Chapter 171: Arriving in Plazzo

Arriving from Klaufendam were three light magic cars and one cargo magic car.

The light magic cars, including Isamu’s black cat, had recommended speeds more than 30% slower than the cargo magic car.

Nevertheless, they arrived just half a day behind schedule from the magic equipment transport team earlier.

Considering Silvio’s concerns about his family home, it was a forced march with longer daily travel times than originally planned.

“Sorry, Matsumoto-sama. I made an unreasonable request and you even brought out the magic cars…”

Silvio, who had arrived, bowed his head to Isamu.

His expression wasn’t just from the fatigue of the forced march, but likely from worry as well.

Silvio, who excelled in forced marches with carriages, seemed physically more energetic than the trained knights should be.

“No, no. The Zambrotta Company, or rather Silvio-san, is more like family than an exclusive company. If it’s a major family incident, it’s only natural.”

Isamu asked Silvio to lift his head, and then… he continued.

“Especially if a magic giant golem were to appear.”

As it was already late that day, they had a light supper together, shared the contents of the statement delivered earlier that morning, and rested early.

The next morning, the group, now including Silvio, finally set off for the neighboring country of Plazzo.

The four magic cars that had driven from Klaufendam, along with their drivers, awaited them in town.

They planned to stay here for a while, assuming operational use for transport and movement in times of emergency.

“Since this is my first time going to a foreign country, it might be insensitive, but I’m kind of looking forward to it.” 

Isamu, gripping the steering wheel of Black Cat.

“Well, apart from that Gascoigne guy, I don’t think anyone travels abroad very often. Even I’ve only been abroad a few times.”

Eto said, leaning out from the back seat.

“Yes. For upper-class nobles, it might be different, but besides Plazzo, I haven’t been anywhere else.”

 Annemarie added, also seated in the back.

“I see. But yeah, considering monsters appear and most travel is still by carriage, it’s natural not to go abroad unless there’s a strong reason.”

“In the world where you were, wasn’t it different?”

“Yeah… I went abroad occasionally for work, probably more than ten times. About four times for private trips?”

“That’s impressive!”

As a major System integrator, it’s normal to do business with overseas clients and attend events like CES in North America and Europe. My university graduation trip was to Taiwan, and I’ve also been to Hawaii for a destination wedding.

Above all —

“There was a flying vehicle that could carry hundreds of people at once. It was terrifyingly fast. Yeah… from Klaufendam to Inotia, it would take about an hour.”

The straight-line distance from Klaufendam to Inotia is roughly 400 kilometers, which is about the same as the distance between Tokyo and Osaka.

“An hour to Inotia… that’s unimaginable speed.”

“Because there are no monsters. I think it’s the result of pursuing speed.”

Different places, different customs.

Even on Earth, it’s only recently become easy to casually travel abroad.

No, excluding advanced countries, it’s still not so easy for most people to casually travel abroad.

While discussing such things, they approached the border of Plazzo.

Just before that, there was a garrison of the Balsham Knights’ Order, where they took a short break while gathering information.

As expected, monsters still appeared on the road from Picce, the border town on the Plazzo side, ahead.

Since it was still early in the morning, after a brief rest, they headed towards the Plazzo border.

Isamu was a bit nervous as it was his first time entering another country, but they entered Plazzo quite smoothly, just going through a simple introduction and paying entry taxes.

Perhaps because they were allies, from Balsham’s perspective, they were a group of nobles allied with their lord, and from Plazzo’s perspective, they were the son and party of a leading company representing the country, so it was quite natural.

After entering the neighboring country for a while, the vegetation didn’t change much, but the landscape began to change.

While the roadside was still sparsely forested shallow woods, moving a little further to the right revealed steep rocky mountains. Beyond them would be the domain of Marquis Felker of the Staleen Kingdom.

On the other hand, moving left for a while revealed a canyon over a kilometer wide extending northward, naturally forming the border with the Zun Republic.

After traveling north for about two hours along such a road squeezed between mountains and valleys, the first town in Plazzo came into view.

It was Picce, the town closest to the Staleen Kingdom.

There were reports of monsters appearing on nearby roads, and it was said that the southern major city, Capolfi, had been occupied by thieves calling themselves Avalushi. Therefore, the usually open gates were closed, and several guards were on alert.

The tension among the guards heightened upon the approach of the peculiar vehicle without horses, but it eased slightly upon noticing the Zambrotta Trading Company crest on the vehicle.

To avoid causing any commotion, they parked the magic car a short distance away, and Isamu, Annemarie, escorts Felix and Gascoigne, and Silvio walked up to the guards.

“Thank you for your service!”

Silvio greeted the guards with a smile, perhaps acquaintances.

“Why, if it isn’t Silvio-sama! It’s been a while.”

The guards, initially surprised, soon smiled back and shook hands with Silvio.

