Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 182: The Village of the Guardians
“I never would have expected this… Greg-san, Abel built this village, didn’t he?”
Isamu asked, looking at the landscape that suddenly appeared, reminiscent of the American Wild West.
“Haha, you’re quite sharp. Yes, it’s said to have been constructed under the Abel-sama’s instructions. Apparently, it resembles the old town where he was born.”
“I thought as much.”
Isamu said, nodding as they passed under the gate made of arched wood. If this village mirrors Abel’s hometown, then it must mean he was from the American Midwest.
Of course, “Wild West” encompasses a vast area across America during that time, so the exact location could be anywhere in that region. While they couldn’t replicate the town by the shores of Lake Ashi, the frontier-era wooden structures were much easier to recreate.
“Let me introduce everyone ”
Greg said, guiding the group, who were fascinated by the unfamiliar yet intriguing scenery.
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Beyond the gate was a small plaza, and at its far end stood the largest building, which seemed to be their destination. As expected, the entrance featured a waist-high swinging door, adding to the authentic atmosphere.
Above the door, however, was a wooden sign with Abel’s signature symbol — a fig leaf — showing his personal touch throughout the place.
With a creak, they stepped inside, and it was exactly what you’d expect from a Western saloon. A large counter stood at the back, and shelves behind it were lined with bottles, likely alcohol. The room was spacious, with five four-seater round tables, five standing-height tables, and still plenty of space left.
“This place, as you can see, is both a tavern and a dining hall. It also serves as a meeting place.”
Western saloons often doubled as gathering spaces for the community, so it was indeed a fitting use. Isamu, however, couldn’t help but wonder why such a large facility was necessary when so few people knew about the guardians of Avalushi. Sensing his thoughts, Greg continued.
“About thirty people live here. The guardians are the leaders, but we also need people for maintenance, piloting, carpentry, and blacksmithing. On top of that, some of us rotate living outside the village to stay connected with the world.”
“That makes sense… You’d need skilled workers for upkeep, and someone to buy food and materials, too.”
Isamu agreed.
“Haha, exactly. Sarah has gone to call everyone, so they’ll be gathering shortly.”
True to his word, within thirty minutes, around twenty villagers had gathered.
“That’s everyone, except for the small children and their caretakers.”
Greg said, glancing over the gathered crowd.
This village was home to seven households. Due to the nature of their duties, positions were typically inherited, which meant there were a fair number of children. Marriage partners were also often brought in from outside the village.
“My apologies for suddenly arriving with such a large group… I am Isamu Matsumoto from the Viscount Klaufeldt family. Although, it might make more sense to say I’m a wanderer from the same world as Abel-san.”
Isamu introduced himself on behalf of the group.
“From the same world as the big boss?!”
“A wanderer, huh…”
The gathered villagers murmured in surprise. Given that the people of Avalushi, especially those in this village who upheld Abel’s legacy, held a strong interest in his homeland, their reaction was understandable. Plus, they hadn’t been informed ahead of time, and Sarah likely hadn’t had the chance to fully explain the situation.
Isamu continued once the murmuring quieted.
“Through a fortunate connection with Lillene-san, I’ve come to learn about the magic giant golems, the golems…”
He then explained the situation: that Zun had incited some of the villagers to use their magic golems in war; the recent attack on the Klaufeldt territory, known for producing non-attribute magic stones; and how they had joined forces with Lillene to reclaim Avalushi’s magic golems and counterattack. He also explained that they had selected those with high mana pass to come to the village.
“Thank you for explaining, Lord Matsumoto. I’m Norman, that old man’s son.”
A man introduced himself as Greg’s son. His facial resemblance to Greg suggested he was his biological son, not an adopted son-in-law.
“First of all, I want to apologize for the trouble caused by my kin.”
Isamu quickly reassured him.
“No, Norman-san, there’s no need for you to apologize. The situation is still manageable, and, after all, our country’s nobles are involved too, so we’re in the same boat when it comes to the shame brought upon our families.”
Norman looked relieved and nodded.
“I appreciate you saying that. It’s not much, but while you’re here, please make yourself at home.”
