Editing Chronicle Legion:Volume 1 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 4===

The Fuji tutelary fort was located in the Ukishimagahara wetlands of Fuji City in the prefecture of Shizuoka.

Most of the area featured an abundance of nature and even the tutelary fort's surroundings were lush and verdant.

Sites for building tutelary forts would be chosen to avoid densely populated urban centers as much as possible. A low-key rural location would be a sort of second choice&mdash;

This was an unwritten rule stemming from the Charter of Chivalry ratified by various nations. With Emperor Karl the Great as the most prominent example, the Resurrectees loved engaging in the inhumane final resort of diplomacy known as "war." Hypocritical though it may be, the Charter established terms for universally approved justification for war and all nations must abide by it.

...The above were Sir Black Knight's thoughts.

He was also a Resurrectee himself, hence this was quite a pressing matter.

Currently, the Fuji tutelary fort had been taken over by a British contingent of the Restoration Alliance.

The Chevalier castellan and his officers and soldiers had fought valiantly, but had been captured and disarmed in the British victory, and were currently under close guard.

There were unfortunate casualties during the battle, but such unavoidable facts of war did not bear mentioning.

(...In fact, the true meaning of the Charter of Chivalry is to beautify the game known as war, to make it more palatable to the populace. )

Right now, Sir Black Knight was in the underground water shrine.

At this majestic reservoir of ectoplasmic fluid, dozens of pillars stood towering, creating a solemn atmosphere like an ancient Greek temple's. There was also a "bath" inside.

The architectural style of water shrines was practically universal across the globe. Sir Black Knight had seen plenty of them already.

Entering the blue liquid used for bathing, he recited words.

"Shame be to him who thinks ill of it&mdash;Upon my true name and soul, I petition the shrine of this land. Pray share the nourishment of holy water with my soldiers and recognize us as knights of the local land."

Sir Black Knight closed his eyes and prayed, his entire body glowing faintly.

Within his closed and dark field of view, a certain image surfaced.

Giant winged soldiers of black, bearing a strong resemblance to the Crusades. Their jet-black armor shone with the light of fighting spirit and glory. An army of a thousand glorious black knights&mdash;

"O Knights of the Garter, are you urging me to hurry and take to the field?"

Listening to the pleas of his army, Sir Black Knight smiled wryly and opened his eyes.

At that moment, he heard footsteps. Someone had stepped into the bath in leather boots. There was also the rustling of clothing. Presumably, the visitor had entered without undressing.

The entrance was behind Sir Black Knight. He did not know who had arrived, yet he spoke without looking back, "I am not going to say that... I forbid others to share the bath when I am using it, for that would be too boorish. I know not who you are, but I welcome you to undress and join me in here. It is nice to have bonding moments with young knights in the bath once in a while."

Knights were required to maintain composure at all times to exemplify character and principles as dictated by chivalry.

Sir Black Knight would often remind himself of this. However, he heard a "click" behind him, making him very curious what it was.

"Affirmative. As a spirit and not a Chevalier, replenishing ectoplasmic fluid at a water shrine is not quite necessary&mdash;Nevertheless, I shall comply with this command."

As soon as he heard the girl's answering voice, Sir Black Knight hastily turned his head back.

Arriving at the bath was the doll possessed by the genie Morrigan, dressed in a sailor uniform with a beret. She moved her hands to untie the scarf around her neck, producing another "click" from her joints.

"Furthermore, after this event, I shall file a report to the higher-ups&mdash;My superior has subjected me to sexual harassment. Please be forewarned."

The simulacra used by genies were expressionless for the most part, but currently, Morrigan was looking coldly at Sir Black Knight.

"Morrigan, this is not a command. It was my misunderstanding, furthermore..."

Sir Black Knight tried to keep his voice calm but still could not help but raise his voice, "You are the one who is sexually harassing others...! A female coming out here to enter a nude man's presence and even staring at me so rudely!"

"The water shrine is, a facility of particular importance. I wished to verify, by my own eyes."

"Then you could have picked another time in my absence!"

Replenishment of ectoplasmic fluid at water shrines, cold-water ablutions or purification rites were all sacred rituals.

Clothing was not allowed in the bath, hence Sir Black Knight was completely nude. He normally looked quite slim but that was purely a visual effect of his clothing. In fact, his muscular body was steeled through and through.

With his spectacular body thoroughly exposed, Sir Black Knight scolded his subordinate harshly.


"According to my search..." said the genie Morrigan's simulacrum as she walked over to Sir Black Knight.

They had already left the underground water shrine. Walking on the lawn in the Fuji tutelary fort, they were having a stroll within the premises.

"The practice of mixed baths, existed in medieval England and France too. I cannot comprehend, the reason of, your shock and alarm."

"You raise a fair point, but it is a knight's prerogative to uphold virtue and dignity&mdash;"

Just as he was about to argue back, Sir Black Knight came to a realization. Medieval England and France. These words could not have been spoken by someone ignorant of his identity.