“We heard about the trouble in Capolfi… With the favor of the Klaufeldt family whom we are close to, we came to see the situation.”

“I see. Capolfi also has some major shops, right…”

The guard’s expression turned to one of concern.

Upon Silvio’s introduction and exchanging greetings, Isamu and the others were able to safely enter the town of Pitcher.

“It feels a bit quieter than usual, but overall, it seems normal.” 

Silvio remarked after checking the town’s situation.

While there were some restrictions on movement, the residents weren’t directly exposed to immediate danger, and supplies were still coming from the Staleen side, so there didn’t seem to be a significant impact.

“We have a branch office in this town as well, so please stop by for a meal.” 

Silvio suggested as it was lunchtime.

Taking Silvio’s guidance, Isamu and the others took a short break at the Zambrotta Trading Company’s Picce branch.

At the Picce branch, they conveyed the information from the knight who came bearing news and requests from the falcon, as no news had reached them about the situation at the Capolfi branch.

The falcon, presumed to have been sent from Capolfi, had come to Silvio in Klaufendamm, then flown directly to Isamu, and then returned to Klaufendamm, where it currently awaited further orders.

Since they couldn’t send anyone to Capolfi occupied by bandits, and because the situation at the main store in Plazzo’s royal capital was unclear, they had to let it pass.

Thus, they had no way of knowing what the situation was like.

However, for Isamu and the others, not having much information was nothing new…

After lunch and a rest, since it was still early, Isamu and the others decided to extend their journey a bit further north.

Given the presence of monsters and the considerable distance to the next town, they planned to return to Picce once it reached a certain time.

“Let’s go!”

“Meow!”

“Charge!”

“Hyah!”

About two hours after leaving Picce, they encountered their fifth battle with monsters.

They didn’t encounter a large group in one place, but they faced intermittent encounters with quite a number of monster groups.

There were various types of monsters, but they never encountered multiple types in a single group.

Some groups emerged from the surrounding woods, making their march quite tense.

“Phew. It’s a relief not to be stuck in the magic car all the time, and thanks to Sensei, handling them isn’t a problem, but it’s a bit annoying.” 

Gascoigne commented, wiping blood off his sword.

Perched on his head, Orihime licked her paws in apparent agreement with a small meow.

“This is likely because what was once a large group has now dispersed into countless small groups scattered throughout this area.” 

Wakkein, who had joined the team from the Inocenti territory, remarked while checking his sword.

“Is that so?” 

Isamu inquired.

“Most likely. In the rocky desert between the Inocenti territory and Kempbach’s border, monsters periodically spawn in large numbers and move in large groups. This situation resembles the second stage of that phenomenon.”

The Inocenti borders the enemy nation Kempbach, and due to the inability to thin them out frequently near the border, monsters tend to accumulate. Depending on where they seek prey, they may flow into either country, resulting in frequent combat opportunities with monster swarms.

“I see… By the way, what happens in the third stage?” 

Isamu nodded, asking further.

“First, settled groups appear. Then, new territories are established, and those settled are driven out, causing them to start moving again. Whether they move as small groups or gather into large ones varies.”

“In that case, it means that monsters will continue to be dense around here for the time being, and there’s also a possibility that a large group of monsters will move southward soon…” 

“Yes. Given how frequently we encounter small groups of monsters, there are still quite a number of them around here, I believe. Ideally, we would like to eliminate them with a large force from our side, but…” 

Wakkein trailed off.

“Moving knights too conspicuously could provoke the bandits…” 

“Yes.”

“Well, we have no choice but to go as far as we can.” 

With that decision made, Isamu and the others continued northward, defeating monsters encountered along the way.

Later in the afternoon, as the sun began to tilt, the group halted.

According to Silvio, there seemed to be a village ahead, so they needed to decide on their course of action.

“Currently, Picce is the only place where Avalush’s reach is not extending. Although Capolfi is still a distance away, it might be wise to stay cautious.” 

“Agreed. It would be troublesome to be found by them while driving in the magic car. Shall we conduct a reconnaissance mission?” 

Gascoigne suggested, echoing Isamu’s concerns.

“Yes, indeed. We want to avoid combat as much as possible, so it’s more of a regular reconnaissance than a combat one… Shall we split the unit and proceed on foot?” 

“What about the personnel?” 

Gascoigne asked.

“Well… Gascoigne-san, who is experienced in such matters, Schmeichel-san, who is skilled in using magic to some extent, Liddell, Marcela, and myself. Felix, please stay with the remaining group since it’s also risky for them.” 

“Understood.”

“Then, let’s bring magic tools including the Dispelling Magic Orbs. We might end up facing a magic giant golem.” 

Once the team was decided, the reconnaissance team swiftly prepared and entered the forest. They proceeded cautiously, paying close attention, and fortunately, they spotted the village about ten minutes later without encountering any monsters.