“Thank you, we appreciate it. Just knowing there’s an ancient magic giant golem here has me excited! And also…”
Isamu said, trailing off as he opened his bag.
“I hear there’s a friend of this little one around here.”
“Nyaa,” came the soft meow of Orihime as she emerged from the bag and perched on Isamu’s shoulder, letting out her usual short cry.
“What! Matsumoto-dono! you also keep a cat? There are seven cats living in this village right now, so we should introduce them to each other later.”
Norman said with a smile, narrowing his eyes at Orihime. He gently extended his index finger toward her face.
“Meowww…”
After sniffing Norman’s outstretched finger for a while, Orihime gave it a quick lick before letting out a longer meow.
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“You’re all so good with cats here in Avalushi.” I
Isamu remarked with a small nod. He had observed that offering a finger was the proper way to greet a new cat, since cats introduce themselves to each other by touching noses.
“She’s such a smart and beautiful cat. Nice to meet you, Orihime.”
Norman said, bringing his finger even closer. Orihime responded by rubbing her cheek against it affectionately.
After everyone had finished introducing themselves, the group settled into some casual conversation.
“What a cute little one!”
“Orihime, you should come over to my place later. I’ve got some special dried meat just for cats!”
As expected, Orihime became the center of attention. Since the villagers were already used to being around cats, she was being treated with a friendliness that felt natural. Isamu couldn’t help but think to himself that it felt like being in a cat café.
“Wait, Julius has a mana pass of 10?! And the young lady over there has an 8? That’s incredible…”
“Yeah, the only other person with a pass higher than 8 is Lady Lillene, right?”
After Orihime, the next topic of conversation was the high mana pass scores of Julius and Tiramisu. As Lillene had mentioned earlier, a score of 10 was extremely rare, and even a score of 8 was something only she had in all of Avalushi at the moment.
Isamu reflected that the distinct way Lillene’s magic giant golem moved when he saw it in the Plazzo territory must have been thanks to her high mana pass.
After communicating and bonding with the villagers, Isamu and his group had dinner at the saloon and stayed overnight on the second floor, which served as their lodging space. During their time in the village, this would be their base of operations.
Interestingly, after dinner, some villagers expressed great curiosity upon seeing Isamu and the others taking a bath, and it was decided that they would have a chance to experience it themselves the next day. Since Isamu’s group was quite large, there wouldn’t be enough time for everyone to relax in the bath of the bath-mobile. If the villagers enjoyed it, Isamu thought it might be a good idea to build a bathhouse in the village.
The next morning, after breakfast, the group headed toward what the villagers called the hangar. However, the entrance to the hangar was reportedly located within the saloon.
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“This is the hidden door.”
Norman explained, guiding them to the kitchen accessed through a door at the back of the saloon’s first floor.
There were two large refrigerators in the kitchen, and Norman placed his hands on the doors of each one, murmuring.
“Final safety system has been… disabled.”
Upon hearing that, Isamu reacted subtly, whispering to himself in his mind, (So, the final safety device is disabled, huh? Abel is thorough. Well, it makes sense in this context.)
Sure enough, in response to Norman’s words, the refrigerators silently slid apart, revealing a gaping entrance in the wall.
After descending a dimly lit staircase wide enough for three adults to stand side by side, their view suddenly expanded. In contrast to the staircase, the hangar was brightly lit with a high ceiling.
“This is quite an impressive hangar.”
Isamu exclaimed as he stepped inside and took in the full view. The spacious hangar had high ceilings and was as large as a gymnasium, illuminated brightly by lights.
The materials used for the floor and walls resembled those found at the site where they discovered the parts of the magic giant golems in the rocky desert. At the far end of the expansive warehouse, two magic giant golems stood imposing and majestic.
“It seems this hangar was originally one of the excavated ruins. They built the village on top of it, adding the rock mountain camouflage and the mechanisms for the staircase as an afterthought.”
Norman explained.
“I see. The atmosphere here does resemble ruins.”
Isamu acknowledged, looking around the hangar again. The two magic giant golems prominently captured his attention.
“…The purple-based one is Abel’s beloved machine, and the yellow-based one is the backup, right?”
