Anomaly Ch. 55 (Patreon)

Shirou sat on a makeshift seat, around a makeshift table, at a makeshift camp. After encountering Itami’s unit, he had suggested that they take a small break, if only to give him an opportunity to talk.

The leaders agreed, and allowed everyone to settle down for a while. Itami and the others quickly joined in helping, much to the suspicion of just about everyone else.

Still, a stern look from Anatoly and the others were enough to cow those that might've acted into silence. For now, no violence would be had as they sat down in front of each other.

That didn't make things any less awkward as they did so.

Shirou would even go so far as to say that things were even more awkward because of it.

A clear divide at the table was visible, with the JSDF soldiers on one side, the leaders on another, and Shirou’s own group near the back, though notably, Shirou himself was very much in the middle. There was a commentary there that the Enforcer wasn’t equipped to deal with. Hopefully, Komakado didn’t need his help beyond explanations.

“Okay!” It was Itami that broke the awkward stalemate, clapping his hands together, “Emiya-san, I think I speak for everyone here when I ask, what the hell is going on?” 

“First, let me confirm my identity for everyone else here.” A nod to the other leaders, who were silently listening as Itami’s words were translated, “Yes, Chulainn is not my identity, as some of you have likely suspected.”

Several nods at that. It would have been foolish of them to not be suspicious in the first place, but it was better to not look too closely lest Shirou stop helping them.

“In truth, I am Emiya Shirou. I represent the London Clock Tower as a Sen-sorry, Junior Enforcer. I come from the other side of the Gate, and my current role is to ensure that another incursion into our world does not happen again.” Another set of nods, understanding this time.

And in all honesty, they likely did understand. Not everyone in this world had the same ideas for glory behind the Gate. Others even saw it as a sacrilege, as they viewed the world beyond the Gate as holy land that shouldn’t be touched. And how could they not think of that? Alnus itself had been apparently the origin of every single species that Shirou had encountered so far. Not a single demi-human species he had asked had originated from this side of the Gate.

Their vehemence against incursions into the Gate, then, was only solidified when the Empire decided to raid across it.

While it was common for folk to come out of the Gate, rare was it when people went back in. When people first discover the Gate, it’s easy enough to see why it would interest them to check out what was beyond it. But for the people already here? Everyone, every single species that came through, knows that going through it could mean being at the mercy of whatever peoples were on the other side.

The Empire was the only entity that was both organized enough, and had the will to do so.

“Regardless of your identity, you have assisted us in our emancipation.” Kaelun - the dark elf - spoke up with a nod, “In fact, had you told us that Chulainn were your actual identity, we would have been more suspicious. Certainly, no Celt I’ve met has acted as polite as you have.”

“Aye, and if the attitude didn’t do it, the complete lack of drinking would have.” The dwarven leader, Baldan, continued sagely. There was a chorus of affirmations around the table, to which Shirou had to awkwardly look away.

It seemed even across worlds, the Celtic stereotype was well and alive.

“Alright, sure, we know that.” Itami interjected, a hard look forming on his features, “But that doesn’t exactly explain how that relates to...well, this.” He gestured broadly with a hand, encompassing the wagons, the nervous Warrior Bunnies, and the perimeter of armed orcs. “You’re running a refugee column the size of a small village through the heart of the Empire. And you’ve got Tuka and Lelei mixed up in it.”

“I didn’t drag them into anything.” Shirou corrected, his voice flat. He glanced at the blue-haired mage, “If anything, they’re the ones who refused to be left behind.”

“We are not parcels to be mailed, Lieutenant.” Lelei said, her Japanese accented but clear. She adjusted her grip on her staff, looking entirely too calm for a girl sitting across from assault rifles, “Chulainn - Shirou - required assistance. We provided it.”

“And the ‘laborers’?” Kurokawa asked, her eyes drifting past Shirou to where Tyuule sat. The medic’s gaze lingered on the faint, pale line on the Queen’s neck. “That’s what you called them, right? But those aren’t laborer marks.”

“Legal fiction.” Shirou admitted, “The Empire loves its bureaucracy almost as much as it loves its pride. Calling them ‘freed slaves’ would be a slap in the face to the Senate and a declaration of war against the Prince. Calling them ‘Imperial laborers under my supervision’ allows the Emperor to look away while we walk out the front door.”

“So you’re smuggling them.” Kuribayashi summarized, looking at him with a strange expression. It wasn’t quite admiration, but the hostility had drained out of it, “Under the Emperor’s nose.”

“With his tacit permission.” Shirou corrected, “It’s a bribe. Distance for silence.”

“A bribe.” Itami repeated, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked tired, “And here I was hoping for a quiet recon mission. Now I’ve found a diplomat acting as a smuggler, a Japanese civilian-” 

“Technically not a civilian. Was part of the Intelligence when I got napped.”

