Blankon Announcement

512: Sue, and the Abandoned Factory.

"Chi... children from the future, you say? All of these kids?"

"Ah, Alice is different. She's Ende's daughter."

After much deliberation, I decided to be honest with Duke Ortlinde and his wife, Ellen. I had planned to tell them when Sue's child arrived, but being found out beforehand was unexpected.

"They do resemble them... They look just like the duchesses. So, they really are from the future..."

The children had removed their badges with 【Mirage】, revealing their true appearances. Standing next to their respective mothers, the resemblance was unmistakable. There couldn't be clearer evidence than this.

"I did think it was strange. No matter how close they are as relatives, calling you 'Otousama' was odd."

It seemed the Duke had vaguely sensed there was some secret. Well, it’s only natural to find it strange. Calling me "Otousama" was probably pushing it...

"So, um, about Sue's daughter...?"

"Hmm. About that, Otousama. The daughters of Yae and Yumina-sama's son, as well as my own daughter, haven’t arrived in Brunhild yet. It seems they’re in this world, though."

"What!? Are they alright!?"

Hearing Sue's explanation, Duke Ortlinde and Ellen began to panic. Even Ed-kun, who had been sleeping in Ellen's arms, started to fuss, seemingly startled by the commotion.

"Ah, they’re fine. Apparently, all of our children are gold or silver-ranked adventurers."

"Eh!? ...How old is Sue's daughter?"

In response to the Duke's question, Sue turned to Alice.

"Alice, how old is my daughter?"

"Huh? Steph is one year younger than me, so she’s five."

"Oh? So my daughter is named Steph, is she?"

"Ah!"

Alice hurriedly covered her mouth. The other children gave her a disappointed look, and Ende patted her head with a pained expression. What a careless girl. Thanks for that.

"Is Steph a nickname? Is her full name Stephanie?"

"Ugh! I’m not saying anything else!"

Alice turned away with a pout. Oh dear.

"Her name is Stephania, Otousama."

While chuckling at Alice's sulking, Asia provided the answer. Stephania, huh? So, Steph for short.

"Even if they have the skills of gold or silver-ranked adventurers, she’s just a five-year-old girl, right? Is she really okay?"

"She’s fine. Steph is the most defense-oriented among the siblings. No one can even touch her."

Frey chimed in with a laugh, reassuring the worried Duke. Defense-oriented? 【Shield】 was something Linne used. Could it be...?

"【Prison】?"

"That’s right."

【Prison】 automatically deploys a barrier, even while sleeping, protecting the user regardless of their will. It’s highly customizable, making it a truly defense-focused ability. And she has 【Accel】 too, so she’s fast."

"She can use 【Accel】 too...?"

Complete defense and godlike speed. What a terrifying five-year-old.

"Though in her case, she doesn’t use 【Accel】 for running away."

"It’s definitely 'Steph Rocket.'"

Kuhn and Linne were discussing something ominous. What the heck is 'Steph Rocket'!?

"Steph’s ultimate move. She wraps herself in 【Prison】 and charges headfirst with 【Accel】."

"In other words, a body slam."

Elna and Yoshino explained my question. What kind of move is that...? Come to think of it, Sue used to tackle me a lot too. Guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Duke Ortlinde and his wife wore complicated expressions as they listened to the children’s explanations. Hearing about a grandchild they hadn’t even met yet left them unsure whether to be happy or worried.

"Have you told His Majesty about this?"

"Not yet. I was planning to introduce the children to him after they arrived. I’ve told Regulus, Restia, and, ah, Zenoss, though."

"It’s hard to believe without meeting them in person... I’m still half in doubt myself. But thinking about my grandchild makes me restless."

"Me too. I wonder what Steph is like. Is she as lively as Sue?"

The Duke and Ellen spoke with excitement. She’s probably lively... I mean, she has a move called 'Steph Rocket'... It seems our youngest daughter is quite the tomboy.

"For now, please keep this a secret from the King of Belfast. I’ll explain everything once Yumina’s son... Kuon, arrives."

"I see. So Yumina’s child is the heir. That explains his joy. Congratulations, Yumina!"

"Thank you, Uncle!"

Yumina, who had received congratulations from Duke Ortlinde, was beaming with joy. And she hasn’t even met him yet. I can only imagine how she’ll act when Kuon finally arrives.

"So, what’s my son like!? Is he cool? Smart? Kind to girls? He must be a good, filial child, right!?"

"Uh, um, well..."

"Stop! You’re making Elna uncomfortable. I get that you’re excited, but calm down a bit."

Yumina bombarded Elna with questions, leaving her flustered. Her mother, Elze, stepped in to stop her.