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Isamu asked, looking at the uniquely colored machines.
“Exactly. It was ordered by the boss that three machines were to have special color schemes, and these two are among them. The remaining one is…”
“Lilliene’s red machine, isn’t it?”
“…That’s right. What’s this, a kind of law that people from the same world as the boss can understand?”
“Ahaha, not everyone, but considering Abel’s tastes, it seems plausible.”
As Norman asked with a curious expression, Isamu chuckled and walked deeper to get a closer look at the machines. Suddenly, something darted out from a pile of parts nearby.
“Meow!”
“Meow!”
The small bundle of fur that popped out, though small in size, dashed towards Isamu’s feet while energetically meowing.
“K-k-kittens!?”
“Meow, meow, meow!”
Isamu was surprised as two kittens rubbed their heads and faces against his legs, meowing excitedly. They looked to be about three months old—one a calico and the other a tabby.
“Hey, hey! Kiki! Leo! Stop that!”
As Isamu was petting the playful kittens alongside Mizeroi and Tiramisu, Sarah hurried over, flustered.
“Oh, Sarah! Are these your kittens?”
“Yeah, they’re from our Lucy, who had them this year. The father is probably Shadow from my grandfather’s place.”
“That’s amazing! They really are breeding cats!”
Tiramisu exclaimed, lifting the calico kitten in surprise, while Isamu nodded in awe beside her. Though he had understood that there were more cats after seeing Lilliene’s black cat, witnessing the kittens in person made it feel entirely different.
“Ho ho ho, I apologize for the noise.”
Greg came over, a black cat cradled in his arms. It was probably Shadow, the cat Sarah mentioned.
“Good morning, Greg. I must say, I’m quite moved to see kittens after such a long time.”
Isamu replied.
“Ho ho, I’m glad to hear that. For us Avalusians, especially for the pilots of the magic giant golems, cats are literally our partners.”
“Partners? Isn’t it different from being cherished as family or a companion? Is it more like a familiar?”
Isamu asked, curious about Greg’s choice of words.
“It has been confirmed that when piloting alongside a cat, the mana power pass can sometimes become stronger. This doesn’t apply to all cats or all pilots, though.”
Norman, who had been walking up from behind, answered Isamu’s inquiry.
“Wait, really? That can happen!?”
Isamu exclaimed.
“Indeed. It’s said to have about a 30% probability. By the way, neither I nor my grandfather experienced this, but my daughter Sarah has seen improved operability when piloting with Lucy.”
“Ho ho, Lilliene has also mentioned that it enhances her abilities. Well, we still don’t understand the differences in whether it actually strengthens them, but regardless, piloting together is a nice experience. It can be quite lonely when you’re in control.”
“Lonely…”
Isamu repeated.
“Well, you’ll understand once you try piloting.”
Norman encouraged, noticing Isamu’s uncertain expression.
“By the way, to pilot together, you must be chosen by the cat, you know? If a cat doesn’t want to, it will run away if you try to force it.”
Norman added.
Not everyone in Avalushi can pilot alongside a cat; only those whom the cats approach can become partners in piloting. There are some who manage to attract the affection of multiple cats, while others may find themselves completely ignored.
Isamu recalled that on Earth, there were always people who seemed to be liked or disliked by cats for some inexplicable reason. He then turned to his partner, Orihime, who was akin to his other half.
“Orihime, will you pilot with me?”
“Meow!”
Perched on his shoulder, Orihime puffed out her chest as if to say, “Of course!” and placed her paw on Isamu’s head.
“Meow—”
“Meow—”
Kiki, the calico kitten, and Leo, the tabby kitten, were scratching at Isamu’s feet while giving it their all in meowing.
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“Wait, is this… could they be trying to get my attention?”
Isamu wondered, feeling confused as the two kittens continued to rub against him, seemingly ready to climb up his legs.
“Meow meow!”
Just then, Orihime, who had been perched on Isamu’s shoulder, leapt down and began communicating with the two kittens.
“Meow meow—”
“Meow—”
“Meow—”
After a little while of exchanging meows, Kiki and Leo lowered their tails and slowly backed away from Isamu’s feet. They glanced back occasionally, peeking at him, but each time they did, Orihime scolded them with a firm “Meow!”
