538 – The Fortress City, and the Rocket

After crossing the Daora Mountain Range, the terrain turned into a long stretch of barren wilderness. Occasionally, a road or a town would come into view, but there weren’t many travelers to be seen. Well, that’s to be expected—this side belongs to the Kingdom of Primula. From the perspective of the Kingdom of Refan, this is basically the frontier.

Because the Daora Mountain Range lies between the Kingdom of Primula and the Kingdom of Refan, only two coastal roads—one to the north and one to the south—connect the two nations.

Even those roads don’t seem to see much traffic. From the Primula side, people likely aren’t eager to venture into a country embroiled in civil war. And from the Refan side, I heard that the local lords managing the borders are strict, trying to prevent refugees from fleeing.

It's basically like a state of isolation. I really wish they'd find some way to come together…

“So, Master. We’re in the Kingdom of Refan now, but where exactly are we headed?”

Monica turned to me from the pilot seat of the Gungnir, her voice casual as ever. I projected a map from my smartphone into the air in front of her and pointed to the blinking marker.

“Here. Head to this location.”

“Hmm… The fortress city of Assila? That’s pretty far to the east from here.”

“How long will it take?”

“Don’t underestimate the Gungnir, buddy. Won’t even take thirty minutes.”

Monica said that with absolute confidence—but to be honest, if I used my magic spell【Fly】,I’d probably get there even faster.

Still, no need to rain on her parade. When traveling with companions, it’s more comfortable to go like this.

As we continued flying east in stealth mode, we spotted what looked like a military unit below.

I asked Monica to hover in place for a bit so we could check things out.

They were riding beasts that resembled horses but clearly weren’t, and the soldiers—clad in armor—were marching eastward.

Armies like that are pretty rare on this continent. On the Western Continent, most forces rely on golem soldiers.

But a few of them were wearing what looked like powered suits. Aren’t those just wearable golems? I thought golems didn’t work properly in this country because of all the exposed mithril interfering with them.

“Mithril affects golems because it messes with the command system from the Master,” Monica explained. “If the golem tries to do something it wasn’t ordered to, or only half-follows orders, that’s the reason. But wearable golems receive their orders directly through magic power and ether lines, so the interference isn’t as bad.”

I see. So that’s why they rely more on wearable golems. But honestly, at that point, isn’t it just a powered suit?

If they had independent thought, they’d basically be AI-equipped suits… Just like in those hero movies.

“Oi, Touya! That’s enough gawking! Let’s hurry to where Steph is!”

“Ah, sorry.”

Suee, clearly getting impatient with our conversation, barked at us from behind.

It bothered me a bit that the army was heading in the same direction we were, but we had more important things to focus on right now.

Once again, the Gungnir accelerated at full throttle and soared through the sky.

Eventually, we saw a city atop a small hill, surrounded by multiple layers of massive walls. That must be the fortress city of Assila.

“So, Touya, where’s the golden golem?”

“Hang on, I’m zooming in… Ah, looks like it’s coming from that big castle in the center.”

I expanded the map on my smartphone and confirmed that the blinking light was coming from a castle-like structure at the center of the city.

Well, if the golden golem is close to the Queen, that makes sense.

“Alright! Then let’s charge in!”

“Whoa whoa whoa. Lady, let’s not do that.”

Suee said something dangerous, so I had to stop her with everything I had. We’re in another country, remember? You can’t just storm the Queen’s castle in a nation we have zero diplomatic ties with.

“What are you talking about? Touya, haven’t you done things just like this many times before? Why the hesitation now?”

Ugh… When she puts it like that, I have no comeback. When family says it, it really hits like a boomerang.

That said, we really can’t go charging in recklessly. More importantly, we haven’t even confirmed whether Steph is really there. We’re only chasing rumors about the golden golem.

If it turns out Steph has nothing to do with it, we lose all justification. We’d just look like attackers.

“Then are you gonna use your specialty, sneaking in all stealthy?”

“Could you stop making it sound like I’m a petty thief?”

I mean, I do sneak in a lot, yeah. And I’m good at it. Still!

Well… It’s not like that idea’s off the table. On the Western Continent, security’s always beefed up against intruders. Gatekeepers, patrols, even all kinds of sensors—heat detection, infrared, and so on. And then there are autonomous golems equipped with that kind of tech.