“…Tch, it seems Isamu-san’s intuition was right on the mark. Looks like those are indeed Magic Giant Golems, three of them.”

Schmeichel cursed as he climbed down from the tree after surveying the village.

“They do resemble the legs we brought back from the ruins.”

“What’s their deployment like?”

“There’s one patrolling outside the village, one at the entrance, and one in the center of the village. Some buildings are partially collapsed but not on fire.”

“They’re even outside…”

“Yeah. However, I don’t see any other soldiers around, just the Magic Giant Golems.”

“Hmm… What about their armaments?”

“They all seem to be armed with pole weapons resembling spears.”

“If they don’t seem to have projectile weapons, should we get a bit closer? I’d like to see how mobile they are. Can you lead the way?”

“Sure, understood. Let’s continue through the forest.”

With Schmeichel in the lead, they stealthily approached within clear sight of the Magic Giant Golems without making any noise.

“Hmm… They’re certainly large up close… And their movement is smoother than I expected.”

Isamu observed carefully while lying low in the underbrush.

The patrolling units moved smoothly without jerky motions, unlike many robots on Earth, which typically had distinctive mechanical noises. The only sounds were the clinks of their armor and the weighty footsteps.

“They move quite gracefully for their size.” 

Gascoigne murmured.

Isamu, however, had noticed something more.

“I can see Dark Attribute magic… and probably Neutral Attribute as well. Judging from the ruins’ data, the Dark Attribute might involve a lightweight enchantment.”

Isamu could clearly see Dark Attribute magic swirling around the forearms, chest, and thighs. Moreover, there was a strong magic fluctuation shimmering like a heat haze, seemingly Neutral Attribute, rising from the head—a phenomenon Isamu had never seen before.

“As for the Neutral Attribute, it extends toward the north, outside the village. This model could be a completed type of remote-controlled unit studied in the ruins.”

“So, it’s being controlled from somewhere far away? That’s… quite something.” 

Gascoigne grunted in response, and the other members nodded quietly.

While observing, the Golems circled the village three times before halting.

“What’s happening?”

Shortly after, Isamu spotted orange-colored magic near the face of one of the Magic Giant Golems. It started moving again and resumed patrolling.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, I can faintly see… orange, fire attribute magic around its face…!”

Gascoigne whispered to Isamu, who responded in a similarly low voice.

As the Magic Giant Golem’s face swiveled around as if scanning the surroundings, it passed by where Isamu and the others were stationed, then abruptly stopped and turned its face directly towards them.

“!!”

A tense atmosphere gripped everyone as they clearly sensed the abnormal movement.

After observing them for a while, the Magic Giant Golem turned right momentarily and then made a gesture that seemed to point towards them.

Subsequently, the Magic Giant Golem stationed at the gate began to move.

“Hey, isn’t this bad?”

Gascoigne spoke up while preparing to shift from a prone to a kneeling position at any moment.

“It seems highly likely they’ve spotted us. Prepare exploding orbs and Dispersing orbs.” 

Isamu instructed, nodding.

“But why…? Huh?”

Furrowing his brow, Isamu watched as the Magic Giant Golem stationed at the gate positioned itself next to the patrolling one. Then, once again, the area around its face lit up orange, visible to Isamu’s eyes.

“Fire attribute again… Could it be!? Marcela, be ready to cast Fireball at any time. Make it a large one.”

Isamu hurriedly gave instructions upon realizing something.

“Understood, but is there a reason?”

“Most likely, they’re detecting us based on temperature.”

“Temperature!?”

“Probably. Earlier, I saw traces of fire magic, but they likely switched to a different viewing mode.”

In addition to a conventional camera mode, they probably have a thermal imaging mode.

“If that’s correct, they’ll be coming towards us soon. When they do, cast Fireball. It might blind them.”

While it’s unclear if they can use both normal and infrared modes simultaneously, deploying a higher heat source should at least counter their thermal detection mode.

As they discussed this, as expected by Isamu, two Magic Giant Golems approached wielding spears.

“They’re coming!”

“Marcela, we’re counting on you! After that, everyone, throw exploding orbs and Dispersing orbs!”

“Understood!”

Once the two Magic Giant Golems seemed to have fully spotted them, they increased their speed, shaking the ground as they approached.

“Fireball!”

When the distance between them closed to about 20 meters, Marcela’s Fireball was unleashed—a massive fireball with a diameter of around 5 meters flew towards them.

Upon impact, the movements of the two Magic Giant Golems halted. While the one in the front took a direct hit, its exact damage was uncertain as it remained motionless.

Boom! Boom!

Shortly after, exploding spheres thrown exploded near the halted Magic Giant Golems.

Moments later, Dispersing orbs detonated, enveloping the Magic Giant Golems in a thin silvery smoke.

“Spread out! Fire and lightning magic might not be effective, so be cautious!”

“Got it!”

In response to Isamu’s instructions, everyone scattered and dashed out from the forest.

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