Kays Translations

Chapter 168: Return of the Reconnaissance Unit

Isamu and his group departed from Inotia, heading northeast along the highway. Due to the frequent use of boats for transportation between Lusarsa and Meartor, the highway traffic was light. They traveled swiftly in their magic-powered vehicle and reached a town in the neighboring Balsham frontier territory by nightfall on the first day.

This town, just past the border, housed the headquarters for a unit tasked with subduing monsters that had been increasing in number near the Zun border. Isamu, accompanied by Annemarie, Felix, and Gascoigne, went to greet and gather information.

“Ahhh, what a nightmare. The world’s still spinning…” 

Gascoigne grumbled, pressing his temple with his right hand. After being peacefully loaded into the magic-powered vehicle by Orihime, he woke up about an hour later but was kept restrained for the day due to his previous escape attempt. 

“Haha, what a disaster. Please be obedient and ride normally tomorrow.” 

Isamu said with a wry smile.

“Yeah, I’ve had enough of being tied up.” 

Gascoigne replied, cracking his neck with a grimace.

They arrived at the inn, which served as the headquarters, where they were greeted by Merenza, the eldest son of Margrave Balsham.

“Glad you could come, Matsumoto-sama. Oh, and Gascoigne-sama is here too.”

“Nice to meet you, Merenza-san. Do you know Gascoigne-san?” 

Isamu asked.

“Yes. The frontier territory knight brigades, including ours, hold joint exercises at the Eriksen family arena regularly. Most company commanders and above should be acquainted.” 

Merenza explained.

“It’s been a while, Merenza-sama.” 

Gascoigne greeted formally, as Merenza was the son of a frontier Margrave.

“Please, take a seat.” 

Merenza offered. Once seated, they began exchanging information.

“What!? A magic giant golem in Plazzo!?” 

Merenza’s voice rose in surprise upon hearing Isamu’s reason for their visit. His aide, standing behind him, also looked shocked.

“Yes. We don’t know which affliation it belongs to, so we’re rushing there to find out.” 

“Hmm, if Zun is behind this, it makes sense… but we can’t be sure.” 

Merenza said, frowning. The number of monsters near the border was still higher than usual, so they couldn’t afford to leave the area unprotected. If Zun was sending monsters across and attacking with a magic giant golem, it would explain the situation.

“The method of monster control is unknown, and without clear evidence of the golem’s affiliation, we can’t lodge a complaint. Whether it’s Zun or not, we can’t ignore the monster threat.” 

Merenza continued.

“I’ll modify some of your spears into magic weapons. I can probably make about ten. It’s not much, but it might help.” 

“Modify into magic weapons? Oh, right, Matsumoto-sama can read magic circles. Thank you, but are you sure?” 

“Yes, no problem. We need to eliminate them as quickly as possible.”

“Understood. I’ll take you up on that offer.”

“I’ll borrow some spears and return them tomorrow morning.” 

Isamu said, standing up to retrieve the spears that were arranged before leaving the inn.

The next morning, after delivering the modified magic spears to Merenza, Isamu’s group set out for Balshan. This time, Gascoigne rode quietly, having learned his lesson. After another overnight stop, they reached Balshan on the third night.

As before, the guards recognized their unique magic-powered vehicle and allowed them to enter the city smoothly. They secured an early morning appointment with Margrave Lubinda Balsham, and retired to their lodgings early due to travel fatigue.

The next morning, they reported to Lubinda at his mansion.

“What!? A giant magic golem in Plazzo!? I suspected something when trade from Plazzo decreased, but this…” 

Lubinda’s face contorted in frustration as he listened.

“Although it’s likely Zun’s doing, the mystery of the magic golem concerns us. That’s why we rushed here to confirm the situation.” 

Isamu explained.

“Indeed. We can’t act rashly without confirmation of Zun’s involvement or a request for aid from Plazzo…” 

Lubinda continued, tapping the armrest of his sofa.

“The Zambrotta Company, was it? I understand the urgency, but we sent a fast horse to Nazario a week ago and dispatched a reconnaissance unit to Plazzo. They should return soon. Let’s wait for their report.”