So even if I use something like 【Invisible】, there’s still a risk of being spotted.

Instead of sneaking in ourselves, it’s better to send someone more suited to that kind of task.

I stopped the Gungnir midair while it remained in stealth mode, then teleported myself, Suee, Sakura, and Yoshino to a quiet back alley in the fortress city of Assila.

Then I summoned Kohaku in his small tiger form.

『Did you call for me, my Lord?』

“Yeah, I need your help with something, Kohaku.”

As a divine beast and king of beasts, Kohaku could command small animals like mice to scout out the interior of the castle.

『Understood. Please wait a moment.』

Kohaku let out a roar toward the sky, and in seconds, the alley swarmed with mice.

“Eek!”

“Th-That’s way too many, don’t you think…?”

Sakura and Suee clung to me in fear as the rodents gathered around our feet. Yoshino, on the other hand, didn’t seem fazed at all.

Kohaku gave a single order in a voice only the mice could hear, and the entire swarm disappeared down the alley.

『Give it one to two hours. We’ll have mapped out the infiltration routes through that castle by then.』

With that many mice sneaking in from every direction, we’d know which areas were safe and which were dangerous. They could even draw a map of the castle. That should let us get in safely.

They would also check if Steph was inside.

“We’re going to wait that long? If Touya uses【Mirage】to change our appearances, we could just charge in, grab Steph, and be out before anyone reacts. No one would blame Brunhild afterward.”

“Suee. Please don’t talk about storming castles in front of children. It’s bad for their education.”

“Ugh, sorry…”

Suee apologized after getting a glare from Sakura. Well, we’re sneaking in anyway, so it’s not exactly setting a good example. Yoshino didn’t seem too bothered, though.

Come to think of it, this girl can use Teleport, right…? Then she could just trespass wherever she wants all the time… Might be too late to teach her ‘Don’t sneak into places.’

Well, just in case we get caught, maybe casting Mirage isn’t a bad idea.

Anyway, before anything else, we need to confirm if Steph is really in that castle.

“Ughhh… Just waiting around here is such a pain…”

“Then Sue-kaasama, let’s eat something! Yae-kaasama always says, ‘You can’t fight on an empty stomach!’”

Yoshino tugged Sue’s hand and led her from the back alley out onto Assila’s main street. We agreed with the suggestion and followed after them.

Assila is a fortress city, and it shows—houses built with practicality over aesthetics, sturdy structures of wood and stone brick that give off a strong historical vibe.

Naturally, for a city on the Western Continent, you don’t see any Golems around. The carriages rolling through the streets aren’t pulled by Golem horses either—they’re pulled by something else, but not horses.

There was a shadow on the faces of the people walking the streets. Can’t blame them—this country is in the middle of a civil war. Even the queen was driven out of the capital. Of course, it’s gloomy.

Now then, where should we eat? With Kohaku around, maybe we should avoid restaurants and places like that.

“Tou-sama, over here! I want that!”

Yoshino had found a food stand with a sweet smell wafting through the air.

Tiny round treats were piled high on display. What is that, takoyaki? No, wait—those are baby castella.

“Ojisan, one large bag, please!”

“Coming right up!”

The vendor—ojisan—started shoveling a bunch of the baby castella-looking treats into a paper bag. Looks like they’re sold by the bag.

We paid and headed to a nearby park to eat. There was a bench, so we all sat down.

“Here you go, tou-sama.”

“Thanks. Oh—it’s still hot…”

The baby castella Yoshino handed me was a bit warm. I popped one into my mouth, juggling it like a hot potato. Hafu hafu hafu…

Yep. Definitely baby castella.

“Kohaku, do you want one too?”

『…No, not right now. I’ll wait until they cool down.』

Yoshino offered one, but Kohaku declined with a troubled expression. Yoshino, remember—Kohaku is nekojita (can’t handle hot food).

Once the castella had cooled a little, Sakura and Sue started munching on them too.

“These are pretty good. Just the right amount of sweetness.”

“Mm. Touya, we should get some for everyone else, too.”

Looks like they liked them. Yoshino wasn’t holding back either—she was popping them one after another like a little vacuum. Where does all that go…? Don’t those kinds of sweets get stuck in your throat if you eat too fast?

