Kays Translations

Chapter 199 

The Night Before the Decisive Battle

As Greg began the repairs on the magic giant golem, Eto and Willem joined him in the effort.

Isamu glanced at the scene and then turned to speak with Liliane.

“Our scheduled rendezvous with Zun’s guerrilla unit is tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah. I also checked their hideout, and no word of any changes has come through.”

“Then it looks like we’ll go with the original plan: using the captured magic giant golem to pose as allies and launch a surprise attack.”

“That’s probably the safest bet. We’ll have to cover up the fact that fewer golems are operational, though…”

Liliene muttered while gazing at the magic giant golems lined up in their parked positions.

The earlier battle had left some of the golems unable to function, but more importantly, they didn’t have enough pilots. Originally, about thirty magic giant golems were fully operational, but now, even with two pilots who were Liliene’s collaborators, they could barely manage to operate fifteen.

“Liliene, did everyone who joined Zun’s side do so willingly?”

“No, not all of them. Some are just following orders from the Elders. At most, I’d say about twenty percent are actually loyal.”

Liliene replied with a bitter laugh to Isamu’s question.

“How about we recruit a few of them to our side?”

“What?! Even if they were reluctant, they’re still traitors!”

Liliene’s eyes widened at Isamu’s suggestion.

“That’s true, but we don’t have much choice right now. However, only target those who have cats as their partners.”

“Those with a Cat?”

“Yes. In the worst-case scenario, if something happens, we can use Orihime’s power through their cats to control them.”

“Meow~”

Orihime, perched on Isamu shoulder, opened one eye and let out a soft meow in agreement.

“…I see. With Orihime’s help, we could manage them through their cats. Alright, I’ll select a few—”

“Meooow!”

As Liliane started selecting members, Orihime let out a louder cry, cutting her off.

“Meow.”

“Mew.”

“Nyah.”

From the group of cats lounging and relaxing nearby, three of them walked over.

“Nya-nyuff!”

Upon seeing them, Orihime tapped Isamu head with her paw.

“Hmm? Are these the ones?”

“Nyaff.”

Orihime let out a short meow as if to confirm Isamu question.

“Liliene, do you know who these cats’ partners are?”

“Y-yeah, of course… That’s amazing, they’re all from the group I was about to select.”

“Well, if they’re the ones you were about to pick and have Orihime’s approval, they should be fine.”

“Alright, I’ll go talk to them.”

Liliene nodded in surprise before heading off to call on the selected individuals.

“And what about the others?” she asked.

“Can you leave them to me?” 

Answered a figure standing behind Isamu, not Isamu himself.

“Oh, Samuel-sama, are you already okay to get up?”

“Yeah. After sleeping for a while, my magic power has recovered quite a bit. Haha, I can’t even remember the last time I collapsed from running out of magic.”

Samuel answered with a laugh, and although he looked a bit tired, he walked over to us steadily on his own feet.

Franboise, walking beside him with a concerned look, seemed somewhat disappointed.

Recalling the happy expression Franboise had when she was nursing the collapsed Samuel with a lap pillow, Isamu and Liliene couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“What exactly do you mean by ‘leave it to us’?”

“Soon, two small squads from my domain should arrive along the highway. We’ll take temporary custody of the Avalushians.”

“What? A squad is coming?”

“Yeah. I arranged it when we left Felka. They were disguised as a caravan and have been keeping a distance of about half a day behind us. They may have marched through the night to keep up with the magic vehicles.”

Isamu, surprised, asked again, but Samuel replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

It seems that Samuel had stationed forces in the rear, prepared to respond to any situation.

Or perhaps, they were there to retrieve him in case he pushed himself too far as their lord…

“As long as you just detain them, without interrogations or handing them over, that will be enough, right?”

“Yes, that would be extremely helpful.”

“Understood. I’ll pass that message along.”

Even though they had betrayed us, these Avalushi people knew about the magic golems and were familiar with Isamu, the wanderer from Earth.

While it would be easy to cut them down, they might possess valuable information or technology, so discussions with Selfers and the factional nobles would be needed to decide their fate.

Moreover…

“Oh, and there’s a chance that someone under Lord Yaderud will try to silence them, but don’t worry—none of them will be able to catch up.”

Just as Samuel said, there was a possibility that Duke Yaderud and his men might attempt to destroy evidence, but with Felka’s skilled knights protecting them, there was no need to worry about their safety.

“Thank you. That’s a great relief.”

Isamu bowed deeply to Samuel, expressing his gratitude.

Having now decided how to handle the captured Avalushi people for the time being, Isamu called Felix and Laurel over to finalize the next day’s strategy.

“We’ve somehow managed to get enough magic golems to fight, but it’s not enough to confront them head-on.”

“That’s right. In terms of numbers, we have 18 magic golems compared to their 20, so we’re almost evenly matched…”

Felix responded hesitantly to Isamu’s confirmation.

The 20 golems they faced were all large first-generation magic golems.

They were the type that required a pilot inside, which placed a significant burden on the user and consumed a lot of magic stones, but in terms of performance, they surpassed Avalushi’s second-generation golems.

Even with equal numbers, it would be wiser to consider their side as having less firepower.

“And they have about 200 cavalry, right? That’s going to be tough to handle.”

“Indeed. A well-coordinated cavalry unit is fast and formidable. Even if Franboise and I could take out 20 or 30 with magic in a preemptive strike, more than half of them would still break through. In battle, numbers are power.”

Samuel nodded at Laurel’s words.

“We’ll have to neutralize the magic golems as much as possible by catching them off guard, and lure them into traps.”

“When you’re outnumbered, that’s the only option. Fortunately, we can still pretend to be their allies, so we have the initiative.”

Responding with a small shrug, Isamu answered Felix, who smiled bitterly as if saying, “As usual, isn’t it?”

“Now then, where exactly should we set the traps…?” 

“Lord Isamu! Marcella, who is out on scout duty, has something urgent to report!” 

Just as Isamu was about to delve deeper into the discussion after deciding on a general direction, Ridir came running up with Marcella. They had been rotating a few magic giant golems for scouting the nearby area every hour or so. 

Being able to report immediately if something happens, especially with a safe place to conceal the golems, was one of the key advantages of using remote-controlled units.

“What’s the matter?”

“We spotted an armed group on the highway…”

“Is it not my caravan?”

“No, it’s not. We discovered another group trailing slightly behind the caravan disguised by House Felka. What’s strange is that it appears to be a convoy of magic vehicles.”

“Magic vehicles!?” 

Isamu’s eyes widened in surprise at Marcella’s report.

“Yes, without a doubt. We confirmed three magic vehicles. There were no crests or identifiers on them, so we wanted to quickly check if it’s safe to approach.”

“Magic vehicles are not supposed to be available to anyone outside our faction, so they should be allies. Make contact immediately. Ah, and since the magic giant golems can hear but not speak, take a message written on paper along with the emblem of House Klaudfelt.”

“Understood! I’ll have Elis bring it right away!”

Marcella quickly gave instructions to Elis before hopping back into the cockpit of her golem. They would soon make contact with the convoy once Elys’s golem arrived. 

“Hmm, not being able to speak is a bit inconvenient. They can’t write accurately either, and hand signals have their limits… we’ll need to think of another method.” 

Isamu mused to himself, sinking deep into thought about improving communication with the magic giant golems until Orhime interrupted him.

“The convoy belongs to the House Zabadak. They were measuring their mana pass and are ready to move out at any time.” 

Marcella, who had returned about an hour later, gave her report.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Dicat, a battalion commander with the Zabadak House Knights.”

The knight who came along with Marcella introduced himself, his eyes widening as he noticed Marquis Felker, a prominent figure from a rival faction, among them.

Since the magic vehicles couldn’t enter the forest where Isamu and his group were hiding, Marcella had carried just one of them over. The remaining two were being escorted by Elis’s golem and were stationed just inside the forest from the highway.

According to Dicat, five highly skilled and battle-hardened soldiers, along with their guards, had arrived as an advance unit, totaling 15 people, with just enough space for them in the magic vehicles. They had received urgent communication that Isamu’s group was entering Plazzo from the north, so word must have reached the Zabadak territory quickly as well.

Hearing this, Isamu understood that the Zabadak forces had rushed over, barely resting, to help.

“At first, Lord Zval insisted on coming too, but after Lady Zval’s scolding, he finally gave up.”

Dicat added with a weary expression after completing his explanation.

“Haha…” 

Isamu let out a dry laugh. From Dicat’s expression, it seemed this kind of thing happened often. He silently commiserated with the knights, knowing how eager the Margraves were to personally join the frontlines.

By the way, Zval’s magic path value was reportedly 5, and he had been bragging after hearing that Lubinda’s was only 4.

“The arrival of these potential pilots is helpful. They won’t be ready for battle tomorrow, but if they start training now, they should be ready soon.”

There were more machines than pilots available, so Dicat’s group joining them was a stroke of good fortune. With more units available for training, their efficiency would likely surpass that of Isamu’s group. Isamu also asked Greg and Sarah to assist with the repairs so Dicat’s team could watch and learn in between.

Moreover, Dicat brought more good news.

“What? The Zabadak Territory Army is joining the battle?”

“Yes. They’re not sending the entire force since they need to defend the northern border with the Valero Kingdom and keep Duke Yaderud in check, but about one-third of the army is advancing.”

It seemed the Margrave Zabadak anticipated a skirmish in Plazzo and had committed to joining the fray.

Initially, the Margrave Balsham had sent reinforcements upon receiving a call for aid, but they had retreated shortly after. As a result, no official order for reinforcements had been given. Instead, they were stationed at the northern border under the guise of securing it jointly with Plazzo.

And the northern border with Plazzo meant…

“Hmm. That would mean they’re stationed near our Topolski region. Bruno’s army must be with them, right?”

“Y-yes! I heard that Lord Zval personally approached Lord Bruno.”

“As expected of the battle-savvy Margrave Zabadak—he leaves nothing to chance. I imagine part of our own forces are stationed there with Bruno’s request in mind.”

According to Samuel’s estimate, there were around 300 knights and 2,500 soldiers, totaling nearly 3,000 troops stationed along the northern border.

“Likely, the southern border is also heavily fortified, with Lords Barsham and Innocenti gathering forces of equal or greater size. And Count Eriksen must have sent elite units to both fronts.”

“Which means with their help, we’ll have a lot more strategic options.”

“Yes. We’ll have to manage tomorrow’s battle on our own, but once we hold out, the scale of the operation will grow.”

“Indeed. For tomorrow, we’ll revise the plan now that we can incorporate Dicat’s magic vehicles and Samuel’s squad.”

“Roger that.”

With their current forces slightly reinforced and the newly dependable backup troops finally in sight, they reviewed the details of the next day’s operation once more. Everyone began moving swiftly to prepare.

Isamu first crafted a few magic tools for traps and then planned to make minor adjustments to the magic giant golem with Eto and the others. Although they lacked materials to upgrade the golem’s armor, he had an idea that could potentially boost its strength, and he intended to give it a try.

“Oh, you’re going to modify the Overdrive mode?”

“Yes. I was lucky enough to be able to decipher this lightweight magic circle. If all goes well, it should enhance its performance.” 

Isamu responded with a grin to Eto’s question.

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