Kays Translations

Chapter 57: The Villainous Aristocrat Doesn't Feel Refreshed

I activate the megaphone and issue a warning to the Imperial forces who have taken refuge in the fortress.

"Ah, ah. We're about to launch an assault on the fortress. Evacuate immediately. I'll let you know in advance, defenses like barriers are meaningless. Please evacuate quietly."

"Boss, wouldn't it have been better to attack without a warning?"

"If I did that, a lot of people would die. I'm not someone who can bear the weight of people's deaths, and I don't want to become a killer. Don't you have any sense of ethics?"

"Uh, well, about the boomerang."

"Ayano, did you say something?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing."

About ten minutes must have passed.

After ordering Hagane to charge, we advance toward the fortress.

"All right, charge in!! When the time is right, press the blue switch next to the steering wheel!! Be careful not to press the red one; it triggers self-destruction!!"

"W-why would you have a self-destruct device!?"

"In case, by some chance, it gets captured by the enemy. It's a precaution."

Well, even if it did get captured, without Ayano, they wouldn't be able to operate it.

It was already a challenge for the Sea Dragon's Queria to move it for more than ten minutes.

Besides, attempting to research and replicate the Juggernaut would be difficult.

Using enhancement magic and shaping magic is the minimum requirement.

"...And self-destruction has a sense of romance!! By the way, an entire town will turn into a scorched wasteland, so make sure not to mess up!! It's not a joke!!"

"Please stop the person who's about to press that!! And the main reason is definitely the romance, right!? The whole thing about being captured is just an afterthought, isn't it!?"

Ignoring Ayano's complaints through the communication tube, the Juggernaut charges forward.

Then, when it gets as close to the fortress as possible, Hagane presses the blue switch, and a certain function activates.

Clang!!

"Uwaaah!! Boss, something weird that spins around has come out!!"

"A large drill is the epitome of romance."

Emptying the storage of the Reldo was worth it.

The rapidly spinning drill pierces the fortress gate.

For a moment, there was a faint resistance, so there was probably some kind of barrier.

Unfortunately, the Juggernaut's drill is enchanted with magic of all attributes, so it can perform functions like a heat drill.

Barriers and the like are meaningless.

"Boss!! We've breached the fortress gate!"

"All right. Let's find the Kingdom soldiers who might be prisoners."

According to Freya's information, several hundred knights and soldiers who were defending the fortress have become prisoners.

Since I've received a map of the fortress from Freya in advance, I can go looking for prisoners while clearing out any Empire soldiers in the way.

Huh? How am I going to find prisoners amid the downpour of extremely spicy chili pepper extract?

"Katia. Keep showering the sky with cluster chili peppers until I come back."

"Understood."

I descend from the gunner's seat and head to the storage compartment at the rear of the Juggernaut.

There, I boarded something that was stored there.

A crawler-mounted robot with a height of 5 meters, equipped with Gatling guns that use non-lethal slime rounds on both arms and railguns on both shoulders.

By the way, these slime rounds, despite being labeled as non-lethal, have enough force to break human bones normally.

"Kunou, let's go!!"

The door of the storage compartment opens, and I deploy the robot that strongly resembles a certain well-known tank.

...Well, maybe I should avoid using the name of that well-known tank.

I have a feeling I might get scolded.

It's not as complex as to be called a machine, more like manipulating a doll with strings.

Alright, let's call it Droid. Combining Doll and Android.

Huh? Mixing French and Greek, using two different languages, is tacky?

Shut up, kid!!

Can you come up with a better name than Droid other than G*n*ank?

...Actually, I wanted to incorporate a transformation mechanism, but I ran out of time and had to give up on it this time.

I'll definitely make a transforming Droid someday.

"Well then, where could the prisoners be?"

I had a rough idea of a place that would be easy to use as a prison, but let's see.

Huh?

"Oh, there are a lot of casualties."

I sigh inside the Droid.

Having moved away from the Juggernaut, I head to a vantage point inside the fortress using the Droid. 

And there, in my sight, piles of charred remains. Once human.

These are probably the soldiers from both the Kingdom and the Empire who died defending this fortress.

Leaving the corpses as they are would be troublesome.

It's not only because of the risk of a spreading epidemic but also because they might turn into undead if not handled properly.

The best course of action is to burn everything, not leaving even bones behind.

"Namu Amida Butsu, Namu Amida Butsu."

Praying for the repose of the dead, I continue my search for prisoners.

However, since I don't find any for a while, I decide to capture a random Empire soldier and interrogate them.

"Gyaaaah!! Eyes, eyes!!"

"Shut up."

"Uggh!!"

I shut up the Empire soldier writhing on the ground with a punch from the Droid's fist.

"What the hell!?"

"Answer my question. What happened to the prisoners?"

