Chapter 176: Urgent News and Return

The morning after the emergency meeting.

After having breakfast at the inn, Isamu was brushing Orihime in the living room.

“Nyaa.”

Orihime, who had been lazily lying on his lap, perked up her ears and stood up, as if she had heard something.

“What’s wrong, Orihime?”

As Isamu stopped brushing, he heard the sound of someone hurriedly running up the inn’s stairs.

The sound grew louder and then stopped right in front of his room. The door was then pounded on loudly.

Felix, who was standing guard inside the door, reached for his sword and was about to ask who it was when he heard a familiar voice from outside.

“It’s Silvio!! Matsumoto-sama, it’s an emergency!! Klauffendam has…!!”

Silvio’s desperate voice was clear. Felix, recognizing the urgency, immediately opened the door.

“I’m opening it now.”

As soon as the door was opened, a frantic Silvio stumbled into the room.

“What happened!? Why are you in such a rush?”

“Just now, a hawk arrived from Klauffendam!! Klauffendam has been attacked by numerous magic giant golems!!”

Silvio, panting, shouted and handed a paper to Isamu.

“What!?”

“No way!”

“Huh?”

Everyone in the room was stunned into silence.

Isamu read the paper with a grim expression and then spat out his words.

“…Damn it, this was their main plan!”

“Isamu, what about the town? Is Klauffendam safe?”

Annemarie asked Isamu, her face pale.

“There seem to be many injured, but no deaths among the townspeople, including your mother. You can be reassured about that.”

Isamu said, gently holding her shoulder.

“I see…”

Annemarie’s expression softened a bit, relieved that the worst hadn’t happened.

“How extensive is the damage?”

Felix asked in his stead.

“I don’t know the details, but there are many injured, several seriously. It seems the non-attribute magic stones stored for shipment were taken.”

“The magic stones… Was this emergency summons a diversion?”

“It’s possible, but it’s hard to believe they would choose such a high-risk method from the start. It might have been one of several options. Anyway, we need to get evidence… Besides…”

“Besides?”

“This gives them an excuse to condemn our Klaufeldt family again.”

“An excuse? Even though we are the victims?”

“Yes. In the end, we handed over many magic stones. If there were many casualties or if the town was destroyed, it would be different, but according to the report, the damage beyond the stones is minimal. They might suspect it was a self-inflicted wound.”

“That’s absurd!”

“It’s not a decisive blow, but they might use it to extend Selfers’ detention.”

Isamu said bitterly.

The fact that they mentioned the possibility of betrayal and handing over the magic stones during the meeting a few days ago was really annoying.

“In any case, we need to return urgently. We must assess the situation and plan our next steps… I’ll go to His Excellency right away.”

“Understood. I’ll prepare for departure immediately.”

“Please do.”

Isamu said and headed to his room to change.

“Nyaa.”

Orihime, who had followed him, was on the bed, irritably flicking her tail against the sheets.

“Hehe, you’re angry too, huh? That’s right, it’s almost like our home now…”

Isamu finished changing, gave Orihime a gentle pat, and put her on his shoulder. He then quickly left the inn with Annemarie, Liddell, and Gascoigne.

—

“What!? Klauffendam has been attacked!?”

“Tch! To think they would be so bold in my territory.”

“I had thought it unlikely, but they resorted to drastic measures.”

“To have penetrated so deeply into the central part of the country…”

“It’s certain that they had some inside help.”

The gathered heads of the households at Nazario’s townhouse each voiced their shock.

However, since it was one of the worst-case scenarios they had considered, they remained calm and composed.

“So, what are the damages?”

After sharing their thoughts, Lubinda asked Isamu.

“Since it was a swift report via hawk, I don’t have all the details, but it seems around ten magic giant golems appeared. Fortunately, there are no deaths, and the buildings haven’t suffered significant damage.”

“I see. That’s a relief… But their target was definitely the non-attribute magic stones.”

“Yes, I believe so. The battle happened outside the town, and after scaling the outer walls, they entered the town, went straight to the lower levels, and stole the stones from the warehouse without destroying the lord’s mansion or any houses.”

“A precise operation.”

“Indeed. Whether they scouted the area beforehand or obtained information from somewhere… The fact that such a number of magic giant golems moved undetected to the kingdom’s center also indicates they had collaborators.”

There had been a series of incidents where spies had turned themselves in.