“-possible Intelligence officer then - who’s been missing for months, and a small army of demi-humans.”

“We are not an army.” Tyuule spoke up.

The table went quiet. It was the first time the former Queen had spoken directly to the soldiers in green. Her eyes were faintly glowing, and Shirou could smell the faint hint of magecraft being used, muffled as it was. Her Japanese was sharp, commanding, the tone of someone used to being obeyed, even when she wore rags.

“We are what is left.” She said, her red eyes boring into Itami, “And we are not looking for new masters. If you and your...green men intend to stop us, you will find that we have very little left to lose.”

The tension, which had just started to bleed away, ratcheted back up. Kuribayashi’s hand twitched toward her rifle. The Yaga behind Tyuule bristled.

Shirou felt the familiar hum of magical energy in his circuits.

“They aren’t here to stop us, Tyuule.” Shirou said, putting a firm edge in his voice. He looked at Itami, “Right?”

Itami sighed, a long, suffering sound that seemed to come from the depths of his soul, “If I stop you, I have to process you. If I process you, I have to do paperwork for, what, three hundred people? And then I have to explain to my superiors why I interfered with a ‘diplomatic mission’ sanctioned by the Empire.” He shook his head, “I’m lazy, Emiya-san. I’m not that stupid.”

He looked at Komakado, “Besides, our priority is getting Japanese citizens to safety. Komakado-san is coming with us?”

“Eventually.” Komakado said, leaning back and crossing his arms, “But I’ve been with this lot since the start. I’m seeing them to Italica. Someone has to make sure the kid doesn’t work himself to death.”

“You sure about that?” Itami asked, looking at the older man with a mixture of respect and incredulity, “The truck has AC. And suspension. And I think Kuribayashi has a stash of chocolate somewhere in the back.”

“Hey!”

“I’m good.” Komakado waved him off, a small, tired smile playing on his lips, "I've gotten a bit used to the rugged lifestyle. Might as well continue with it while it lasts. Besides, someone needs to keep the peace between the disparate groups back there. You military types tend to make everyone nervous just by standing there.”

Itami shrugged, conceding the point, “Suit yourself. Less paperwork for me if I don’t have to log a civilian extraction right this second.” He turned his gaze back to Shirou, “So, Italica. That’s the plan?”

“It is.” Shirou confirmed, “It’s the only place close enough with the infrastructure to support this many people, and politically ambiguous enough to host us without immediate reprisal from the capital.”

“And then what?” Itami pressed, his tone dropping the casual veneer for a moment. “You drop off three hundred refugees and just leave? The Empire isn’t going to just forget about them, Emiya-san. Especially if the Prince is as vindictive as the reports say.”

They had reports? Maybe Shirou had underestimated the JSDF a bit too much, not expecting that.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Right now, the priority is getting them behind walls before whatever is after us catches up.”

"You have someone following you?" Itami narrowed his eyes.

"Not to my knowledge, but it's better to assume than not."

“It’s a safe bet.” Itami conceded with a grimace, “From what we’ve gathered, Prince Zorzal isn’t exactly the type to let a grudge go cold. If anything, he’s probably fuming that his ‘property’ walked out on him.”

“Which is why we need to keep moving.” Shirou stood up, the legs of his makeshift chair scraping against the dirt, “We’ve lost enough time as it is. If you’re heading back to Alnus, our paths diverge at the next fork, correct?”

Itami blinked, then pulled a folded map from his pocket, spreading it out on the table, “Actually, not quite. We were ordered to scout the road to Italica as well. Assess the damage from the earthquakes, check for bandit activity.” He tapped a finger on the paper, “So, technically, we’re going the same way.”

Shirou paused, “Technically?”

“Technically.” Itami grinned, a lopsided expression that didn’t quite reach his eyes, “Look, I can’t offer you an escort. That would be ‘interference in local political affairs’ or whatever the brass calls it this week. But if we just happen to be driving down the same road, at roughly the same speed, well, it’s a free country. Sort of.”

“You’re offering to be a deterrent.” Lelei observed.

“I’m saying I have a schedule to keep.” Itami corrected smoothly, folding the map back up, “And if a large group of refugees happens to be traveling in my blind spot, that’s hardly my fault.”

Shirou had interacted with Itami on multiple occasions while in Alnus. Every time, the JSDF soldier had shown himself to be incredibly relaxed, sometimes to the point of seeming incompetence.

Yet, there was no way anyone who went through paratrooper and ranger courses was like that. While not on the level of Enforcer courses or the like, the Japanese ranger course was still known enough to push the boundaries of human will. Quite literally, not everyone was built for it, and going through them required both mental and physical strength in spades.

Therefore, Shirou could only nod in respect for the man in front of him, who held the same mask that Zelretch wore: that of a bumbling fool that had no business in being here. 

