“Thank you for using Aasgard Airlines today. Our plane will be landing shortly, so please fasten your seatbelts.”
Kenyya and Reina took their seats.
The flight was uneventful, a peaceful journey.
However, looking around, most of the passengers were Asgardians with golden hair.
Reina and Kenyya, with their silver hair, were briefly glanced at with curiosity, but not particularly bothered.
Or rather, it might be more accurate to say that everyone was captivated by Reina’s beauty.
How about it? My little sister is amazing, isn’t she? We’re not blood-related, but she’s seriously cute, right?
“Let’s drop off our luggage at home first. The school entrance is tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, as transfer students.”
And so, the two arrived in the Aasgard Empire.
Reina walked briskly, while Kenyya looked around.
(This is the Aasgard Empire. It’s completely different from modern Japan.)
Asgardians were everywhere as far as the eye could see.
Leaving the airport, there were houses and buildings that looked like they belonged to the wealthy.
This was the capital, Valhalla, a city where the upper class of Asgardians lived.
It’s like Tokyo in Japan, if that makes sense.
I don’t know much about this world, but just by looking, I can clearly tell this is a city.
Among them, Kenyya and Reina were walking through a brightly lit nightlife district.
(It’s like Kabukicho at night… though I’ve never been there.)
“Ken… Brother? Are you coming?”
“Ah, sorry.”
It was already night.
Guided by Reina, they headed to Zeke-san’s main residence.
Although there were streetlights, the night road was dark.
Passing through the dark night road, there was an area with even stronger neon lights.
Just by looking, you could tell it was a red-light district.
A nightlife district that is a staple of any city.
“According to the map, we go straight here.”
“We’re going through here…”
Reina went straight through the red-light district.
It was as if she didn’t care, like walking through an uninhabited wilderness, and Kenyya could only follow her.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t interested.
But Kenyya could tell the situation of the red-light district even from a distance.
Understanding what kind of place it was and what was happening, he wasn’t very enthusiastic about it.
“Hey there, half-breed brother, wanna have some fun! It’s cheap!”
As expected, a tout called out to him.
And his hair was black.
He was probably Asian.
Looking around the town, many women with revealing clothes were making eye contact and trying to entice them.
The old Kenyya would have been grinning from ear to ear.
There were some very beautiful women, and he honestly thought they were sexy for a moment.
But he couldn’t honestly think that way.
“Japanese… and other races too… they must all be…”
“Yes, they are people who had their countries taken from them. Third-Class Citizens.”
The people here were called Third-Class Citizens of the Aasgard Empire.
In other words, they were people who had no freedom of occupation and had to take the jobs they were ordered to.
People who had their marriages, freedom, and even emotions taken away.
“1000 rubies… that’s not much different from the curry powder I bought at the supermarket.”
The currency of the Aasgard Empire.
Comparing it to the price of the curry I bought at the supermarket the other day, there wasn’t much difference between rubies and yen.
Kenyya saw a sign that said 1000 rubies per session.
Just by seeing that, he could clearly understand how they were being treated.
Then, Kenyya was grabbed by the shoulder and had a chest pressed against him.
“How about it, brother! I don’t have any customers today… please help me out? Or else I’ll get beaten.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Oh, you already have a prior engagement. I’m sorry.”
He was startled for a moment, but she left after seeing Reina.
She was about the same age, and she was so beautiful that he would have fallen in love with her instantly if she were in his class, a woman who could have made it as an idol.
Her back as she left.
Kenyya could see a large bruise on her back, hidden by makeup.
“This is terrible, this place.”
“I’m sorry, I should have been more considerate. Let’s change our route.”
“No, it’s fine. I was able to reaffirm the meaning of fighting.”
If Kaguya had lost.
If she hadn’t risen up as a resistance fighter.
That girl might have been here.
If it was by free will, he wouldn’t have thought anything of it.
Whatever job someone chooses is their freedom, and there is no nobility or baseness in occupations.
But in this town, in this country that looks comfortable and spotless.
It was surely made by sacrificing the lives of everyone.
Everything, food, clothing, and shelter, was made using people like slaves.
Someone was enriching themselves.
And even now, they were expanding their military power to increase the number of slaves.
As if to prove that human desire knows no bounds, they were trying to conquer the world.
…
“We’ve arrived.”
And so, the two arrived at Zeke’s main residence.
They were tired from the journey, so they rested immediately.
Kenyya was in Zeke’s room.
It seemed that Reina had her own room prepared for her.
“Well then, good night. I’ll wake up at 7 tomorrow.”
“Yes, good night.”
Kenyya got into bed.