“That’s reasonable. It’s better to have some information before we act. But our magic vehicle unit from Klaufendam should arrive at the border in 4-5 days. I want to be on-site by then, so give us three days.” 

Isamu requested.

“What? A unit of magic vehicles!?”

“We’ve started mass production, so we can spare half to send here. A few should arrive in Balshan around the same time.” 

“Here too!?”

“Yes. With the front line near Plazzo’s border, Balshan’s forces and information will be crucial. Magic vehicles should improve transport speed and frequency.”

“Indeed, vehicles as fast as horses with the capacity of carriages would be very effective. But are you sure it’s okay to deploy them so easily?” 

“Yes, it’s fine. They’re useless if not used. Besides, we’ll be borrowing your forces to address this issue involving our exclusive trading company.” 

“If a magic giant golem attacks an allied town, it’s no longer just a company issue; it’s an international one. We fight together.” 

When Isamu shook his head in apology, Lubinda gave a grin.

“Thank you for your encouraging words.” 

Isamu said with a deep bow. Raising his head, he continued.

“While we wait for the reconnaissance unit to return, I’ll start mass-producing some weapons. If there’s a workshop in the mansion, could we use it?”

“…So you think this won’t end with just Capolfi?” 

“I’m not sure if they plan to expand their occupied territory, but I don’t think they’ll stop at mere occupation.”

“Understood. I’ll have someone guide you there right away.”

“Thank you.”

In the workshop they were shown, Eto and Willem began manufacturing magic cannons and scatter magic bombs, focusing mainly on explosive rounds that very afternoon. Meanwhile, Isamu worked on creating new magic tools using the magic circles he had found in the ruins.

“What are you making this time?” 

Annemarie inquired.

“There was a magic circle in the password input device that detected when it was pressed. I’m adapting it into a new magic tool. If we’re dealing with a magic giant golem, it should be effective…” 

Isamu replied, uncharacteristically hesitant.

“It’s a type of magical tool I’d prefer not to use if possible.” 

Isamu added, recalling the tragedies caused by similar devices on Earth. 

“That’s why I won’t teach Eto or Willem how to make it. And I hope we won’t need to use it.”

With that, Isamu began applying a secretive coating to the ten magic circles he had created.

The following day, Isamu, Eto, and Willem spent the entire day in the borrowed workshop crafting magic tools, while the remaining members trained with the Balsham family’s knights. On the next morning, as they were having breakfast with Lubinda, the reconnaissance unit finally returned with information.

“What did you say? Are you certain?” 

Lubinda asked, immediately questioning the reconnaissance unit’s initial report.

“Yes. Multiple testimonies match, and we confirmed the insignias on the giant golems and armor.”

“Why now… The Avalushi, who were supposed to have perished…” 

Lubinda murmured, understandably bewildered. The reconnaissance unit reported that those who occupied the town claimed to be the Avalushi Giant Army. The Avalushi insignias were marked on their armor, flags, and the thirty or so magic giant golems they observed.

Though not as well-known as in the Inocenti frontier, the story of the Avalushi Kingdom was still familiar in this area, making a mistake unlikely. If it had been Zun or a large bandit group, it would have been easier to accept, but dealing with those claiming the name of a long-extinct kingdom was troubling.

“Let’s set that aside for now. Thinking about it won’t yield answers… Sorry for the interruption, please continue.” 

Lubinda apologized, urging the report to proceed.

“Understood. Let me continue. It seems Capolfi, the largest town in southern Plazzo, along with about five surrounding villages and towns along the highway, have been occupied. The occupiers claim to be the Avalushi Kingdom.”

The reconnaissance unit was dispatched five days after the sudden halt of people and goods from Plazzo. It took them two days to reach a garrison near the border, and another day and a half to reach the town of Picce, closest to the border. In Picce, they learned that monsters were appearing on the highway northward, as rumors suggested.

Picce’s guards, suspicious of the disrupted supply lines, had recently discovered the situation but were overwhelmed by the number of monsters and unable to act. The reconnaissance unit encountered a large group of monsters a day and a half north of Picce. Realizing they couldn’t defeat such a large number head-on, they sent one squad off the highway to advance further north while the remaining three squads kept watch and thinned the monster numbers to prevent further southward movement.

As the squad that bypassed the monster group continued north along the highway, they discovered that the gate of the next town had been broken down, with unfamiliar flags flying that did not belong to Plazzo. They spotted two giants standing at the town’s entrance, one on each side of the gate. The coat of arms on the flags resembled that of Avalushi, but with giants guarding both gates, there was no easy way to slip in.

Deciding to leave two members behind as infiltrators, the other three bypassed this town and continued north.

The three advancing members reached the major southern city of Capolfi in Plazzo, where they indeed found Avalushi flags and giants. Sending one member further north, the remaining two waited until nightfall to infiltrate Capolfi. They discovered signs of battle everywhere—broken buildings, bloodstains—and soldiers wearing armor with the Avalushi crest patrolling the streets. While residents seemed to be holed up at home, there was no formal curfew, and some ventured cautiously to open shops for essential supplies.

Aside from gates and walls, the concentrated military presence seemed focused on what appeared to be a small castle-like building, likely the lord’s manor, a large mansion possibly belonging to nobles or wealthy merchants, and three major stores.

After a full day of gathering information through interviews and covert observations among the residents, they pieced together that about three days ago, a sudden attack occurred with around 30 giants and 300-400 soldiers assaulting the city.

In response, Capolfi naturally closed its gates for defense and sent urgent messages to the capital. However, the giants’ power was overwhelming, swiftly breaking through the gates and invading. The attackers immediately seized the lord’s manor through combat, quickly followed by securing the large mansion and major stores.

While there were casualties among Plazzo’s defenders, those who surrendered were disarmed and gathered at the lord’s manor. Some residents suffered property damage due to the fighting, but there were few reports of casualties.

Since issuing their initial message on the second day of occupation—”We are the Avalushi Giant Army. We have occupied this city for a certain purpose. We will not harm those who do not resist. We expect calm until our objective is achieved.”—there have been no additional messages.

“Upon completing reconnaissance and meeting up with those sent north and those left in towns along the highway, we confirmed that several surrounding towns were attacked simultaneously. That concludes our report! Additionally, two squads remain in the vicinity and continue gathering information.”

“…Your efforts in reconnaissance and reporting are appreciated. We’ll likely have more questions later… Does anyone have any questions at this point?” 

Lubinda asked, addressing the reconnaissance unit’s leader after hearing all the reports and looking around at everyone.

“May I ask two questions?” 

Isamu raised his hand.

“Firstly, regarding that occupied major store with the Zambrotta Company emblem, ah, this emblem here. Do you have any information about the safety of the company members?” 

Isamu showed the emblem of the company.

“…Indeed, that emblem belonged to a company that was also occupied. Since the store wasn’t open, we couldn’t ascertain its condition, but there were no reports of it being destroyed or caught in fire.” 

The leader replied.

“I see…” 

Isamu nodded softly in response to the leader’s answer.

“Then, one more thing. How did the giants look? The atmosphere of their armor, colors, size—whatever you remember.”

“Their appearance, you say? Well… the color was mostly a deep beige with some other colors mixed in here and there. The armor had a very angular and rugged feel to it, and I recall they wielded weapons like spears and mallets quite often. Oh, and…”

Pausing as if recalling something, the leader continued after a moment.

“Although it’s unrelated to the giants, large tents were set up in the gardens of occupied buildings and town squares, with several pillars brought in. Multiple soldiers were guarding them, so I didn’t see inside directly…”

Shaking his head slightly, indicating he didn’t know the purpose of these tents, the leader finished his response.

“…Understood. Thank you very much.”

“Alright, good work. You can step back and rest now.”

“Yes, sir! Excuse me!”

As the leader stepped away, Lubinda spoke up again.

“Isamu, did you uncover something?”

“It might not be baseless nonsense that they’re calling themselves Avalushi…”

With that response, Isamu proceeded to relay the story of the ruins he explored recently in the Inocenti territory to Lubinda once more.

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