—known as the God of War, his name was Sieg Sylphid.
Sieg stood before a monitor, making his report.
“A so-called God of War, yet you’re struggling with this? That’s ten units! Do you have any idea how much those cost?!”
The voice on the other end belonged to the top military authority of the homeland.
“Under Lord’s command, we will proceed with the operation to eradicate the resistance.”
“Oh? That sounds fun. I think I’ll join in.”
Another voice—this time, a woman’s.
She had long golden hair cascading down to her waist.
At first glance, she looked like the perfect image of a beautiful princess.
But upon hearing her presence confirmed, a cold sweat ran down Sieg’s spine.
Because her name was Asgard Ymir.
The First Imperial Princess. One of the rulers of the empire.
And the woman known as the Torture Princess.
(Ymir-sama is coming… This is going to turn into a massacre…)
Sieg was the commander of the stationed forces in this area.
However, unless resistance members took overt action, he generally left third-class citizens alone.
The occupation was still recent, and more importantly, this country had an overwhelming number of resistance fighters compared to other colonies.
That was because Sieg had not conducted full-scale eradication through military force.
The empire’s philosophy was simple: Anyone who opposes us shall be slaughtered without question.
Yet Sieg had refrained from acting on this doctrine.
His kindness was the reason. And with the emperor bedridden due to illness, no one had reprimanded him for it—at least, not yet.
“This concludes my report.”
“Oh, one more thing, Sieg.”
“…? Yes, what is it?”
“Your daughter—Reina, wasn’t it? Her personal unit is ready.”
“That’s… much appreciated. I’m sure she’ll put it to good use.”
“I expect great things from both of you.”
The transmission ended.
“So Reina’s unit has arrived… She’ll be heading to the battlefield soon. In that case, I must steel myself as well…”
Muttering to himself in his quarters, Sieg felt the weight of time pressing down on him.
The limit was approaching.
“I’m sorry, Sakiko… I may no longer be able to protect this country on my own…”
—
A Few Days Later, Morning
“Papa, is something wrong?”
The God of War, Sieg, and the Ice Princess, Reina, sat down for breakfast.
The Sylphid family was not originally of noble blood.
However, due to Sieg’s military contributions, they had been granted the rank of baron.
“It’s nothing… More importantly, I have something to ask you.”
“What is it?”
Their conversation felt formal—hardly like a casual exchange between parent and child.
Ad
But that was only natural.
Because Reina was an adopted daughter.
“I took you in when you were ten and ensured you received every form of education. You’ve been training with KOGs for two years now.”
“…Yes.”
Outside of breakfast, Reina rarely had the opportunity to speak with her father, who was always busy.
She had no memories of playing together, nor did they share laughter like an ordinary family.
She understood—it was because she was adopted.
Yet, despite this, she respected Sieg.
If someone asked if she liked him, she would probably say yes. She trusted him.
No matter how busy he was, he always made time for these morning meals.
She didn’t hate that about him.
And someday, she wanted to surpass him in KOG combat.
“I thought there was no one in the homeland of your age who could defeat you… But I heard you lost.”
“!? …How did you—?”
That day, Instructor Alfred had reviewed the simulator records and discovered Reina had suffered a loss.
Ad
It had been in a ranking match—despite having the maximum handicap advantage, she had still lost to a boy named Mitsurugi Kenya.
He had reported this to Sieg.
“Well? Is it true?”
“…Yes. I’m sorry.”
“Was he strong?”
“Yes… Very.”
“Stronger than me?”
“…I don’t know.”
(She doesn’t know?)
Sieg considered her words carefully.
He had never revealed his full strength to Reina.
They sparred once a month, but not once had he lost—or even struggled.
And yet, Reina—who knew his capabilities—couldn’t say for certain.
What did that mean?
“An Unfathomable Depth…? Interesting… Alright! Bring him to me tonight.”
Ad
“Huh!? B-But he’s a second-class citizen…?”
“I know. I simply want to see what kind of man he is. You know I’m not a bigot.”
“…Understood.”
Sieg did not discriminate.
Perhaps Reina’s own stance against discrimination was heavily influenced by her adoptive father.
However, Reina did not know why Sieg chose not to discriminate.
Publicly, outright opposing discrimination could be seen as criticism of the imperial family, so he proclaimed his beliefs under the banner of meritocracy instead.
As a result, the stationed military forces included a significant number of Japanese personnel, though discrimination within the ranks was still something he couldn’t completely eliminate.
—
“Huh!? Reina’s father wants to meet me!?”
“Yes, Papa said he wants to see you.”
As usual, Kaguya, Reina, and Kenya were training with their KOGs after school.
“So, how about dinner tonight?”
“T-That’s… Is that really okay?”
“Papa is like me—he doesn’t discriminate without reason.”
(He’s the head of the military, and yet… I did get the impression he was an exceptional warrior, but…)
“So? Will you come?”
“Alright.”
(I am technically part of the military, so refusing might not be an option… But what does he want with me? Did he figure out I’m with the resistance?)
“Hey! One of you hurry up and fight me already! I’m starting to get the hang of this.”
“Shall I go next, Kaguya?”
“Oh? Today, I will win, Reina.”
The three of them had spent several afternoons training together like this.
At first, Reina’s blunt way of speaking had caused clashes between her and Kaguya.
But over time, Kaguya realized something—Reina saw her and her alone. She carried no bias, no prejudice.
Unlike other Asgardians, she never called Kaguya a “second-class citizen.” She always addressed her by name.
Kaguya still despised the Asgardians.
But… she couldn’t bring herself to hate Reina.
“You two have really gotten close, huh…”
“I finally understand what Kenya said before. She’s getting stronger.”
Pulled along by two of the strongest fighters, Kaguya—who already had natural talent—was improving at an astonishing pace.
Like with anything, training at a high level accelerated growth.
And training every day with Kenya and Reina was the ideal environment for getting stronger.
“Next ranking test, I’m taking down everyone!”
With that declaration, she and Reina climbed into their simulators.
Of course, Kaguya still wasn’t anywhere close to Reina’s level yet—so she suffered a crushing defeat.
“Alright then, Reina. Let’s go.”
“Tonight, I’ll at least shave off ten percent of your health.”
“I look forward to it.”
Reina had grown stronger.
But Kenya had grown even stronger.
When he came to this world, his beloved KOG had transformed from a mere hobby into a weapon to protect his life.
That resolve propelled him to the next level.
There’s a saying that talent is simply the depth of one’s focus.
And Kenya’s focus had sharpened to an unparalleled degree since arriving in this world.
Ad
His growth had far outpaced even Reina and Kaguya, the gap between them only widening.
The difference in their resolve—Kenya had taken lives in their last operation.
He had learned the weight of life and death.
And that knowledge had forged an unshakable determination within him.
Just as he was about to step into the simulator—
“Mind if I watch?”
“Huh?”
A single student had entered the simulation room.
A boy with golden hair, slightly long for a male.
With striking blue eyes, he appeared to be around Kenya’s age.
They saw him every day.
Yet, they had never spoken to him.
Because—
“P-Prince-sama!?”
He was one of the ruling bloodline of this world.
Asgard Lord—the Empire’s Second Prince.