Despite being left unattended, the house was clean and dust-free, and he slept in what must have been Zeke’s room.
“How am I going to contact Kaguya? I asked Zeke-san, but he said he wouldn’t know since they’re enemies.”
He couldn’t think of a way to contact Kaguya.
He didn’t know where she was in the Asian Union, and that country was too vast.
In terms of size, the Aasgard Empire was bigger, but it was too big for Kenyya to understand.
In the previous world, it was like trying to find someone you only knew the name of somewhere in Asia, but you had no way to contact them, and you couldn’t ask the government for help because it was wartime.
Honestly, he thought it would be easy to contact her, but when he thought about it, there was no way to do it in this world.
“Maybe I’ll consult with Lord next time, he’ll probably come up with a good idea, he’s smart.”
He decided to sleep that day.
He thought he would probably have a hard time every day from tomorrow.
…
The next day.
“Good morning. Breakfast is ready.”
“Huh? You prepared it?”
“Yes, I like cooking. I bought it this morning.”
“Oh, I see… thank you. I’ll dig in!”
When he woke up in the morning, Reina had made breakfast for him.
He had been thinking this for a while, but why did Reina like cooking?
Honestly, it was a complete mismatch, and if it were in a game, he would have thought it was a character trait aimed at that kind of gap.
But in this world, everything has a reason.
There must have been something that happened to Reina too.
After eating breakfast, Reina and Kenyya went to school together.
The silver-haired siblings headed to the elite pilot school of the Aasgard Empire, located in the center of the capital, Valhalla.
The school’s name was simply Valhalla Training School.
In the previous world, the university in Tokyo was Todai, so it was probably something like that.
“What kind of school is it, Reina?”
“Well… I don’t know much about it either.”
According to the information Reina knew, it was said to be a different class than the schools in the colonies of each country.
It was a school where powerful nobles, elites, and talented individuals gathered from all over the Aasgard Empire, which boasted the largest territory and population in the world.
“Wow, this is amazing. It’s several levels above Japanese schools.”
“Yes, I don’t think the scale is comparable. It produces the most Holy Knights.”
The gate alone looked incredibly expensive.
It was so shiny that he thought it might all be made of gold.
“Let’s go to the faculty room first. Papa said he had arranged things.”
And so, the two walked through the crowd of Asgardians chatting and enjoying their youth.
Kenyya thought it was like a university.
Silver hair wasn’t that unusual, and as usual, men were just buzzing about how cute Reina was and wanting to ask for her contact information.
“Excuse me. We are from the Sylphid Estate…”
“Hmm? Oh! You’ve arrived! Alright, alright! This way, this way!”
As soon as they entered the faculty room, a cheerful old man with a loud voice waved at Kenyya and Reina.
He was a very stern-looking man in his 50s with an eyepatch on one eye and a huge scar on his face.
He had such a stern face, but his big smile and wave were kind of cute.
“It’s been a while, Colonel Star. I am Reina Sylphid.”
(Oh, Reina knew him.)
“Oh, oh, Reina! When I last saw you, you were this small, and now you’ve grown so big. Is that idiot still in Sector 13?”
“Papa is in charge of that area.”
“I see, I see. I’d like to see him again… And? Is that the one I’ve heard about?”
“Nice to meet you, I am Sword Sylphid.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Star Friedrich. You can call me Colonel Star or Star-san, whatever you like. But to think that guy had a hidden child. I thought he suddenly retired, but could it be because of you? You look like a half-breed, but you don’t look like him at all… No, I shouldn’t pry into family matters. Sorry, forget it.”
(It’s natural since I’m not his real child…)
Colonel Star quickly finished the introductions and stood up to guide them to the classroom.
Kenyya could feel that he was a good person from the way he spoke.
He probably knew Zeke-san. Then, Colonel Star started talking.
“Zeke was my student. I was a new instructor, but he was exceptionally talented, the strongest among the Holy Knights of his generation.”
“Is that so…”
“Can I expect the same from you? I’m not saying you have to be as good as Zeke, but aim to be a Holy Knight! Hahaha!”
“Haha… I’ll do my best.”
“Alright, we’re here. This is your place of learning from today onward. I’ve heard from Zeke that you two are strong. I’ve pulled some strings to get you into this class. This year is unusual; it’s the first time I’ve seen such a gathering of talent.”
Then, Star opens the door.
Inside are several students.
Each of them is glaring at Reina and Kenyya with sharp gazes and faces that suggest they won’t be easy to deal with.
“Welcome, Sword, Reina. This is the Special A-Class. It’s where the strongest of this generation gather.”