Though the sporadic surrenders continued, they were all people spying on Isamu and those close to the lord.

Regarding town information, it was generally possible to gather it without arousing suspicion, making it unavoidable.

“Well, that’s true. It’s almost certainly Yadelud’s foolish son and his group, but the fact that they haven’t shown their hand is troublesome.”

“The one saving grace is that we hid all the large and medium magic stones beforehand, just in case. What was stolen were mostly small magic stones, so if they plan to use them for the magic giant golems, they should face significant limitations.”

“Yes, indeed. I thought it might be over-worrying, but my bad premonition was right.”

While the purpose wasn’t entirely clear, when high-ranking nobles from across the country gather, the defenses of each territory weaken, and the increased traffic on the highways lessens surveillance.

In such a scenario, the likelihood of a large-scale invasion at the border or a guerrilla uprising within the kingdom increases.

The Klaufeldt territory’s magic stones would be a prime target in such cases.

Without the military strength of high-ranking nobles and surrounded by many territories loyal to Duke Yadelud, it’s an easy target.

While it seemed unlikely, we sent a message to Klauffendam when leaving the border town, instructing them to hide the magic stones and prepare explosive and lightning orbs for use against the magic giant golems.

“Then, we will urgently return to our territory. We’ll leave some magic cars with drivers here, so please return to your territories as soon as possible.”

“Thank you. With those, we can get back in half the time. We’ll use them gratefully. Leave the border security to us.”

“Please take care of it.”

Isamu entrusted the Margraves with reporting to the royal castle and Selfers, then left the capital that morning.

They traveled late into the night on the first day to cover more distance and returned to Klauffendam by the afternoon of the following day.

They had left on a journey at the beginning of the third month, and now it was the beginning of the fifth month, so it had been two months since they were last in their territory’s capital.

The ground between the outer wall and the forest was gouged in places, with metal and pottery fragments scattered around.

The closed gate, thanks to the magic circles on it, was mostly unscathed.

Instead, the upper part of the left outer wall was partially collapsed. This was likely the trace of where the enemy had scaled the wall.

The outer wall is nearly five meters high. While effective in human combat, it’s inadequate against magic giant golems over four meters tall.

Approaching the gate slowly while observing these painful traces, the gate began to open gradually.

Inside the open gate, Diluc, the captain of the knights, and about ten knights were lined up to welcome them.

“Welcome back, Annemarie-sama, Isamu-sama. I’m sorry we couldn’t protect the town.”

Diluc bowed his head regretfully, and the other knights followed suit.

“Raise your head, Diluc. Thanks to your efforts, there were no casualties. We should be thanking you instead.”

Annemarie gently reassured him, but Diluc’s expression remained somber.

“The crucial magic stones were hidden beforehand thanks to your actions. As long as they are safe, everything is fine!”

Isamu also tried to speak cheerfully.

“More importantly, you fought quite a number of magic giant golems, didn’t you? Please tell us how it went!”

While it’s important to reflect and learn from this, dwelling too much on the past won’t help move forward.

Given that they would eventually face the magic giant golems again, gathering information now would be more beneficial.

Isamu and his group entered Klauffendam, driving the magic car slowly on purpose.

“Annemarie-sama~~!”

“Wow~~, Orihime-chan!!”

The main street was crowded with residents eager to catch a glimpse of Annemarie waving from the window or Orihime perched on the vehicle’s roof.

Considering the recent shocking attack by the magic giant golems, Annemarie wanted to help the townspeople distract themselves, if only a little.

Seeing the cobblestones heavily dented in places made it clear that battles had taken place within the town as well.

Now, everyone was smiling, but they must have been terrified.

With these thoughts, they took about twenty minutes to slowly reach the lord’s mansion.

“Mother!! I’m so glad you’re safe!!”

“Hahaha, I am the wife of a noble, after all. I won’t be taken down so easily.”

Annemarie couldn’t help but hug Nicolette, who had come to welcome her.

“I’m sorry for the trouble we caused you while we were away.”

“It’s not your fault, Isamu. Besides, protecting the people in the absence of the lord is an important duty of the lord’s wife.”

Nicolette replied while patting Annemarie.

“Well then, shall I tell you all about our heroic deeds?”

With a mischievous smile, Nicolette led the group into the mansion.

Although they were advised to rest a bit first, given the urgency, they decided to listen to the report right away.

Going back to two days ago in the afternoon, ten magic giant golems suddenly appeared from the southern forest.

Thanks to the contents of the previous declaration and the warning from Isamu, the gates were closed in a state of alert, preventing a sudden breach.

The watchmen immediately noticed the golems and issued a challenge, but without a word, two golems launched an attack on the gate.

Thanks to the magic circles on the gate, it remained unscathed. The golems seemed to look back in surprise.

Having been attacked without warning, the Klaufeldt side rang the emergency bell and launched a counterattack.

They threw explosive orbs, kept at the gate and outer wall, at the golems attacking the gate.

Additionally, they threw lightning orbs prepared per Isamu’s instructions.

The golems attacking the gate were hit by over ten explosive orbs and several lightning orbs, causing their exteriors and parts to scatter as they fell.

Immediately, scatter orbs were fired from magic cannons, covering the area in a thin mist, followed by more explosive orbs.

While the long-range attack after understanding the weapon’s nature resulted in fewer direct hits, it successfully impeded and diminished the combat capability of two more golems.

However, this one-sided situation didn’t last.

Each magic giant golem’s combat power far exceeded that of a single human.

They dispersed to avoid being targeted and quickly moved two golems to weaker spots in the defense.

One golem crouched slightly, serving as a platform for the other to leap over the wall.

The knights tried to counter with magic, but they couldn’t approach closely and ended up allowing the golems to enter the town.

From there, the Klaufeldt forces were on the defensive.

Led by Nicolette, they used earth and water magic, and also spear artillery, to stop one more golem. However, they couldn’t prevent the remaining golems from entering the town.

They infiltrated the lower levels and stole a large number of non-attribute magic stones from the warehouse near the non-attribute magic stone mine.

“After that, they didn’t pay any attention to the town or the residents. They retrieved the disabled golems and quickly retreated.”

Finishing her account, Nicolette sighed deeply.

“That’s incredible, disabling half of the ten golems…”

Isamu sighed in amazement at the unexpected success.

“Well, we did end up losing the magic stones.”

“No. It’s precisely because you demonstrated such combat capability that the enemy decided not to linger and left quickly. It’s an astounding achievement!”

Isamu denied Nicolette’s self-deprecating remark.

“I hope so… As for the golems that fled outside the town, they all scattered in different directions. Since then, there’s been no sign of them.”

Nicolette said this weakly and shrugged her shoulders slightly.

“They must have regrouped somewhere in the forest or beyond and retreated… In any case, thanks to everyone’s efforts, we avoided a major disaster. Truly, thank you.”

Isamu bowed his head again.

“Hehe, hearing that eases my mind. Did I live up to my role as the lord’s wife?”

“Absolutely. Most of the stolen magic stones were small ones. The defense was a great success.”

“I’m glad to hear that. So, what’s your plan from here?”

“Even though it might be futile, we’ll search the vicinity for any traces and try to track them using magic cars. Simultaneously, we’ll mass-produce magic tools and cars for combating the magic giant golems and work on deciphering the parts we have.”

“Of course, there’s a lot to do.”

“Haha, well, it can’t be helped. But His Excellency Maraine has promised to send us additional manpower, so we should manage.”

Klaufeldt’s small domain is also part of the larger territory of Count Maraine Bisseling. Enraged by the devastation of his land, Maraine had pledged full cooperation.

“That’s reassuring. I know you have a lot on your mind, but for today, take it easy. It’s going to get busy again soon, whether you like it or not.”

“Thank you. You’re right, we can’t stay tense all the time.”

With that, the debriefing ended, and Isamu took a relaxing bath before returning to his bedroom for the first time in a while.

It was then that Isamu realized he hadn’t seen Orihime since returning to the manor. He thought she might have gone to the knights’ quarters or the adventurers’ guild since it had been a while since their last visit to Klauffendam. After tinkering with a keyboard-shaped magic tool, he fell asleep.

Late at night.

Isamu was awakened by Orihime’s meow.

Looking beside the bed, he saw that Orihime had returned.

“Oh, welcome back, Princess. Huh? You brought a friend with you today. That’s unusu…al…? …Wha!?”

Half-asleep, Isamu sprang out of bed.

“What!?”

“Meow.”

“Meow.”

In front of him, along with Orihime, stood another cat, pitch black and blending into the darkness.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter