Chapter 195: Into Enemy Territory

Drexler and Laurel piloted each one of the two captured magic giant golems, while Julius operates the golem brought from the village, advancing through the forest.

Tiramisu also wanted to pilot one, but despite the area being less guarded due to the captured patrol units, Tiramisu’s lack of precision and frequent recklessness made the decision too risky, so it was rejected.

As they carefully proceeded south through the forest, trying to make as little noise as possible, the group of cat squad led by Orihime came to a halt.

Without a map, it was hard to be certain, but this seemed to be the rendezvous point they had agreed upon with Liliene yesterday.

While taking a break and observing the area, Orihime, who was grooming herself, suddenly looked up and let out a small meow. Moments later, Max leaped down from a tree.

“Meow.”

“Nao.”

After a brief exchange of meows as if confirming something, the cat squad, led by Max, began moving again.

Naturally, the rest of the group followed the cats.

Being guided by cats would normally be unthinkable, but by now, everyone had become accustomed to it, even placing full trust in them.

And once again, the place the cats guided them to was exactly where Liliene and her golem were waiting, as expected.

“Sorry for to keep you waiting. We successfully captured two units as planned.” 

Isamu called out.

“Impressive. Now we can proceed with the next phase of the plan. And these cats… or should I say Orihime? It’s unbelievable how accurate their guidance is.”

“Haha, it’s amazing, isn’t it? But we’ve gotten used to it since it happens every time.”

“…Is that so?”

Isamu spoke to Liliene, who had successfully reunited with the group. While Liliane was pleased with the reunion, she still seemed amazed at how precisely the cats had navigated through the vast forest.

“Now, the next step is to take one unit and hide it with me. Who will pilot it?”

As everyone gathered around, either sitting or standing in a circle, Liliene glanced around at their faces.

“I’m the one slated to go.” 

Drexler replied, having climbed down from his cockpit.

“You’re Drexler, right? With your long experience as a knight, you have both skill and the ability to remain calm under pressure. I’m counting on you.”

Liliene gave a small nod upon hearing this, and she and Drexler exchanged a firm handshake.

The Second Phase of the Plan

The second phase of the operation, as explained by Liliene, begins with the captured magic giant golems returning to their hiding place alongside Liliene’s own machine. Officially, Liliene and the others are supposed to be out on a patrol mission, but they had to hurriedly return after spotting a group they suspected to be part of the enemy’s reconnaissance force.

The plan is to lure out two enemy golems under the pretense of capturing or eliminating this group. At this point, a key aspect is that the golem operators will be drawn out as well due to the considerable distance involved.

Once the golems and their operators are drawn out, the remaining two golems along with Isamu’s group, who are lying in ambush, will engage and capture them.

“Drexler, follow me.”

“Understood.”

With the final checks in place, Liliene boarded her magic device. Since she would need to explain the situation verbally, it was necessary for her to return with her cockpit. Drexler, whose identity risked being exposed, would pilot from a spot slightly away from the ambush point, accompanied by a few guards.

Once Liliene’s and Drexler’s golems set out from the rendezvous point, Isamu and the others began moving to their ambush positions.

“Meow.”

Orihime, who had been hiding in the bushes, gently tapped Isamu’s head with her paw.

“…Looks like they’ve taken the bait. Everyone, prepare yourselves.” 

Isamu whispered while gently stroking Orihime’s cheek as he gave orders to the rest of the group.

Five minutes later, the sound of rustling bushes indicated the approach of the enemy unit. Leading the group was Liliene’s golem, with Drexler’s machine close behind. Behind them, two enemy golems followed in pursuit.

Looking up, Isamu could see Max hopping from branch to branch above them. None of the golems carried their cockpits, having left them behind somewhere earlier. Carrying the cockpits or having them near their feet during battle would be highly dangerous for the immobile operators and could lead to the cockpits being destroyed.

It seemed the plan to leave the cockpits at a safe distance had gone off without a hitch.

As the group approached the ambush spot without incident…

“Flash Bomb!”

With Isamu’s murmur, a small orb of light shot out from the bushes, flying between the two lead golems and the two following behind.

One of the rear golems noticed the light and turned its head toward it.

In that instant, the orb burst, engulfing the area in a blinding white light.

