How Not To Summon a Modern Private Military Company in Another World-Chapter 53

Ward didn’t take them back to the command room.

He walked them past the traffic lanes, past the forklifts and fuel bladders, past a row of containers marked with stenciled numbers, and into a quieter strip behind the residential block. The noise dropped fast. The air still smelled like oil and hot metal, but the engines were farther away.

"This is the guest wing," Ward said. "Temporary. You’ll sleep here tonight. Tomorrow we start the boring parts."

Ragna narrowed her eyes. "If your boring parts involve more wrestling, I’m leaving."

Ward glanced at her hands. "No wrestling. Medical check, paperwork, orientation. Rules. Schedules."

Mira’s mouth tightened. "Paperwork."

"Yeah," Ward said. "Welcome to a real organization."

Lyris kept her gaze on the buildings. They weren’t like the barracks. These were smaller, lined in pairs with a narrow walkway between. Each door had a number plate. There were lights above the doors, steady and bright.

Albert stopped at the first unit. He didn’t reach for the handle. He looked at Ward.

"Do we have an interpreter assigned yet?" Albert asked.

"We’re running one of the language teams over," Ward said. "But they’re still working with Aldo’s survivors. You three are ahead of schedule."

Albert nodded once, then turned to the adventurers.

"Tonight is rest," he said. "Food. Sleep. Basic safety. No interrogations. You’ve already given us more than we expected."

Mira looked at him. "And tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow we formalize liaison status," Albert said. "We set boundaries. We start learning what you know, and you start learning what you’ve walked into."

Ragna’s ears twitched. "We already learned you have thunder sticks and food that burns your tongue."

"That’s the surface," Ward said. He pointed at the door. "In here. You get showers. Clean clothes. Beds."

Ragna paused. "Showers?"

Mira turned her head slightly. "What is a shower?"

Ward looked at Albert like he was being tested.

Albert answered anyway. "A way to clean yourself without a bucket."

Ragna stared. "That’s a lie."

"It’s not," Ward said. He opened the door and stepped aside. "After you."

Lyris went in first, hand near her belt out of habit, then stopping when she remembered her weapons were still in Atlas custody. She kept her shoulders straight and walked through the doorway like it was a hostile room.

Inside was a narrow entry with a bench, hooks on the wall, and a small cabinet. Past that was a compact living space. Two bunks, a table, a metal chair, a soft chair that looked like it belonged in a merchant’s office, and a small window with a latch.

On the far wall were two doors.

Ward tapped the first door. "Bathroom. Toilet’s in there."

Ragna blinked. "Toilet."

Ward opened the second door. "Shower."

A tiled stall. A metal nozzle fixed in the wall. A set of knobs. A drain. A curtain.

Mira stepped closer, careful, like the thing might bite. "This is... a washroom built into the wall."

"It’s plumbing," Ward said. He saw their faces and stopped himself. "Water pipes. You turn the knob, water comes out."

Ragna leaned in and inspected the nozzle. "So it’s a trap."

Mira’s eyes flicked to the knobs. "If I turn it, does it spray?"

"Yes."

Lyris looked at Ward. "Hot water?"

Ward nodded. "Hot and cold. Don’t crank it to full hot unless you like pain."

Ragna looked offended. "You have water that comes out hot, and you still eat fire sauce for fun."

Ward smiled. "Different category."

Albert stepped into the room just enough to be seen. He didn’t crowd them.

"Ward will have supplies brought," Albert said. "Food. Water. Clothing. Basic toiletries. If you need anything urgent tonight, ask the guard posted outside. Don’t try to leave the guest wing alone. Not because we think you’ll run. Because you’ll walk into something dangerous and we’ll have to go fetch you."

Mira stared at the bunks. "You lock your guests in?"

Albert’s face didn’t change. "We secure the perimeter. The door will open. You can request escorts. Don’t wander."

Lyris nodded once. "Understood."

Ragna muttered, "I hate being told what to do."

Ward pointed at her. "You like being alive, though."