"Now, now... Let’s save that for when we meet him. Knowing too much beforehand might make things awkward."

"Ugh... I can’t wait to meet him."

As I tried to soothe Yumina, I lamented the fact that all I could do was wait. It’s been a while since Yoshino arrived, so it wouldn’t be strange if the others showed up soon.

Well, Yae might not be ready to come yet. But if she doesn’t show her face soon, her mother might reach her limit. If I’m being blunt, a spanking might be in store.

I really don’t want to see my daughter get scolded, so more than Kuon or Steph, I’m hoping for Yae’s return.

◇ ◇ ◇

With a single swing of her sword, Yae flicked the blood off the blade. Her beloved sword, enchanted with 【Clean】, slid back into its sheath.

"My, my, you’re quite strong, lass. Taking out a band of thieves all by yourself... I can hardly believe it."

Professor let out an impressed sigh as he looked at the men lying around. The two had entered Isengard from the Gardio Empire by ship, but there was no transportation to the ruined former capital of Isengard, Isenburg.

They ended up walking, but along the way, they were suddenly ambushed by bandits. In the collapsed and desolate Isengard, such lawless men were rampant.

With no one to enforce order, these scoundrels had gathered, making the ruins their den. The bandits who attacked Yae and the Professor numbered around fifty. Yae had taken down almost all of them single-handedly.

"Strange... These men didn’t seem in their right minds. They were spouting nonsense. Could it be...?"

Yae rummaged through the pockets of one of the fallen men and pulled out a tattered wallet. Seeing this, Professor made a complicated face.

"Lass, stealing from bandits is... Were you that desperate for money? You could’ve asked me..."

"N-no! It’s not like I took the wallet for money!"

Flustered, Yae quickly defended herself. Soon, she found what she was looking for and muttered, "As I thought."

"Hmm? What’s that? Some kind of medicine?"

Yae pulled out a small packet from the wallet. Inside was a small amount of golden powder.

"Gold dust? No, the color seems a bit off..."

"This is a drug masquerading as medicine made from the branches of the sacred tree... It’s a drug. Consuming it gradually erodes your ability to control your emotions, making you act on instinct, and becoming aggressive. Eventually, it leads to death."

"What!? Such a thing is circulating!?"

The bandits who had attacked earlier had unfocused eyes and were spouting nonsense as they charged at Yae. They were clearly not in their right minds. Their bodies and minds had already been ravaged by the drug, likely in the final stages.

"Isengard had the Gold Blossom Disease. Many people probably turned to such fraudulent drugs."

"Hmm... I’d like to ask what the country is doing, but there is no country to ask..."

Professor grimaced. The man in the diving suit Yae had encountered earlier called himself an 'Apostle of the Evil God.' This drug was undoubtedly connected to them.

The drug was being spread primarily in Isengard, but its influence had reached neighboring countries like Raze, Gardio, Strain, and Orphan. It seemed to be a large-scale organization. At this point, it was beyond Yae’s ability to handle alone.

She knew that, but she couldn’t return empty-handed. She needed to bring back at least some information.

"We’re almost at Isenburg. Let’s at least go and see. We can always return whenever we want."

As if convincing herself, Yae started walking again. She had already told Professor about 【Gate】. If there was nothing at their destination, the ruined city of Isenburg, they could just use 【Gate】 to return. Though she hadn’t decided if it would be to Brunhild or not.

After walking for half a day, a large crater came into view. It was likely the result of the battle between her parents and the Evil God. Professor let out an impressed sigh as he looked at the crater.

"My, my... What kind of battle could cause something like this?"

Yae hadn’t seen the battle herself. Of course not. It happened before she was born.

But she knew it had been a fierce fight. Though this crater was apparently made by the Evil God.

Past the crater, the remnants of a ruined town became more frequent. The central area was completely flattened, while the outskirts were filled with collapsed buildings. The contrast was stark.

"These broken walls make it hard to walk."

"Don’t get too close to the taller buildings. They might collapse."

The once-called 'Industrial City of Isenburg,' the city of iron, was now unrecognizable. Only rusted iron and shattered stones remained.

Occasionally, the remains of golems crushed under buildings could be seen. The lack of human remains was likely due to most of the residents having fled before the battle with the Evil God, during the rampage of the Demon Engineer King and the Hecatoncheires.

"Hmm."

"What is it, lass?"

"Shh... Be quiet..."

Yae, who had been leading the way, hid behind a building. Following her lead, Professor and the accompanying Soldat knights also hid.

"What’s going on... Hmm, what’s that!?"

In the direction of Yae’s gaze, atop a pile of rubble, was a monster, peering around cautiously.

Monster might not be the right word. It had bat-like wings and a long tail, its body covered in black, armor-like material. Two twisted horns protruded from its head, and its face was smooth, like a peeled boiled egg, featureless.

"A demon... perhaps?"

Demons are inhabitants of the demon world, summoned through summoning magic. Their strength varies depending on their rank, with higher-ranking demons requiring more complex conditions to summon.

Yae carefully scanned the area, wondering if there was a summoner nearby, but there was no sign of one. Based on her intuition, the demon didn’t seem particularly strong. It was likely a lower-ranking demon.

"A demon, you say? I’ve never met one, but those are some strange wings."

Professor, a resident of the western continent where magitech flourished, had no knowledge of summoning magic. Even he found the demon’s wings odd. They were mechanical.

Upon closer inspection, the demon’s hands from the elbows down and its legs from the knees down were also mechanical. It was like a hybrid of a demon and a golem.

If Yae’s father had been there, he would’ve quipped, "What, is it a cyborg or something?"

The cyborg demon seemed satisfied with something and turned on its heel, leaving the area.

"Professor, stay here. I’ll tail it."

"Alright. Be careful."

Yae crouched low and darted out from behind the building. She had been trained from a young age to conceal her presence, receiving direct instruction from Tsubaki, the head of her homeland’s intelligence agency.

Hiding among the ruins, Yae followed the mechanical demon. Eventually, it entered a crumbling factory-like facility. The glass was shattered, and the steel beams were rusted and bent, but the building was relatively intact.

Yae circled around to the back of the factory. Following the demon inside would’ve been too risky.

She peeked inside through a broken window. The dimly lit factory was illuminated by light streaming through holes in the ceiling.

"What’s that...!?"

Yae’s eyes widened at what was placed in the center of the factory. While her gaze was drawn to the countless talismans plastered around the walls, the object in the center was far more striking.

It looked like an insect, an ant. Its surface was stone-like, resembling a statue. Cracks ran through it, making it look fragile.

The stone ant floated above a large metal platform. From this angle, Yae couldn’t see clearly, but the platform seemed to have a magic circle engraved on it. Likely the source of its levitation.

"Is that... a variant, a servant of the Evil God?"

Yae had never seen the Evil God or its servants, the variants. She regretted not insisting her father show her images of them. Too late now.

The description her mother had given matched. The variants had changed color and turned to stone after the Evil God’s defeat.

But if that was a variant, what were those demons doing? The variant wasn’t moving at all, like a statue.

"Hmm."

Inside the factory, aside from the demon Yae had followed, there were several others. Among them, one figure stood out.

It was a woman. Her outfit was strikingly similar to Yae’s mother, Linne, but with an air of seduction and decadence. Her corset emphasized her narrow waist and ample chest. Her face was partially covered by an iron domino mask, making her expression hard to read.

Her wavy, long red hair was casually tied back. Her short skirt revealed legs clad in black lace stockings, held up by garter belts.

Even as a fellow woman, Yae found the sight uncomfortable. The woman exuded the aura of a courtesan.

Yet, she carried a mace at her waist, glowing faintly orange. It was likely no coincidence.

She reminded Yae of the man in the diving suit she had encountered earlier. This woman was undoubtedly another 'Apostle of the Evil God.'

"Phew... Well, time to get to work, work~"

The iron-masked woman casually swung her mace at the variant. The strike was merciless.

Yae expected the stone variant to shatter, but instead, it deformed.

"Here we go, here we go~"

The woman rhythmically beat the variant. Like clay being shaped, the variant lost its form.

With each strike, the variant shrank, now no larger than a baseball. It was as if an external force was compressing it.

The mace struck faster, leaving orange trails of light in the dim factory. The stone ball, once gray, began to glow, turning golden.

"Alright, and... done!"

With a final, powerful strike, the iron-masked woman shattered the ball. But it didn’t disappear. Instead, it turned into glittering powder, scattering onto the magic circle below. It looked like gold dust.

"Tsk, tsk, so little? Indigo’s going to complain again."

Ignoring the woman’s muttering, the demons began collecting the powder with small brushes.

"That powder... Could it be the source of the golden drug? To think it was made from the remains of variants..."

It was less 'made' and more 'extracted.'

Yae reached out to steady herself on the window frame, but the rusted, crumbling frame gave way, collapsing inward.

"────!"

Yae let out a silent scream, reflexively reaching out, but it was too late. The window frame fell into the factory with a loud crash, drawing everyone’s attention. With the frame and window gone, Yae was now fully visible.

She was certain she looked utterly ridiculous.

"...Oh? Who’s this?"

"N-no one of importance!"

Blushing with embarrassment, Yae could only shout that much.