Chapter 2:

Recovering Memories that Should be Buried, but Never Forgotten -- (2nd_Relapse)

NELLO & PASTRACHE ~2ND~ :: (THE REINCARNATION STORY OF 'A DOG IN FLANDERS' IN A TRANSMIGRATION NOVEL)


:: Dear Diary.....I always wanted a friend ever since father left home. However, I never thought I would become companions with a golem. Wait, no. he doesn’t like to be called that. Also, golems have no intelligence, they are merely magical construct built from natural elements that could only take simple instructions. No, Nello calls himself a Tank. I’ve never heard of this type of creature before. It’s nothing like a gryphon, and it resembles a baby dragon in some ways. I can’t tell for sure. His nose is long, almost like an oliphant only it is always straight. If you tried to bend it, I think it will hurt him. ::

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“Nello. Tell me about your hometown. It’s called Stalingard yes?”

“……………..Um.”

It was a river bank. The span of water was about 30 meters wide, enough for about four lanes of cars to pass on through should it have been a road in the first place. The water was flowing steadily to the north, up towards the valley across the river. Over yonder, there were several farmlands that raised Minotaur like regular cattle. From a distance, they look very happy (#FreeRoomAndBoard).

The Half Elf named Pastrache could see them. If it weren’t for the fact she was sitting on a heightened platform, there was no way she could see over the tall shrubs that walled the other side of the river. If she were on the ground, her line of sight would surely become obscured. Like a child staring at a brick wall.

It was all thanks to her new friend, the T-34 Soviet Tank, Nello.

While she capped her eyebrow to see under the bright sun and surveyed the bountiful farms ahead, the tank she sat on spoke up in the voice of a small boy who was unsure of the world outside his home.

“I don’t know how to best describe it, where I came from.”

“Oh you don’t remember how it looks? Don’t worry. I’ve come across many adventurers when I was young who were reincarnated from another world. Often times, the transmigration process would blur their memories of their past.”

“N-no. It’s not that um…I don’t know how to say it, without making you really sad.”

“Nello?”

“Stalingrad is a city full of rubble. I think it used to be tall buildings, but I haven’t seen one stand higher than my head. Maybe, it could be the war I was born into that caused the damages.”

“…War?”

“Y-yes. I was born from the Stalingrad Tractor Plant, where I think most of my parts were gathered from different manufacturing plants in Leningrad and the electric components from Moscow. I was then deployed with my other tanks brothers to the Eastern Front.

"..."

"Hmm. Stalingrad was being invaded by the German Tank divisions. They were supposed to be our allies when they suddenly broke the Warsaw Pact and started to charge our homes. Most of my older brothers were taken by surprise. When we lost out first defenses, it was up to us new tanks to reinforce the lines."

“You…were really born in the middle of a war? Even fought in it?”

“I think so. Or, people were so angry with each other they thought using us tanks to settle a month long argument was a good choice. I don't know. The first time I woke up, I was already ordered to push the German tanks away from our city... Uuuh. Those Tiger Tanks are still scary to think about. Uuuh.”

“…Nello, it's alright. You don't have to think about it anymore. You're safe.”

"Uwaaah. Thank you Big Sis. You're so nice to me. Sniff."

"It's fine. Please don't worry about it..."

The Half-Elf soon fell silent, even her own hand that capped the light from her eyes had fallen from her forehead. She was no longer in the mood to see Minotaurs grazing, or bumping into each other to suggest a mating call. She wasn’t even in the mood to watch the array of Buccanneer Salmon that were leaping up the river, against the stream, waving their Jolly-Roger color tails around.

Their bodies glimmered under the thin waters, their tails vigorously beating to propel itself forward. They would leap, dive, swim, and leap again just so they could become closer to the point where they will spawn the next generation, and die. Like most salmons do.

“…It must be terrible. To be raised in the middle of a war.”

“Yeah. Sometimes my brothers were mean to me even when we’re being produced. But the German Tanks were super scary. Three of them ganged up on me and start kicking and punching me into the ground. When they struck me on the head with a cannon shell, I blacked out.”

“…Then… that means you died. This would also mean you’ve been given a second chance by the Goddesw of Rebirth! Right?”