The two rear golems, caught off guard by the sudden flash, stumbled in confusion, making a loud clattering sound. Isamu’s eyes which were opened took in the chaotic scene as the dazed golems struggled.

Noticing the noise behind them, the two lead golems turned around, quickly closing the distance with the rear pair. The first thing they did was knock the weapons out of the hands of the disoriented golems.

Just as the rear golems were beginning to regain their vision, their weapons were disarmed, and they hesitated for a moment, unsure of what had just happened. But they quickly dropped into defensive stances and backed away.

At that moment, two of the ambushing magic giant golems charged in from behind, each restraining one of the enemy golems in a tight hold. Liliene’s and Drexler’s golems joined in to help subdue them.

Meanwhile, Orihime and Max darted through the forest, followed closely by six knights and Greg, who pursued the enemy’s guards and operators.

After a short while, the knights returned, having successfully neutralized the enemy guards and operators. They retrieved the cockpits, and under Liliene’s supervision, the magic patterns of the captured golems were reset. The magic signatures of Marcella and Memphio from the Bisseling family were newly registered to the two golems.

Now with six magic giant golems under their control, the group placed them in standby mode and gathered with Liliene once again to review the operation.

“Grnn, once again…”

“Your turn comes after this. You’ll be rampaging through enemy territory, so save your energy until then.”

Tiramisu, who had been pulled from the pilot seat due to the sensitivity required for the upcoming phase of the operation, gritted her teeth in frustration. Felix, trying to calm her down, offered some advice.

“That’s right, Tiramisu. It’ll come down to raw strength in the end, and we’re counting on you for that.”

“Hmm, it’s hard to tell if you’re relying on me or making fun of me…” 

Tiramisu muttered, unsure of how to interpret the remark.

Drexler, half-smiling, patted Tiramisu on the shoulder.

—

After a brief pause, the group moved forward into the final stage of their operation.

First, Liliene’s and Drexler’s machines, along with the captured units of Marcella and Memphio, headed to the staging area. Liliene and Drexler took their own cockpits, while the other two units were loaded onto cargo-type magic vehicles.

Julius, along with Sarah (who had taken over  from Laurel), stayed slightly away from the staging area, guarded by Mizeroi, Liddell, Annemarie, Rudolf, and Karina. Marcella and Memphio’s cockpits, as well as non-combat personnel Eto and Willem, remained with them.

The remaining eleven members, riding in magic carriage, were set to join Liliane and Drexler at the staging point.

“I apologize for cramming you all in here with such a rough ride.”

Inside the cargo section of the magic vehicle, which shook with every step of the giant magic golem, Isamu offered an apologetic smile to Samuel.

“No need to apologize. We insisted on coming along. Besides, compared to the rough rides of old carriages, this is nothing.”

Samuel, unbothered by the situation, responded calmly, showcasing his unique character as the head of a noble family.

As they continued their light conversation, carefully observing the outside through the gaps in the canopy while securing themselves to avoid being thrown out, they noticed an open area ahead.

“It seems like we’re about to arrive…”

“It would appear so.”

“The magic golem has also slowed down.” 

Franboise pointed out.

Just as she said, the magic golem, which had been running, slowed to a walk, and the vehicle’s shaking lessened.

After walking for about three more minutes, the magic golem stopped, and the vehicle was lowered to the ground.

Inside the same vehicle, Isamu, Samuel, Franboise, Elis, and Gable from the Bisseling family held their breath and strained to listen to the outside.

“Hey, looks like they’re back.”

“What’s that? A carriage?”

The returning magic golem, carrying something unfamiliar, caused a stir among the members of Avalushi.

Liliene stepped down from the cockpit to address the crowd.

“It seems the reconnaissance team from the Kingdom of Stahlen managed to infiltrate. Suspicious of their easy withdrawal, Viscount Klaufeldt, who had his magic stones stolen, and Margrave Balsham from the frontier sent them jointly.”

Upon hearing this, several people shared their thoughts.

“Heh, so Stahlen has someone sharp after all.”

“I’ve heard from some duke that the Klaufeldt family is a poor noble house that only digs up non-attribute magic stones, but it seems they’re more capable than I thought.”

“Yeah, they even took down a few of our machines when we went to get the magic stones.”

“Hah, but even so, it’s too late for them now.”

“What about the prisoners, young lady?” 

One of the men asked.