"Morrigan, have you figured out my identity?"

"Yes, indeed... Frankly speaking, the riddle's difficulty is not high. There are plenty of hints, simply from observing your words and behavior."

"I see. I suppose that would be the drawback to leaving a name in history."

"No, I believe, it is purely the product of your imprudence."

"You seem to have a talent for biting remarks..."

"This too, is one of our English traditions."

The genie Morrigan had inherited the English customs of biting sarcasm and black humor.

Sir Black Knight deliberately looked up to hide his feelings of embarrassment. Over a hundred British Legions, the Crusades, were on standby in the sky over the Fuji tutelary fort.

Hovering motionless, holding their bayonet rifles in their right hands, they awaited further orders.

These Legions, about to march on Suruga, were commanded by the two Knights of Her Majesty, Sir Steven and Sir Lampard, whom Sir Black Knight had brought with him from England.

It was currently 14:53. The Tōkaidō sky was very clear.

"Yesterday, it was Sir Philneville who attacked Suruga. Are you, going to relieve him of his command?"

"Phil's army has not recovered its numbers yet."

Chevaliers were able to summon Legions, winged giant soldiers, out of thin air.

These mysterious beings could easily recover in a day from wounds, relying only on their innate regeneration. This may sound outrageous, but in any case, they did not need treatment or repairs.

However, the same did not apply to those incapacitated by death or severe injuries.

Critically injured Legions required one or two weeks before they could fully regenerate and return to the battlefield.

"Besides, the Akigase princess taking over as the Suruga castellan... seems to be quite a powerful warrior. According to unverified reports, her Chevalier Strength is outstanding, possibly much higher than Phil's."

"I, see," Morrigan nodded and looked up at the Crusades in the air.

The white British Legions totaled 188. Compared to yesterday, these Legions summoned by Sir Steven and Sir Lampard at the destroyer ''Tintagel'' were increased by more than double.

"Including me, Stevie and Lamps have also finished their tutelary pact at Fuji's water shrine. Currently, this Fuji tutelary fort has become our stronghold..."

The greater a sanctuary's mystic powers, the easier it was to summon large numbers of Legions.

Tutelary forts equipped with water shrines also fulfilled the conditions of a sanctuary. But since tutelary forts were also military facilities, there was no reason for such divine blessings to benefit invaders.

Hence, the "tutelary pact" was a ritual for distinguishing friend from foe.

"...Due to this rule, the way we wage war has become rather archaic." Sir Black Knight smiled wryly and said, "In the end, war has evolved back to tactics of conquering and holding fortresses to use as strongholds. Currently, I would expect the Akigase princess to be forming a new pact at the Suruga water shrine, to turn that area into her own stronghold."

"Yes, indeed. A knight is limited to one, contracted water shrine at a time."

The destroyer ''Tintagel'' was managed by Morrigan.

The ship's power source, a fluid reactor, circulated artificial ectoplasmic fluid to generate mystic powers. Consequently, the ship itself was equivalent to a sanctuary, allowing Legions to be summoned more easily than ordinary land.

However, as a "substitute," its effectiveness could not match a water shrine after all.

This was why the British forces had prioritized conquering the various tutelary forts in Shizuoka, to use them as strongholds.

"The revolution brought by firearms and gunpowder as well as the invention of flying machinery made fortifications easy to obliterate. The word 'siege warfare' disappeared from the battlefield for almost a century... However, we are once again building tutelary forts and devoting effort towards taking castles and defending our own territory."

The medieval Black Knight laughed while he spoke. It really was quite a funny matter.

"Once your principal image&mdash;the <i>Tintagel</i>'s ifrit, Morgan le Fay&mdash;is transplanted to the Fuji tutelary fort, we will sortie along with Stevie and Lamps to witness their abilities."

"As you, wish."

The period from the nineteenth to the twentieth century...

...was a time when methods of warfare evolved rapidly.

Dramatic advances in the accuracy and ammunition capacity of firearms, the replacement of horse-drawn vehicles by automobiles, the advent of wireless technologies and the airplane, the disappearance of cavalry from the battlefield, supplanted by chariots of steel roaming across the plains.

The progress of industrial technology led to the trend of mechanization&mdash;

At the same time, the miracles brought by the sacred beasts also promoted "mystic" developments.

Radar technology first appeared during the Second World War, but fell into disuse once noetic control techniques became established. Furthermore, the bodies of Legions had the property of neutralizing radar waves, thus leading to its obsolescence in the modern world. Intelligence gathered by retainer beasts or human observation was more useful.

In addition, aircraft had failed to become the rulers of the skies.

The skies were controlled by flight-capable retainer beasts and the godlike sacred beasts. Workers in the field of aviation would always go about their days in devout fear, watching out for storms and turbulence caused by these beings on whim. One could inflict severe damage upon human aircraft simply by using noetic waves to summon flocks of birds to collide against the cockpit or engines.

It was currently the year 1998 at the end of the twentieth century, an era when mankind was no longer the lord of all creation.