“Goddess? What’s that?”

“..........Y-you don’t know wh-what a Goddess is? But that's strange, most people who come from your world would...Oh...oh right. I understand now. You're a machine, so you may not be able to understand what a holy spirit is?"

"...Spirit?...GEH!? IS A GODDESS A GHOST!? I-I DON'T LIKE GHOSTS! TH-THEY, I CAN'T SHOOT THEM LIKE A TIGER TANK!"

"Wait! No! B-breathe, Nello! Breathe! A Goddess isn't a ghost! She is a divine being who watches over us, a god so to speak only she is a woman. There are many gods and goddess who watch over the virtues and ideals of our world. For example, there is Odyssey, the Goddess of Rebirth and New Life.”

“…Oh! I remember now! When I woke up after the German tanks knocked me out, I met this beautiful lady with scary eyes!”

“…………B…beautiful lady with scary eyes?”

“Yeah, yeah. She had this nice soft lofty hair, a wonderful silver dress that makes her look like a diamond, but her eyes were very sharp. They felt colder than the winters in Stalingrad.”

“…….Yeah. That sounds like Lady Odyssey alright.”

Pastrache gave a sigh at that comment as she hung her head. She gave a small sneeze however, probably from making a certain holy woman curl up in her Divine Space and cry.

The Half-Elf rubbed her nose and started to swing her long legs back and forth over the side of the armored tank track. Even though her friend was a machine, she found many useful things from her time with him.

Essentially, he was a sort of wagon that was able to carry about five to six people. The space inside of his body was lofty, although there were many foreign instruments she had trouble understanding. Not to mention, they were inscribed in an archaic language she could not decipher. If only she knew how to read and speak Russian, maybe then she could fully utilize the equipment installed inside of the Soviet Tank.

Inside, there were several seats, one dedicated for the gunner, the commander, the driver, and two more one for the radio operator and one for the machine gunner. Meaning, should Pastrache ever have to camp outside or if it began to rain, she could hide inside Nello’s belly, all warm and safe. 

As a bonus, due to his 45 mm armor it could block out an ambush or small army of goblins from attacking her when she slept.

“Say, Nello.”

“Yes?”

*Swiiiing--BONK*

“BUGYAFFFFFG!?”

“A-ah! S-sorry, Big Sis! I-I didn’t mean to hit you in the head again! M-my nose is too long!”

The turret of the tank had suddenly spun around when the Half-Elf called for his name. It was as simple as turning one’s head to the speaker. However, he forgot the barrel was exactly 3 meters long. 

It was too easy for him to strike the Half-Elf girl in the cute nose with it. Ouch.

“…O…oh no… I-I think you broke it…Uuuh. Y-you smashed in my nose! M-my face is ruined! T-take responsibility for my body, Nello!”

“NYAAAAAAAAAH! I-I’M SORRY! I’M SUPER SORRY, BIG SIS! I-I DIDN’T MEAN TO SLAP YOUR NOSE INTO YOUR HEAD! I-IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, HONEST! D-DON’T SCRAP ME! DON’T SCRAP ME! I-I DON’T WANT TO GO TO BEHIND THE VOLGA! I-I PROMISE TO MARRY YOU IF—“

“Just kidding. Bleeeeh (XP).”

“THAT’S TOO MEAN, BIG SIS! M-MY ENGINE WAS SKIPPING ONE TOO MANY BEATS!”

The Soviet tank had been waving around its barrel in panic, as if trying to throw its arms around to find a solution for hitting a girl by accident. When he found out that t was all a maidenly ruse, he could hear nothing but stitch-cramping laughter.

Even though the day soon darkened to give way to rain clouds, the Half-Elf continued to relish in her hysteria, rolling around the tank body while clutching her sides. 

With the fact she rolled off and fell into a puddle of mud, she still continued her giddy nature.

“BRRBRB! PA-HA-HA-HA! Y-you should have seen the reaction on your face, Nello! I-it was priceless! BYAAA-HAAA-HAAA-HAAA!--BRRBBRRBBRBRBRBRBRBRBRRB~”

“BIG SIS! PLEASE S-STOP LAUGHING, OR YOU’LL END UP DROWNING!”

Honeyfeed
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