"I’ll take you up on that technicality then, Itami." Shirou said, extending a hand.

Itami shook it, his grip firm, contrasting his lazy demeanor, "Just don't make me regret it. If the MP comes sniffing around, I'm blaming the language barrier."

"Understood."

"Alright! Break's over!" Itami turned back to his squad, clapping his hands with feigned enthusiasm, "Let's mount up. We've got a lot of ground to cover and I want to be in Italica before my back gives out entirely."

Shirou turned back to his group. Komakado was already heading for the wagons, looking relieved that he wouldn't have to explain his existence to a tribunal just yet. Tuka and Lelei were waiting, the elf looking curious while the mage seemed to be mentally cataloging every piece of equipment the JSDF soldiers carried.

Kuribayashi, who had been hovering near the High Mobility Vehicles, shot a lingering look at Shirou. There were a hundred questions in her eyes - about the magic, about the disguise, about why a civilian was commanding a regiment of demi-humans - but a sharp whistle from Itami sent her scrambling into the gunner’s turret.

Shirou felt a tug at the hem of his clothes, finding Tuka looking quite a bit worried, "Was it alright not to mention the other slaves that we couldn't save?"

"In my experience?" Komakado cut in before Shirou could reply, "It's better for now."

“Rumors are a dangerous thing, especially in an unsettled zone.” The older man continued, lowering his voice so only the immediate circle could hear, “If you tell Itami’s squad the gritty details now, that story travels. Soldiers talk. They talk to their buddies, they talk to their families back home.”

Komakado gestured vaguely at the green-clad soldiers who were currently mounting up into their vehicles.

“Next thing you know, you have public outcry based on half-truths before the official report even hits the Prime Minister’s desk. That ties the government’s hands. If we want the JSDF to actually do something about the Empire later, the intel needs to come from a verified source. It needs to go up the proper chain of command - meaning me - not filtered through the emotions of a refugee crisis.”

He gave Shirou a pointed look, “You’re an operator, Emiya. You know that sometimes the truth needs to be packaged correctly to be a weapon. Delivered raw, it’s just a mess.”

“Politics.” Shirou muttered, the word tasting like ash, though he understood the logic. It wasn’t dissimilar to the way the Mage’s Association operated; unverified information caused chaos, and chaos got people killed. If the JSDF soldiers got riled up and acted on their own accord, it could jeopardize the safety of the three hundred lives currently depending on this fragile cold war.

“Logistics.” Komakado corrected with a smirk, pushing himself off the side of the cart, “Same difference. Now, let’s get moving before our ‘escort’ decides to leave us in the dust.”

Tuka looked between the two men, her long ears drooping slightly. She clearly didn’t like the answer, but she nodded nonetheless. She had seen enough of Shirou’s decision-making to trust that, even if she didn’t understand the method, the intent was to save lives.

“I'll go check on the others.” Tuka said softly, slipping away toward the rear of the cart where Lelei was already seated.

Shirou watched her go, then turned his attention back to the road. The break was over.

The convoy groaned back to life.

Itami’s High Mobility Vehicles took the lead, kicking up a cloud of dust as they rolled slowly forward. They kept a pace that was agonizingly slow for a combustion engine but pushing the limit for the horse-drawn wagons.

Shirou snapped the reins, his cart jerking forward to fall into line.

Behind him, the column organized itself with a discipline that spoke of Tyuule’s influence. The Warrior Bunnies flanked the civilians, eyes scanning the treeline, while the Yaga brought up the rear. It was a formation born of paranoia and necessity.

As the wheels began to turn, Shirou found his gaze drifting to the vehicle directly ahead of him. He could see Kuribayashi in the turret, her back to him, scanning the perimeter. Every now and then, she would glance back at him, or rather, at the strange collection of people in his cart.

He could only imagine what was going through her head. To her, he was likely a puzzle with too many missing pieces - a Japanese boy in a fantasy land, commanding monsters, allied with spies, and wielding powers she had witnessed firsthand but likely couldn't comprehend.

Literally a manga and anime character brought to life, funnily enough.

Let her wonder, Shirou thought, shifting his grip on the reins. Reinforcing his eyesight, he looked past the military convoy, toward the horizon where the sun was beginning its descent.

Italica was out there.

And if his instincts were right, so was the trouble that Itami was so casually trying to ignore.

…

A/N: So, originally, another chapter was going to get uploaded today, for a total of 3 chapters this week, one each for CD, for Anomaly, and Living Life. Except I kinda need quite a bit more time than I anticipated for the last one, since it's both a Christmas chapter and canon and I have work now. From how it's currently going though, I'll be pushing it back a bit since I need to do a bit more of a refresh of both series' than just through memory alone. Unfortunately, I don't know when I'll be finished with that one, so it'll just be a regular chapter next time for Living Life.