Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 25: The Enemy I Want to Protect
“Is that something she inherited from her father?”
Lord let out a dry chuckle as he glanced at Sieg, watching Reina take off before receiving any orders.
He recalled the days when he fought alongside Sieg during the Great EU War.
“I-I apologize. I’ll call her back immediately!”
“No, it’s fine. She probably wants to test out her new unit. I’ve already given her permission to act freely. However…”
(Gillian was defeated? What happened out there? Is the enemy pilot on par with a Holy Knight? But my sister is currently alone…)
“Sieg, come here.”
“?… Yes, sir!”
Lord, seated in his throne-like command chair, gestured for Sieg to approach.
“I need you to keep this a secret from the others. Find my sister, ensure her safety, and report only to me. Then, wait at the mountain.”
“…Understood.”
With that, Sieg boarded his KOG and took off.
His mission: locate and retrieve Ymir, who was now wandering the slums after her defeat.
The princess fled on foot after escaping from her KOG.
Reina stood between her and Kenya, preventing him from pursuing Ymir.
“I know you can hear me. Who are you? You don’t seem like just some resistance fighter.”
Reina’s voice came through the open comms.
(Why is Reina on the battlefield…? No, wait. She’s an Asgardian soldier. It’s not strange for her to be here.)
“…No response?”
(Should I reveal my identity? No, not yet. I can’t throw away my position as an Asgardian soldier just yet.)
“Very well. If you don’t want to talk…”
Reina readied her sword.
“Then I’ll force the truth out of you!”
Her blade came down with clear hostility—lethal intent.
(She’s fast! Even faster than in the simulator… And that silver and cherry blossom-colored KOG—it has to be Reina’s personal unit! Aphrodite!)
In the world of KOGs, elite pilots were granted exclusive machines known as personal units.
Kenya had assumed such machines didn’t exist in this era, but with the appearance of both Takemikazuchi and this new KOG, he had to rethink his assumptions.
They were far more expensive and vastly superior to standard models.
Reina’s Aphrodite, in particular, was an incredibly well-balanced unit.
Unlike Kenya’s close-combat specialization, hers excelled in all areas—offense, defense, and mobility.
Among Master-class pilots, it was one of the most frequently used machines.
In a simulator, where they had identical units and specs, Kenya would never fall behind Reina.
But now, she had honed her skills immensely.
And she had a cutting-edge personal unit.
This was no opponent he could toy with.
“Tch!”
Kenya blocked her strike, but the impact sent him reeling.
Sweat dripped down his forehead—an unfamiliar sensation of urgency gripped him.
This was a genuine, lethal battle.
(So this is what you’re like on the battlefield, Reina…)
But—
(I can’t defeat Reina. If I do, then what’s the point of me fighting at all?)
“Stop dodging and fight me properly!”
Kenya remained on the defensive, evading and blocking her strikes.
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But just defending wasn’t enough—she would catch up eventually.
She was already stronger than Gillian, surpassing the level of a Holy Knight.
(Fine, Reina. If I hurt you, I’m sorry.)
In the next instant, Kenya countered.
“!?!”
A decisive reversal.
A true strike—one he had never shown Reina, even in simulations.
His goal was to incapacitate her.
But against an opponent like Reina, avoiding injury entirely wasn’t an option.
This was full force, but only because he trusted her.
If two true masters clashed half-heartedly, someone would die.
He had to believe she could take it.
And so, he committed to neutralizing her.
A relentless onslaught.
Blades clashed, gunfire roared—an unrelenting storm of attacks targeting her KOG’s limbs.
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“Ghh!”
(Strong! So he was holding back earlier… But now—now I know—this opponent is stronger than me!)
Reina retreated, gasping for breath inside her cockpit.
Even in that short exchange, her stamina had been drained.
The pressure of a life-or-death battle consumed energy faster than she had anticipated.
“Hahh… hahh…”
“This barrage… it’s just like Kenya-kun…”
Just then, a communication came through.
“Reina, can you hear me?”
“Lord-sama? Yes, I can hear you.”
It was Asgard’s Lord, now arriving on the battlefield with his command tank.
“Withdraw immediately. You cannot win. That pilot defeated Holy Knight Gillian. Focus on escape and retreat to my position.”