Albert looked at Ward. "Ten minutes."

Ward checked his tablet. "We’re good. I’ll be back."

Albert took a step back toward the door.

Lyris stopped him. "Commander."

Albert paused.

"You said payment," she said. "And protection."

"Yes."

"And you said we can walk away if this doesn’t work," she added.

"Yes."

She held his gaze. "I want that said again tomorrow in front of your people. Not just here."

Albert nodded once. "You’ll have it in writing."

Ragna snorted. "Writing."

Albert left without another word.

Ward followed, then stopped in the doorway.

"One more thing," Ward said. "Don’t touch the red button on the wall panel."

Mira frowned. "What panel?"

Ward pointed to a small box beside the bed. It had a few buttons and a tiny light.

Ragna immediately walked toward it.

Ward’s voice sharpened. "Don’t."

Ragna froze, then slowly pulled her hand back like she’d been caught stealing.

Ward looked satisfied. "Good. That calls security. Use the black button if you need help. Use the dial if you want light levels."

Lyris didn’t blink. "Dial."

Ward stepped out. The door closed behind him with a soft click.

For a moment, the three of them just stood there, listening to the quiet hum that seemed to exist in the walls.

Mira spoke first. "This place feels like it’s breathing."

"It’s the machines," Ragna said, though she didn’t sound sure.

Lyris walked to the window and looked out. A narrow lane. A low fence. A soldier on the corner standing with his weapon slung, posture loose but eyes moving.

"They posted a guard," Lyris said.

"Of course they did," Ragna replied. "We’re in a monster’s den."

Mira moved to the table and touched its surface. Smooth. Clean. No scratches. No old stains. It looked unused.

"They’re not monsters," Mira said.

Ragna looked at her. "They build walls that make castles look like pig pens. They fly. They eat like kings. They talk about killing Demon Lords like it’s a job. What else do you call that?"

Mira didn’t answer. She walked to the shower door and stared at it.

Lyris took a breath. "We rest."

Ragna lifted her hands. "I’m not sleeping in a box with water-spitting walls until I know how to leave."

Mira pointed at the bunks. "It’s a room, not a cage."

Ragna stepped to the door and tested the handle. It opened. She opened it a crack. The corridor outside was quiet. A soldier looked over, then away, not moving closer.

Ragna shut the door again.

"Okay," she admitted. "Not a cage. Still creepy."

Mira sat on the edge of the lower bunk, then bounced slightly. "Soft."

Ragna sat too, then bounced harder. "Too soft."

Lyris stayed standing. She looked at the hooks on the wall, the cabinet, the sealed window. Everything had a purpose. Nothing was decorative.

The room made her think of a well-run armory. Clean. Quiet. Built for function.

And somewhere outside this guest wing were people who could erase a goblin horde in minutes and then build a village into a base.

She turned away from the window and checked the door again, then the corners of the room, out of habit. Not because she expected an ambush. Because her body still ran on routine.

A knock came.

Ragna’s head snapped up. "Already?"

Lyris opened the door.

A young soldier stood there holding a plastic bin with both hands. He wore the same camouflage uniform as the others, helmet clipped to his vest. His eyes moved over them, then down, like he wasn’t sure where to look.

"Delivery," he said.

Lyris stepped aside.

He came in and set the bin on the table. Inside were folded clothing, small wrapped items, and bottles with sealed caps.

He also placed a paper bag down beside it.

"Food," he added. "It’s... uh... leftovers from the plaza. Still good. Warmed."

Ragna leaned in immediately and sniffed the bag. Her ears rose. "Is that chicken again?"

The soldier’s mouth twitched. "Yeah."

Mira glanced at the bin. "Clothes?"

"Standard guest kit," the soldier said. "Different sizes. Pick what fits. There’s soap, toothbrush, paste, towels. Uh... instructions."

He pointed at a sheet of paper on top. It had drawings and short lines of text.

Ragna picked it up and turned it upside down. "This is useless."

The soldier looked helpless.

