A Pair of Socially Ineptiles

The Oath of the Black Rose finally mobilized three days after we occupied the castle.

Goldoh-san had apparently been in contact with the Royalist Faction, and it was decided that we would merge with the main unit. Word on the street was that, thanks to our recent achievements, we might actually be recognized as an official division.

And so, we were on the march.

The Royalist Faction was gathering at the Oriana Plains. The Doem Faction likely intended to meet them there for a showdown. A full-scale war was finally about to kick off. I can’t wait.

Once we cleared the Oriana Plains, the Royal Capital would be right there. I imagined the flow of events would be the Royalists winning on the plains first, then advancing to the capital for a siege. Since my destination for the parts was also the Royal Capital, it was like killing two birds with one stone.

Epsilon was allowed into the unit under the guise of being my younger brother. After marching for a while with the three middle-aged dudes, our group of two—plus a finger—suddenly gained two more "relatives."

I mean, I’ve never seen these people in my life, but sure.

During a break, Epsilon brought over two new elves.

"My name is Kai."

"I am Omega..."

Kai was a blonde beauty in men’s clothes with a short haircut. She looked incredibly dependable. Omega was a black-haired half-elf with heterochromatic gold and silver eyes—the quiet, agent type. They were both using Slime Bodysuits to compress and hide their feminine curves.

"These two are operating as my subordinates," Epsilon said, puffing her chest out with pride.

Subordinates from the Mitsugoshi Company, huh? Epsilon had really moved up in the world.

"I guess it’s fine to call them relatives for now," I said.

"Yes, Brother Cid."

"We’re short on manpower anyway, so we can probably just strong-arm the others into accepting them."

As it turned out, I didn't even have to try; they were accepted as members of the Oath of the Black Rose without a hitch. I mean, what kind of spy would bother infiltrating a ragtag unit like this?

With the two newcomers, we ended up acting separately from the three middle-aged men. It was just me, Epsilon, Kai, Omega, and Violet-san.

Perfect. Now I can play ‘Elite Shadow Unit.’

I figured I could probably use Violet-san like a Funnel from a mecha anime.

With that in mind, I decided to propose a "strategy" while we set up camp after finishing the day's march. The sun had already dipped below the horizon, leaving us illuminated only by the glow of the campfire.

"Alright, everyone gather 'round."

I called over Kai, who had been prepping the pot, and Omega, who was sorting the bedrolls. Epsilon was out in the mountains hunting for meat, but she’d be back soon. I, meanwhile, was the designated fire-watcher. Which is a fancy way of saying I was just staring at the flames.

"Master Cid, do you have some business for us?" Kai appeared with a sharp shwip, looking like she was seconds away from dropping to her knees.

"Is it a mission...?" Omega arrived right after, moving so fast she left an afterimage.

"No, you guys can just walk over normally, you know."

"Y-Yes! I am terribly sorry!"

"I will redo my approach..."

When I looked closer, both of them were stiff as boards. Kai was doing that awkward thing where your left arm and left leg move forward at the same time. Omega’s hands were trembling like leaves. They retreated to their original spots and then walked back toward me, faces pale as ghosts.

This is definitely not normal. But I’m not gonna say anything.

And what was the point of "redoing" it anyway? Actually, I’m not gonna ask that either.

"Master Cid, do you have some business for us?" Kai asked, still doing the robot-walk.

"Is it a mission...?" Omega trembled.

"Let’s just warm up by the fire until Epsilon gets back," I said.

Are they just really sensitive to the cold? Wait... maybe they’re just socially inept.

"To eliminate fear and anxiety, one must first recognize them correctly." I decided to provide a little campfire counseling.

"Yes, sir."

"I see..."

Just for the hell of it, I pulled Violet-san's Finger out of my pocket to warm it up. Both of them jumped and started shivering.

"If you don't identify what you're afraid of, you'll never be able to counter it. A common mistake is to deny the fear and avert your eyes from reality."

"This is very educational."

"The secrets of the battlefield..."

"Denying your emotions is just running away from reality. First, you must accept the fear."

Both of them were listening with such terrifying intensity. Since I was mostly just making it up as I went, I averted my eyes from their piercing, straightforward gazes and looked off toward the horizon.

"Now, look into the fire and face yourselves. What is it you fear? Find the truth..."

"Face... ourselves..."

"Find the truth..."

And there we go. I think we managed to bond a bit before Epsilon got back.