“…Understood.”
Lord had instantly deduced from Reina’s struggle that her opponent was the same one who had defeated Gillian.
And he knew—Reina could not win.
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So she had to run.
But turning her back too carelessly would mean instant death.
(Even escaping from this enemy… might be beyond me.)
She cautiously took a step back.
But the KOG before her didn’t move.
A trap?
No—an opponent this skilled wouldn’t need to resort to tricks.
(Why…?)
Step by step, she widened the distance, and finally, she took to the skies and fled. Yet, the KOG did not move at all.
It simply stared straight at her.
“I don’t understand. But… I survived. If I had continued fighting, I would have undoubtedly died.”
Reina returned to the massive, vehicle-shaped military base that served as Lord’s mothership.
The moment she stepped out of the cockpit and set foot on the ground, her knees gave out, and she collapsed to her knees.
“I… I had no idea I was this exhausted…”
The fatigue of a girl who had resigned herself to death was beyond imagination, draining her strength entirely.
After taking some time to rest and resupply, she returned to the command room. Her knees still trembled, but she had recovered somewhat.
“Where is Lord-sama?”
Reina asked a nearby soldier upon entering the command room.
“He stepped out for a bit and asked us to keep watch.”
“I see… But where did he go?”
After waiting for a while, Lord and Sieg entered the command room.
“You’re back. Welcome home, Reina-kun. I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Yes, thank you for the evacuation order. Is Ymir-sama safe?”
“…No, my sister… was shot and killed by the Resistance.”
“!?… I see… My condolences.”
(I should have escorted her safely… No, against that opponent, could I even have—?)
“No, this is not your fault. You fought well. That opponent was the same one who defeated Gillian. Isn’t that right, Sieg?”
“Y-yes! Welcome back, Reina.”
Sieg, who had also returned to the command room, was startled when Lord suddenly called his name.
For some reason, he seemed different than usual, but Reina assumed that her father was simply tense from the battlefield after so long and didn’t think much of it.
(He’s terrifying… Could he really have done… something like that?)
◇ Some time earlier
“Lord-sama, we have secured Ymir-sama. She is currently resting in the nearby mountains. She appears to be utterly exhausted.”
“Haa… haa… Kill her immediately, Sieg. Bring that insolent woman before me! I’ll make her suffer a fate worse than death. Tear off her limbs, gouge out her eyes, and keep her alive so she can never take her own life!”
Sieg stood by, watching over Ymir, who was utterly drained and seated on the ground.
He knew of Gillian, the fallen Holy Knight Commander, as a fellow knight.
Gillian was a recently appointed young knight, but still a Holy Knight Commander—he wasn’t someone who could be defeated so easily.
And yet, what was the outcome?
A KOG cut down in a single stroke.
As if by an overwhelmingly superior force.
(Have the Holy Knights grown weaker? Gillian was certainly among the higher ranks, but… perhaps he had simply gone too long without a real battle.)
Knights grow through war.
Only by risking their lives and claiming victory do they become stronger.
Sieg knew that truth all too well. But recently, there had been fewer and fewer battles that could be called true wars.
As Sieg pondered this, a single KOG descended from the sky.
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It was a royal-exclusive model, adorned much like Ymir’s KOG.
“Lord-sama.”
The KOG knelt, and its pilot disembarked.
“Lord! You came for me!”
Seeing the seemingly gentle, golden-haired young man, Ymir lifted her face in joy.
“Sieg, did anyone see you?”
“No, Ymir-sama’s personal guard is still engaged in battle with the Resistance. I am the only one here.”
“I see. That’s good.”
Below them, a fierce firefight raged.
Ymir’s personal guard was locked in combat with the Resistance, led by Isshin, unable to break away.
“What’s good about that, Lord? Explain it so that even I can understand.”
“There’s no need. Not for someone who is about to die.”
“What…?”
Bang.
A gunshot rang out.
The dry sound of the shot was drowned out by the ongoing battle below, fading into the vast wilderness.
The gun in Lord’s hand fired from his chest, piercing straight through Ymir’s heart.
“Why… Lord…?”
“Goodbye, sister. As for you—”
Ymir collapsed, blood scattering in the air.
“I have nothing but contempt.”