Sure enough, Yoshino started coughing and thumping her chest. Knew it. Here—have some orange juice.

I pulled out a cup of orange juice from the Storage and handed it to her. Yoshino gulped it down and let out a relieved sigh.

At the same time, the two okaasan on either side of me were also pounding their chests. Seriously?

Sighing in a mix of disbelief and admiration, I handed them both cups of orange juice, too. Honestly…

Just like Sue said, we went back to the stand and bought a few more bags as souvenirs for everyone. Gotta remember to always have drinks on hand when eating sweets like this.

…Would be nice if Steph could eat some with us too.

『Hm. Master, it seems the scout has returned.』

Kohaku, munching on a cooled-down castella, looked toward the park entrance.

A single mouse stood there, staring straight at us.

『It confirmed that a child who seems to be Steph-sama is indeed inside the castle. Also, there’s a small golden Golem by her side.』

I raised my eyebrows slightly at Kohaku’s report. “A small golden Golem”? So it is the Crown of Gold…?

But I thought the Crown of Gold was with the followers of the Evil God… Don’t tell me one of them is near Steph?

“Looks like we should wrap this up quickly. Let’s sneak into that castle.”

“Understood. I have already memorized all the internal layout information from this rat. No need to worry.”

“Yeah! Let’s go bring Steph back!”

“Now that’s our King. Truly, the King of Sneaking In.”

Stop it. Don’t call me that. I’m not some glorified thief.

With confirmation that someone who looks like Steph is inside, we set off for the fortress at the center of the city. Midway through, we activated Invisible to cloak ourselves and began our infiltration.

“It’s pretty tall, huh…”

Sue looked up at the towering castle walls and mumbled. It was broad daylight, so there were a lot of people around, but with Invisible, we shouldn’t be seen. No problem there.

“All right, let’s go.”

I used Levitation to float Sue, Sakura, and Yoshino—who was holding Kohaku—into the air, then cast Fly to soar over the castle walls and land inside with ease.

I have to admit, I’m getting good at this. Maybe that “King of Sneaking In” title isn’t entirely wrong…

There were guards at the entrance deeper in, but we silently slipped past them, making no sound at all.

“Sakura, let me know if any Golems show up.”

“Okay!”

Sakura’s ears could catch even the faintest hum of a golem’s movements. Among the countless sounds echoing through the area, she could pick out just that one.

We walked along a red-carpeted corridor. Guided by Kohaku, who relied on intel gathered from a rat, we were heading toward the place where Steph was likely to be.

This passage is… pretty complicated. Then again, it is a fortress. I guess it makes sense for the layout to be intricate—to make defense easier in case of an attack.

If someone managed to break in, this area would become the last line of defense. It wouldn’t be surprising to run into a trap or two. There’s no collapsing ceiling or anything, right…?

“Your Majesty, there’s a golem just around that corner. It’s headed this way.”

As I glanced up toward the ceiling of the corridor, Sakura’s warning rang in my ear.

Tch. What now? I’ve got【Invisible】active, so it shouldn’t be able to see me, but golems might detect me by heat or sound.

If it were some cheap, low-spec golem made in a factory, I could probably ignore it. But seeing as this one’s stationed inside the castle, that hope’s probably a waste of breath.

The corridor was shaped like an L, with no room to slip aside. So, what do I do?

“Sakura, how many golems are coming this way?”

“Just one.”

Only one, huh? Then I’ll shut it down before it can call for backup.

Until it rounds the corner, even if it senses a presence ahead, it’ll probably assume it's just another castle personnel.

I’ll ambush it and catch it off guard. Shut down its ether lines with【Cracking】... Yeah, let’s go with that.

I told everyone to stay back, and only I moved toward the edge of the corridor, waiting for the golem to approach.

When I saw its shadow peek around the corner, I used 【Teleport】 to jump behind it in an instant.

“【Crack】—…!?”

“Mu.”

I reached out to touch the golem from behind—only to hesitate for just a moment.

Because the unit looked very familiar to me.

A small, chibi-style machine, no taller than three heads high. An ancient type—one of the Legacy units. From the "Crown" series.

Our country had five: Black, White, Red, Purple, and Silver.

The one before me... was Gold.

No doubt about it. This one was the Golden Crown.

Even if it's a Crown, it's connected to the apostles of the Evil God. I’ve got no reason to hold back.

“【Cracking】!”

I touched the Golden Crown and activated【Cracking】.

But the spell was repelled—like it hit an invisible wall. It fizzled out, completely ineffective. What the hell…!?

The Golden Crown leapt back like a firecracker and drew the sword from its waist.

It was a short sword, similar to the one the Black Crown—Noir—uses. But it gleamed gold like the machine itself. There were two of them. A dual-wielding style.

This Crown looked a lot like Noir, in both size and shape. But it felt more… knightly. It had a visor-like part and even wore something like a cape.

『Warning to the unseen intruder. If you surrender peacefully, we will allow you to be bound in silence.』

Of course. I’ve been found.

I cast【Mirage】to wrap myself in an illusion, then canceled【Invisible】.

Now that the fact of “an intruder” is known, I need a different “intruder” to take the blame—someone, not me.

【Mirage】is a spell that creates illusions. It doesn’t mess with the mind—it manifests real images that can be photographed or recorded.

Even a golem, with its camera-like eyes, should have captured the fake image. The Golden Crown’s Q-Crystal would now have a different man recorded in it—not me.

But that aside...

That barrier just now that blocked my【Cracking】—no doubt about it...

“Your Majesty! Someone’s coming! Super fast!”

Sakura’s voice rang out.

I turned around—and saw a small, blonde girl charging at me at an impossible speed.

“Eiiiii—!!”

“Guhh—!?”

She came straight at me and launched herself headfirst like a rocket. She literally flew toward me.

A sudden, indescribable pain slammed into my chest.

It was like getting hit by a steel hammer. The impact sent me flying across the corridor, rolling like a ragdoll.

“Villain! Don’t bully Gold!”

A young girl, around five years old, stood proudly like a guardian protecting the golden crown behind her.

Her long, wavy blonde hair was just like her mother’s, and her emerald-green eyes glared sharply at me, full of defiance.

She wore a navy-blue one-piece dress with a white-collared bolero on top. White socks and black Mary Jane shoes completed the look.

No mistake. This girl was Steph.

That barrier from earlier, the one that bounced off my Cracking—there’s no doubt it was Prison.

It must’ve been set up in advance to make that golden crown immune to magical attacks.

And that tackle just now... the body slam wrapped in Prison, launched after boosting with Accel. The kids call it the "Steph Rocket".

Yeah... that thing really hurts. I definitely don’t want to experience that again.

But just as I was thinking that—

Steph charged at me again, picking up speed with Accel!

“H-Hey!?”

“Prison!”

I immediately activated Prison, too. To block her, I had to use the same spell—Prison against Prison.

Just as I designated, my Prison clashed against hers.

Clang! The sound of barriers colliding echoed out, and then—Pop!—both of our Prisons vanished into thin air.

“Eh!?”

Steph’s eyes widened in surprise. Well, sure, magic canceling each other out isn’t that rare. It’s just that Prison isn’t a spell many people use.

Still surprised, Steph once again wrapped herself in Prison, this time running at me with everything she had.

“Waaah!? Wait, wait! Stop, Steph!”

“Steph! Cease this at once!”

Just before she could slam into me with Accel at full blast, Steph froze, hearing both of our voices.

Now that she had found us, there was no point in hiding anymore. I’d have to apologize for sneaking in later.

I canceled my Mirage and also released the Invisible spells cast on Sue and the others.

“…Tou-sama?”

“I’ve come to pick you up, Steph.”

As soon as I said that, her startled face transformed into a bright smile, and she sprinted toward me like a rocket.

“Tou-sama! It’s Tou-sama! Tou-samaaa!”

“Guhf!?”

I ended up getting tackled by Steph again—but this time, it wasn’t a hard impact. It was soft, warm… filled with affection.

I tried to hug Steph, clinging to me, but she slipped right through my arms. I grabbed air. Huh?

“Kaa-sama!”

“Steph!”

Leaving me hanging, Sue and Steph reunited with tears and laughter, tightly embracing each other.

…Well, that’s fine too, I guess.