“Isamu-sama, you’re quite popular…”
Tiramisu remarked, observing the whole scene with a somewhat jealous expression. Just then, Kiki approached Tiramisu.
“Meow.”
“Oh!? Do you want some comfort? That’s fine by me!”
Tiramisu exclaimed as she looked down at Kiki with droopy eyebrows, scooping her up for some cuddles.
“Meow.”
“Wait, me?!”
Meanwhile, Leo had snuggled up to Julius’s feet.
“Whoa, that tickles!”
Julius exclaimed, startled, as he hesitantly picked Leo up, who began licking Julius’s cheek.
“Ho ho ho, it seems they’ve taken a liking to you two! If you’re willing, would you care for them?” Greg suggested.
“Wait!? Is that okay?!”
Tiramisu’s eyes widened in surprise as she held Kiki close.
“Of course. These little ones don’t have a partner yet, so if you can show them some love, I’ll gladly let you take them. Matsumoto-dono, who knows a lot about cats, is nearby, so you can rest easy.” G
Greg replied.
“Oniisan, Oneesan, is it really okay?!”
Julius asked excitedly.
“Ha ha, of course! I’m sure your Mother would be happy about it too.”
Isamu responded.
“Make sure to listen to Isamu’s advice and take good care of them, okay?”
Annemarie added with sparkling eyes, and the two nodded back with smiles.
Once the unexpected kitten adoption event settled down, the lecture on the magic giant golems finally began.
“This is the cockpit.”
Norman said, leading the group to the side of the hangar.
There was a two-meter square area marked by thin pillars at each corner, with a chair placed in the center. The raised floor was densely covered with magic circles, and upon closer inspection, the pillars and chair were also completely inscribed with intricate magic symbols.
“This is one insanely detailed magic circle…”
Eto muttered, letting out a sigh.
“Hmm, I can read some parts, but at a glance, I can’t tell how it all connects… This is going to take some serious time and effort to decipher.”
Isamu added with a groan. While there were portions he could understand, the sheer complexity of the design made it impossible to grasp the full picture.
“In the drawings we saw at the ruins, it looked like the magic golems mimicked human movements directly, but this setup has you sitting down to control them.”
Willem remarked, looking at the cockpit with curiosity.
“Yeah, it’s odd… Could it be a different generation of technology?”
Isamu agreed, tilting his head in thought. Up until now, they had assumed it was controlled remotely using a master-slave method.
“I’m not sure about the mechanics, but once you sit in that chair, it feels like your soul transfers into the magic golem. From there, you just will it to move like it’s another body… But this isn’t something I can explain easily. Everyone experiences it differently, so you just have to get used to it.”
Norman explained.
“Your soul…?”
“Is that what the mana pass is?”
Eto asked, pondering aloud.
“It might be. But you lose all sense of what’s happening at the cockpit once you’re inside the giant. That’s why it’s standard practice to have a partner nearby to protect the pilot.”
Norman added.
Since the pilot’s senses are transferred entirely to the magic golem, they lose awareness of their surroundings in the cockpit. They can’t move until they break the connection. While the pilot can see and hear through the golem, they are unable to speak. This likely explains why the magic golems they had seen previously communicated using hand signs.
“I see… That does sound dangerous. How far can it be controlled from?”
Isamu asked.
“It varies depending on the strength of the mana pass connection and compatibility, but at the very least, it can be controlled from 5 kilometers away. For someone like Lady Lilliene, even 10 kilometers is no problem.”
Norman replied.
“At least 5 kilometers!? That’s incredible…”
Isamu exclaimed, amazed. Normally, at such a distance, you would expect to feel some sort of time lag, but the magic power connection seemed to be on a whole different level. Considering the methods of warfare in this world, Ethersia, being 10 kilometers away from the battlefield would essentially place you in a safe zone.
“Alright then, who wants to try moving it first? Any takers?”
Norman asked.
“Me, me, me! I wanna do it!!”
Tiramisu eagerly responded, practically jumping at the chance to go first. As expected, the ever-enthusiastic Tiramisu couldn’t wait.