Blinded by the rain of extremely spicy chili pepper extract, the Empire soldier, who couldn't see, panics and spills everything, not realizing I'm from the Kingdom.

"We killed those guys a long time ago and turned them into ashes!! There were charred remains in the square!!"

"...Ah, I see."

I see, I see.

That massive pile of charred remains wasn't from casualties but rather the prisoners being killed and burned.

"Well, it's war, and these things happen."

While they did it first, retaliating wouldn't be an issue, but this time, I've decided not to kill.

Killing them here would put us on the same level as them, and above all, there's Felsy to consider.

Huh? If Felsy wasn't around, would I have done it then?

Haha. I hope I wouldn't do something that bad.

Well, for now, I'll just accept it as unavoidable this time.

In this world, compared to modern Japan, it's much more barbaric, and human life is considered much lighter.

Certainly, prisoners are practically useless, consuming resources without contributing much.

It would be more rational to just kill them.

However, being constantly on the receiving end is frustrating.

I give up the search for prisoners and return to the Juggernaut.

"Boss, were the prisoners okay?"

"They killed and burned them all."

"...Is that so? That's unfortunate."

"Yeah."

The atmosphere inside the Juggernaut turned into something akin to a funeral.

No one said anything.

Not that I feel anything about it. 

Just because someone I don't even know dies, I don't become sentimental and think, "Oh, how sad."

Breaking the silence that had settled, I was the first to speak.

"Sis."

"...What is it, Kunou-kun?"

"I decided not to kill anyone since that outdoor class when you told me. I decided to enjoy making things with all my might."

"I see. That's a very good thing."

"I just thought..."

I ask Felsy through the communication system.

"If I don't kill, anything I do is considered safe, right?"

"Kunou-san?"

"Kunou-kun? Hey, what are you planning? Kunou-kun!?"

"Katia, load that one for me."

"...Are you going to use that?"

I nodded. Katia loaded the projectile, and I fired it into the sky.

"Psychic disruption projectile, fire!"

Better late than never, but there are various types of magic.

Psychic attack magic is often used in torture. 

I tried it on myself, and it's genuinely distressing.

It's like, hard to explain, but it feels like your whole body is being crawled over by centipedes or tarantulas.

For some reason, it doesn't seem to work well on me, and its effects only lasted a very short time, but normally, the aftereffects can linger for several weeks.

The cluster psychic disruption projectile affects all living beings in the surrounding area except for those on the Juggernaut, exploding without issue whether they are hiding in buildings or not.

"Ah, nooo!! Don't come, don't come!!"

"I beg you, please forgive me!!"

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!"

"I-I'm not bad, I'm not bad."

*Rattling sounds...*

"Oh, oh, it's working, it's working."

"...But it's not very satisfying. Alright, Hagane."

"Huh? What is it, boss?"

Ignoring my older sister's restraining voice, I give instructions to Hagane.

I decide to return to the kingdom's territory once and ask for a message to be delivered to Freya.

In the conference room of the symbol of the Gardanakia Kingdom, the royal castle, a messenger enters without knocking.

"Your Majesty!! Queen Majesty!! We've received a report from the Knight Commander!!"

"S-Speak!"

Freya, eager to know the current state of the war, listens intently to the words of the remaining few subjects and the messenger in the capital.

"A gigantic steel monster that suddenly appeared neutralized and successfully subdued the Imperial forces that had occupied the fortress!"

"Good, good!! Well done, Kunou!! I'll give you a reward when you get back!!"

"And, um..."

As Freya unabashedly strikes a victory pose, the messenger stammers.

One of the dignitaries tactfully calms down the excited Freyja.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. It seems there is still more to report."

"My apologies. Please continue with the report."

"Y-Yes! Well, it seems that the Kingdom soldiers and knights who were captured by the Imperial forces were killed, and there were no survivors."

"…Those Imperials. They really went all out."

Freya becomes instantly displeased.

"And, um..."

"Is there still something else?"

"A gigantic steel box that appeared on the battlefield seems to have spoken."

"Hmm. What was the message?"

"Well..."

In Freya's mind, the image of a boy of the same age as her daughter comes to mind.

He was a literal hero who likely turned the tide of this war.

If his words were involved, she must hear them.

"Um, so, he said, 'I'm not feeling satisfied, so I'm going to crash into the imperial capital of Atralta. I'll grab the emperor or someone and make them take responsibility. Barbaric methods suit barbarians.'"

"........"

The dignitaries in the conference room fall into stunned silence.

"Heh, hehehe."

"Your Majesty?"

"Hahaha!!!! Honestly. Kunou, that's a bit too reckless!"

While verbally reproaching, Freya's cheerful laughter echoes through the royal castle.

It seemed as though she was saying, "Well done, do more."

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter