Humans recognize unfamiliarity even without their senses.

The bed was relatively comfortable, and the room small but tidy. Still, I hadn't slept very deeply. My body hadn't adjusted to the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Please wake up."

The subtle difference in the pillow's height. The slight change in my posture from the softness of the mattress. It was a little warmer than the bottomless pit, and dustier. On top of that, noises from outside kept grating on my nerves.

The smell of military soap lingered around my nose, along with the scent of dried grass. An unfamiliar smell. Not unpleasant, but distracting—the smell of the Military State. A dry freshness seeped through it.

"Please wake up... Three wake-up requests attempted. Further attempts deemed pointless."

Even the noise reaching my ears was something I had never heard before. All these sensations were disturbing my sleep. Such shallow sleep that I felt I would wake if someone so much as spoke to me...

"In accordance with the response manual, I will activate the forced awakening protocol."

Wait. This felt familiar.

"WEEEEEEEEEE!"

"AAAAAAARGH!"

Startled by the sudden noise, I rolled across the bed. When I scrambled to my feet, the captain was staring straight at me, already fully dressed in her uniform.

She looked so unruffled, as though she had no idea what she'd just done, that I shouted at her.

"Why are you screaming?!"

"It is ten minutes past wake-up time. You failed to wake even after I turned off the alarm and finished my preparations, leaving me no choice but to implement the forced awakening protocol."

"Just give me a tap instead! That would be better!"

The captain nodded.

"First comes a request, second a warning, and third the use of force. Direct physical contact with another person must be left until later."

"That warning is as violent as using force! It's like punching my eardrums! Just touch me and wake me up gently instead!"

"Request denied. Approaching close enough to make physical contact risks damage to the golem from reflexive flailing of the arms and legs."

"Captain AB, you're in your real body right now."

The captain blinked twice, then exclaimed,

"Oh!"

Good grief, you dimwit.

How long had she lived through golems that she still wasn't used to her own body?

"Besides, even if I flail around, it won't hurt you. Next time, just pat my shoulder to wake me."

"... Input recorded."

The captain accepted with evident displeasure.

After putting on my clothing packet, I went downstairs for the breakfast provided. Having filled up on canned bean soup and standard-issue bread, we took our passes and headed straight for the meta-conveyor belt terminal.

The supply officer saluted the captain, then quickly checked our passes.

"Amitengrad terminal. Two travelers, estimated travel time approximately three days. Take sleeping bags for the nights, multipurpose lamps, canteens, and provisions. Would you prefer packet sleeping bags? We also stock non-packet sleeping bags for those with insufficient mana."

"A packet for me, please. And..."

The captain stole a glance at me. I scratched my head, pretending to be a little embarrassed.

"A non-packet one for me, please. Unlike Bee, I'm a bit short on mana."

'Bee?! Still?!'

Though I was only Level 1, the supply officer answered politely, perhaps because I was the captain's family.

"Understood. A non-packet sleeping bag for your older brother. Its performance may be less than adequate, so make good use of the straps."

'Negative! He is not my older brother...! Ugh! Patience! This will all be over once we board the meta-conveyor belt!'

Would it, though? Did she think I'd abandon this delightful false identity just because we were on the meta-conveyor belt?

Haha. Not a chance.

Having collected all our supplies, AB and I headed for the boarding point.

Even at night, when everyone sleeps, the ground flows and cargo arrives. What, then, is the solution?

Simple. Don't let the convict laborers sleep.

Since the cargo arriving overnight also had to be hauled off, the convict laborers worked in day and night shifts. With exhaustion etched darkly beneath their eyes, the night-shift laborers glanced back and forth between the containers approaching in the distance and the day shift coming to relieve them.

Some brightened at the sound of us approaching, thinking we were their relief, only to be bitterly disappointed. Then they turned away, afraid of catching the captain's eye. Sighing, they prepared both to dash toward the cargo at any moment and to hand over their shift.

We passed them and headed for the pedestrian lane.

The "people" who rode the meta-conveyor belt were long-distance travelers, particularly soldiers being transferred to other regions or carrying out operations. Unlike cargo, they could get on and off of their own accord.

Thus, at the boarding point for passengers, a smartly turned-out guard stood in place of the bedraggled convict laborers.

"Verified, Captain. And the captain's older brother."

'Nega... Even denying it is exhausting. I just want to leave...'

Considering her expression hadn't changed through all this, she must have received some training. Either that, or she'd given up entirely.

"Your estimated arrival time is noon three days from now. Be sure to step off the flow on time. Otherwise, you'll make another full circuit on its never-ending course."

Perhaps that was the wonder of the meta-conveyor belt: even a simple statement of facts became something comical. There was a reason the engineering corps members who'd worked on it twenty-five years ago went around looking so smug.

Really, without this thing, the Military State would have run itself into the ground long ago.

The gate opened as the guard saluted. The captain returned his salute, while I dipped awkwardly at the waist and raised a hand a little, like a clueless civilian making a vague attempt to copy her. The guard did not acknowledge my greeting.

'Must be nice having a captain for a younger sister. Even gets to ride the meta-conveyor belt for free. Tch. Can't one of my little siblings get into a military academy...?'

Leaving behind the guard whose thoughts were as undisciplined as his posture was correct, we stepped onto the flowing ground.

Our bodies lurched for a brief instant as we first set foot on it. But we quickly steadied ourselves.

The terminal moved at a tenth of the main flow's speed. At this pace, we couldn't even stagger. I watched the terminal slowly recede. Even the slowest automobile moved faster than this, so the world seemed to drift by at a leisurely walking pace.

But then...

As tributaries flowing from other terminals merged into one, the meta-conveyor belt gradually began to pick up speed.

Containers not stopping here passed straight through the terminal. Just beyond it was the point where the tributaries merged. A container that had looked tiny in the distance drew closer and closer until it filled my vision.

At the same time, I began to truly feel our speed. Before I knew it, wind was whistling past my ears.

It was a strange sight. My feet were clearly planted on the same ground, and it was still solid beneath me. Yet the scenery passing outside kept changing.

It was as though the world were racing backward, leaving us behind.

A nearby sign vanished without us. A distant tree strolled leisurely toward the rear. And yet the world immediately around us remained unchanged.

The wind blew. What proved this ground was racing along was the stationary air. Though the wind sometimes moved, on the larger scale it stood still, striking us head-on whenever the meta-conveyor belt advanced.

The symbols of stillness and motion had traded places, howling at the incongruity.

"... Cold wind. Quite biting. I've never felt anything like it..."

Dressed in an instructor's uniform, the captain held her cap tight to keep it from blowing away as she spoke. Meanwhile, I wrapped the flapping sleeping bag around my face and shouted.

"What do you want to do? Bundle up in our sleeping bags here, or walk around and look for other people?"

"... Walking would be preferable. I cannot agree with seeking out other people, but we do appear to need a windbreak."

"All right. Let's go!"

We each took a step.

I went against the flow of the ground; the captain went with it.

After three steps apiece, we realized the other wasn't following and whipped our heads around. Up ahead, the captain shouted, clutching her cap.

"Surely we should go forward! Walking backward when we could arrive sooner goes against the mission!"

"You want to walk with this wind in our faces? Don't be ridiculous! It's bad enough taking it on our backs! How are we supposed to go forward?!"

"We cannot neglect our mission over something as trivial as wind!"

"Are you underestimating the wind? Go against it and it'll blow you away! Obviously we should walk toward the back while we look!"

Our opinions ran parallel, never to meet. Nothing for it. I would have to invoke the precious convention humanity had devised to resolve such petty disputes.

I raised my fist high and shouted.

"Let's settle it with rock-paper-scissors!"

The captain firmly shook her head.

"Negative. That is out of the question. We cannot determine our approach to a mission with something like rock-paper-scissors."

"Oh, come on!"

Was this diligence or sheer inflexibility?

How on earth had the Military State produced someone like her? If every citizen obeyed orders as willingly as Captain AB, this country would have remained wealthy and militarily powerful forever.

"I really didn't want to resort to this."

Still, going forward was madness. Rather than walk against that gale in search of a windbreak we might never find, I'd sooner endure wind-based attack magic.

So you brought this on yourself, Captain.

I spun around.

"... ? Why are you turning around? Didn't I tell you we should go for—"

"Catch me if you can!"

I took off toward the rear. After staring blankly at my fleeing figure, the captain pointed at my back and gave chase.

"Ah! Halt! You are not permitted to leave my side!"

"Hahahaha! If people stopped just because you told them to, what would we need cops or laws for? Catch me! Only then will I stop!"

"Warning...! If you do not halt, I will use force!"

"You don't have jack shit worth of force! Not a damn thing!"

And so I ran the wrong way along the world's largest belt, dragging the captain along behind me.

Perhaps unused to running in her own body instead of a golem, the captain fell twice while chasing me. Seeing her clutch her reddened nose was so pitiful that I considered going back. But running on one's own two feet was a basic skill she needed to learn in this harsh world.

Calling it training, I swallowed my tears and resolutely ran on.

'This vivid pain... The sensation of riding the wind... I could never feel these through a golem with regulated pain perception. I truly am running in my own body...!'

What was I supposed to do? I felt too sorry for her to keep running. At this point, wasn't the real problem the Military State, which had raised a puppeteer as a puppet?

Just then, I spotted a windbreak in the distance. I subtly came to a stop so the captain could catch me. Looking pleased with herself, she came running toward me.

"Caught you!"

Uh, but why wasn't she slowing—

"AAAAARGH!"

A heavy impact struck my back. The captain had pounced on me without slowing down. Even I couldn't withstand a full-body tackle from behind, and I went tumbling across the ground.

Straddling me where I'd fallen, the captain gripped my arm and declared triumphantly,

"Consider this a firm warning. Should you leave my side without permission again, I will restrain you by whatever means necessary and escort—"

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP.

Applause sounded from somewhere.

The captain jerked her head up at the sound.

Several dozen meters away on the belt stood a structure that looked as though it jutted straight out of the ground. A windbreak.

Someone had skillfully perched atop the windbreak, which curved outward to divert the wind. A middle-aged man with a hearty, agile air stood with his arms folded, clapping as he watched us with keen interest. His body didn't waver in the slightest amid the fierce wind.

He gave a mischievous grin that belied his age.

"What a noisy entrance!"

As soon as he finished speaking, faces appeared on either side of the windbreak—people who had been sheltering from the wind. They regarded the new travelers with expressions halfway between anticipation and concern.

Meanwhile, the captain's gaze turned toward the middle-aged man atop the windbreak.

Then shock. Pure shock filled her mind.

'...?! Why is he here?'

While the unexpected encounter left the captain momentarily speechless, I picked myself up, dusted off my hands and feet, and pointed at the windbreak.

"Bee! A windbreak! It's freezing, so let's hurry inside!"

'Again, Bee is unacceptable! I do not recall permitting you to use a nickname! Nor have I ever had the nickname Bee! And another thing!'

Now that we were aboard, I had to play the captain's older brother. Calmly keeping up the act, I called to the man atop the windbreak.

"And there are people here, too! Hello! Could we join you?"

'You need to stop! Entering that place requires a little more careful thought...!'

The middle-aged man atop the windbreak nodded broadly and shouted back,

"Of course! That's what this windbreak is for! Come on in!"

A sturdy yet nimble air. A self-assured manner, as though the whole world lay at his feet. An upright posture.

Above all, his body, utterly unshaken even as he faced the raging wind head-on, seemed to proclaim that he was no ordinary man.

'Warning...! You are walking into mortal danger!'

Huh? How? I didn't sense any hostility. Sure, his presence was unusual, but I was a survival specialist who'd made it out of a bottomless pit teeming with the Regressor, the Progenitor, and the King of Dogs. I didn't get nervous around someone without hostile intentions.

Unless they were some monster like a murderous tank...

'Danger! I cannot even tell you that much! A person whose very existence is classified! Though everyone in the Military State knows him, he possesses such status and power...!'

I had been waving as I walked toward the windbreak, but now I stopped dead. Turning my head, I found the captain looking at me pitifully, her eyes on the verge of filling with tears.

'If he asks me about my mission, I will have no choice but to tell him everything! There are no secrets someone of his standing is not authorized to know! Even the fact that you are a convict laborer who returned alive from the bottomless pit!'

Her desperation made me read her thoughts again, and I realized what she was worried about. At the same time, a sense of impending disaster hit me. One wrong move could ruin everything.

Oh, come on. Surely not. A chance encounter like this...

'He is General Patraxion, one of the Military State's Six Generals!'

To think we'd run into one of the Military State's most powerful fighters. I turned back. General Patraxion was just jumping down from the windbreak.

... If I ran the other way now, I'd be on the receiving end of a real game of catch-me-if-you-can, wouldn't I?