“We’ll keep them captive until the battle is over, and then sell them as prisoners to Zun. It’s not worth stirring up trouble later by mishandling them.”

Liliene’s pragmatic reply satisfied the man.

“Yeah, that’s the safest route. Alright, just sit tight. This won’t take long.”

With that, he peeked into the magic vehicle. After confirming that the prisoners were tied up, he kicked the vehicle, muttering a parting insult before walking away.

“They’ll stay locked in here. Keep a guard on them, rotating shifts.” 

Liliene ordered.

The two magic golems that had brought the vehicle nodded in acknowledgment and hoisted the vehicle once again, carrying it to the edge of the hiding spot.

The location they were brought to seemed to be a resting area.

Isamu and the others took the opportunity to survey their surroundings. The first thing that caught their eyes was a small pond of clear water.

Surrounding the pond was an open area about 20 meters in radius, where the forest had been cleared, likely used as the hiding spot. There were no buildings, but several large tents were set up.

Aside from their magic golem, about twenty others were visible. Around a third of them were in rest mode near the resting space, while the rest seemed to be operational.

There were fewer pilot vehicles than magic golems, suggesting they had scattered them throughout the forest to reduce risk.

The time was just past noon. This timing had been chosen based on Liliene’s preference, and upon assessing the situation, Isamu thought it made sense.

The pilots of the magic giants, known as golems, had disembarked from their cockpits and were eating lunch.

Though they were likely rotating shifts, about 30% of the magic golems were inactive, which was a huge advantage.

The plan hinged on taking over these inactive magic golems by rewriting their magic patterns.

According to Liliene, there were two collaborators, so while Isamu was observing the situation, wondering who they might be, a man standing guard with his back turned spoke up.

“Sorry for keeping you in a tight spot for so long. I’ve heard from the young lady. I’m currently keeping watch, and there’s another person helping. Let me know when it’s time to act.”

“Ah, so you’re one of the collaborators. Got it. I’ll let you know after a final check.”

Slightly surprised, Isamu responded, and the man nodded briefly.

“There are seven golems in standby mode. The cockpits are spread out a bit.”

“Yes, it would be impossible to take them all at once.”

“Right. We should focus on securing the three that are closer to us before they activate.”

“There seem to be about thirty people from Avalushi near the rest area. Some might not be combatants, so I estimate around twenty are fighters?”

“That sounds about right. We should aim to avoid injuring anyone, so focus on lightning swords, along with reduced-power lightning and water magic.”

Isamu, Samuel, and Franboise assessed the situation and made their final checks.

“Liliene should be coming over under the guise of taking a break soon. That’s when we’ll begin.”

“Understood.”

“Elis, once we start, relay the final decision to the other team immediately. After that, join Lilliene, Tiramisu, and Greg in piloting the golems.”

“Understood.”

Elis nodded nervously at Isamu’s instructions.

Her ranking for piloting the golems and combat ability had been carefully considered. Although she was new, her skills made her a high priority.

Soon, Isamu spotted Liliene coming toward them, having finished talking to what seemed to be the elders across the pond. She was piloting a golem.

Isamu quietly informed the guard outside of the starting timing.

“When Liliane gets out of the cockpit, we’ll begin. Please close your eyes or turn away just in case.”

“Understood.”

Now that they had reached this point, all that was left was to execute the plan.

Isamu watched Liliene closely, ready for action. She lowered the cockpit close to the magic vehicle, parking the golem near the other cockpits in a standby position.

This would not only allow for a faster start when the operation commenced but also help the knights guard the precious cockpit.

At last, Liliene descended from the cockpit.

Isamu and the others exchanged glances, nodded, and untied the ropes that only appeared to be binding them.

The knights retrieved the weapons hidden under the floor, while Isamu, Samuel, and Franboise began chanting spells simultaneously.

“Stone Wall!”

“Wind Wall!”

Samuel’s “Stone Wall” and Franboise’s “Wind Wall” activated first.

Samuel instantly constructed a massive 20-meter-wide, 5-meter-high wall of earth, separating the resting area from the rest. In front of it, Franboise created an equally wide wall of wind.

“Flash Bomb!”

Next, Isamu’s powerful “Flash Bomb” filled the area with blinding white light.

At that moment, the knights sprang into action, dashing out from the two magic vehicles.

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