Mira took the paper, rotated it the right way, then studied it. She didn’t understand the letters, but she understood the drawings: turning a knob, water coming out, a bar of soap, a person scrubbing, a towel.

"Pictures," Mira said. "At least they tried."

The soldier nodded quickly. "If you need anything else, press the black button. Someone will come."

Lyris watched him. "Name?"

He paused, then answered like it mattered. "Hayes. Specialist Hayes."

"Thank you, Hayes," Lyris said.

He hesitated. "You’re... really adventurers?"

Ragna leaned forward. "You’re really a human?"

Hayes blinked. Then he laughed once, short and nervous. "Yeah. I’m really human."

Ragna looked at his arms, then his hands, then his posture. "You don’t look strong."

Hayes didn’t get offended. He just shrugged. "Gym. Training. Repetition."

Ragna glanced at Mira. "They all say that."

Mira didn’t look up from the paper. "Because it’s true."

Hayes cleared his throat. "I’ll, uh... leave you to it."

He went out.

Ragna locked the door, then looked at the knob like she was making a point. "See. I can lock doors too."

Lyris walked to the table and opened the bag. The smell hit again. Seasoned fried meat. Warm bread. Something greasy and sharp. Her stomach tightened in response even though she hadn’t felt hungry on the walk back from the residential block.

She pulled out a paper box and opened it. Chicken pieces. Fries. A biscuit.

Ragna sat down and reached without asking.

Mira didn’t stop her. Mira took a small box of mashed potatoes again like she’d already decided she was going to eat it until it stopped tasting unreal.

Lyris ate slower. One bite, then another. She watched the room while she chewed. The habit didn’t leave.

After a few minutes, the first tension eased out of the air. Not gone. Just lower.

Ragna licked her fingers, then paused, staring at the bin of clothes.

"So," she said. "They want us to dress like them."

Mira swallowed. "They want us clean."

"They want us uniform," Ragna replied.

Lyris reached into the bin and pulled out a set of clothing. Dark fabric. Simple. Pants and a shirt. Nothing like armor. No guild badge. No color.

She set it on the table.

Mira pulled out another set. Slightly smaller. Similar cut.

Ragna dug deeper and found something larger, then held it up. "This looks like a farmer’s clothes."

Mira looked at her. "You wore chainmail yesterday."

Ragna pointed at the shower door. "And now they want me to stand under a wall and let it spray me."

Lyris finished her piece of chicken and wiped her hands with a napkin. She stood.

"We clean," she said. "Then we sleep."

Ragna opened her mouth to argue.

Lyris didn’t raise her voice. She just looked at Ragna.

Ragna stared back for a second, then exhaled through her nose.

"Fine," Ragna said. "But if it burns me, I’m biting someone tomorrow."

Mira stood too, taking the paper with the drawings. "I’ll go first. If I die, you’ll know not to turn the knob."

Ragna sat back down. "Great. Test subject."

Mira walked into the shower room and shut the door.

Lyris sat on the edge of the bunk, back straight. She listened. The base hum outside. The faint footstep of a guard in the corridor. The sound of running water, then Mira’s startled intake of breath.

Ragna grinned. "She’s being attacked."

Lyris ignored her.

A minute later, Mira’s voice came through the door. "It’s hot. Don’t start with the left knob all the way."

Ragna shouted back. "I don’t know what left means in your mage brain."

Mira didn’t respond.

Lyris waited, hands resting on her knees, eyes on the door.

She tried to picture the capital’s guild hall right now. The board full of quests. The noise. The smell. The way people laughed at Aldo’s request.

She tried to picture the same people seeing a helicopter land in the plaza.

Her jaw tightened.

Ragna stood and went to the window again, peeking out. "They’re still standing there."

Lyris didn’t move. "They will."

Ragna looked at her. "What are you thinking?"

Lyris answered without softening it. "If we walk back to the capital, it won’t be a report. It’ll be a riot. Nobles will panic. Guilds will lie. Temples will make it a sign."

Ragna scratched her neck. "So we stay."

Mira’s shower cut off. The door opened and Mira stepped out with wet hair and a towel wrapped around her shoulders. She looked cleaner already, but her face was still tight from thinking too much.

"It works," Mira said. "It’s just water. Hot water. Controlled."

Ragna stared at her hair. "Your hair is flat."

Mira frowned. "Because it’s wet."

Ragna sat back down, suddenly suspicious of the shower like it had taken something important.

Mira opened the bin again and pulled out a small bottle. She sniffed it. Then she used it on her hair with a careful, slow motion like she was handling potion.

"It smells like lemons," Mira said.

Ragna’s ears perked. "Let me smell."

Mira handed it over.

Ragna sniffed and blinked. "This is wizard soap."

Lyris stood. "My turn."

She went into the shower room. She closed the door and stared at the knobs for a second.

Then she turned one carefully.

Water hit her shoulder, hot enough to make her flinch, but not painful. She adjusted it down like Mira said, then stepped fully under it.

The water washed dust out of her hair. Dirt ran down her skin and disappeared into the drain like the floor was eating it.

She stood there for a long moment, letting it run, not moving, just listening to the water and the hum in the walls.

In Brisel, she’d washed from a basin. Cold water. Shared cloth. Mud that never fully left your nails.

Here, it was easy. Too easy.

She finished fast. She didn’t trust comfort yet.

When she stepped out, Mira and Ragna were sitting on the bunks, eating the last fries.

Ragna looked up. "So? Did it kill you?"

Lyris shook her head once. "No."

Ragna stood immediately. "My turn."

She went in and shut the door hard.

Mira lay back on the bunk, hands behind her head. "We’re really doing this."

Lyris sat down across from her. "We agreed."

Mira’s eyes stayed on the ceiling. "We agreed because we saw children alive in Aldo."

Lyris didn’t deny it.

From behind the shower door came Ragna’s yell.

"WHY IS IT HOT AGAIN—"

Mira didn’t even sit up. "Turn it down."

"I DON’T KNOW HOW—"

Lyris stood and walked to the door. "Right knob. Small turn."

A pause.

Then Ragna’s voice, lower, grudging. "Okay. Okay. It’s... actually nice."

Mira smirked. "You sound offended."

Ragna didn’t answer.

Lyris sat back down.

Outside, a horn sounded somewhere in the base. Not loud. Just a signal. Then another, shorter. Footsteps passed the corridor. A door opened and shut down the line.

Mira’s eyes flicked toward the window. "They run schedules like a clock."

Lyris nodded. "Which means tomorrow they expect us to follow it."

Mira closed her eyes. "Good. I’m tired of guessing what kind of chaos I’ll wake up to."

The shower cut off.

Ragna came out with damp hair, a towel around her waist, and a look on her face like she’d just discovered a new kind of weapon.

"I hate it," she said.

Mira opened one eye. "You hate it."

Ragna pointed a thumb at the shower room. "Because it’s too good. It makes bucket baths feel stupid."

Mira smiled, brief. "Welcome to Atlas."

Ragna grabbed a shirt and pants from the bin and started pulling them on. The pants fit awkwardly at first until she figured out where the fastenings went. She tugged at the waistband.

"These clothes don’t breathe," she complained.

Mira sat up and began folding her old robe. "They’re not meant for a mage robe in summer."

Ragna sniffed. "They smell like a warehouse."

Lyris dressed last. She folded her leather armor neatly and set it on the chair. She didn’t know when she’d get it back, but she wasn’t going to throw it on the floor like a bandit.

When all three were in Atlas clothes, the room looked wrong.

Mira looked like a scholar forced into a soldier’s kit. Ragna looked like she was wearing a servant’s clothes that didn’t know what to do with a tail. Lyris looked too clean, too plain, like her rank had been erased.

Ragna saw Lyris looking at her reflection in the window glass and scoffed.

"Relax," Ragna said. "We look like idiots together."

Mira lay down again. "That’s bonding."

Lyris turned the light down using the dial, slowly, testing it. The brightness softened.

Outside, boots stopped near their door. A voice, quiet and controlled.

"Guest wing check."

A second voice answered. "All green."

Boots moved on.

Ragna whispered, "They’re babysitting us."

Mira whispered back, "They’re securing us."

Lyris lay on the upper bunk, hands behind her head, eyes open. She listened to the base breathe through metal and wire.

Mira’s breathing slowed first.

Ragna shifted a few times, then settled, tail tucked close so it wouldn’t fall off the bunk.

Lyris stayed awake longer. Her mind kept sliding back to the quest board, to the laughter, to the phrase: lost cause.

Then she heard it again outside. Not footsteps. Not engines.

A low thump in the distance. Heavy. Repeated.

Training.

Or something landing.

She swung her legs over the side of the bunk and sat up, listening harder.

Another thump.

Mira stirred. "What is it?"

Lyris whispered, "Do you hear that?"

Ragna lifted her head from the pillow, ears rising. "Yeah."

The thumps got closer, slow and steady, like something big moving across the paved road.

Then a radio crackled in the corridor. A guard’s voice, calm but tighter than before.

"Control, this is Guest Wing Post. I’ve got movement on Lane Two. Confirm friendly."

A pause.

Another voice answered through the radio, clipped.

"Friendly. That’s the K-9 team doing a perimeter sweep. Stay alert."

Ragna slid off the bunk silently. Mira followed, barefoot, moving slow. Lyris went to the window and lifted the latch just enough to see.

Outside, under the lane light, a soldier walked past with a large black animal on a leash. It moved low to the ground, head down, sniffing. Its body was lean. Its gait was controlled.

Ragna’s lips parted. "That’s a beast."

Mira whispered, "A war hound?"

Lyris watched as the animal paused, looked toward their building, then looked away as the handler tugged it forward.

The animal’s eyes caught the light for a second. Not glowing. Just reflective.

Ragna’s voice was low. "They have trained beasts too."

Mira didn’t take her eyes off it. "Of course they do."

The handler and the animal disappeared around the corner.

Ragna looked at Lyris. "You think it can smell goblins?"

Lyris kept watching the empty lane. "I think it can smell everything."

Mira went back to the bunk, but she didn’t lie down right away. She sat and rubbed her arms, still damp from the shower.

"This is day one," Mira said. "And they’re already sweeping our building with war beasts."

Ragna grinned like she was excited again. "Good. Means they’re serious."

Lyris didn’t respond. She opened the door quietly and stepped into the corridor.

The guard down the hall glanced over, then stiffened slightly, hand moving near his radio.

Lyris held both hands open where he could see them.

"I’m not leaving," she said. "I just want to ask something."

The guard relaxed a fraction. "Ma’am, you need something?"

Lyris looked past him toward the lane. "What happens tonight if something attacks the wall?"

The guard didn’t hesitate. "Alarm goes up. QRF rolls. Drones launch. We engage."

Lyris nodded once. "And the villagers?"

"Shelter procedures," he replied. "They’re inside hardened units. Same as we are."

Lyris returned to the doorway. "Understood."

She shut the door, turned, and found Mira and Ragna watching her.

"What?" Ragna asked.

Lyris climbed back onto the bunk. "Sleep."

Ragna opened her mouth to complain, then stopped as another distant thump rolled through the base, heavier this time.

Mira’s eyes narrowed. "That wasn’t a dog."

Ragna’s ears rose again. "No. That was metal."

The lights flickered once, barely noticeable.

Then the base siren didn’t sound—but a short chime came from the wall panel, followed by a calm voice from somewhere in the building, speaking in Atlas language. The words meant nothing to them, but the tone did.

Controlled. Immediate. Routine.

Ragna swung her legs off the bunk again, already moving toward the door.

Lyris dropped from the upper bunk at the same time.

Mira grabbed her towel like it was a weapon and followed.

The three of them reached the door together as another heavy thump hit, closer now, rattling the window latch.