Volume 2 Chapter 35 raid
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”I want to come back here at least one more time.”
Having packed up the last of my belongings and stuffed them into a large travel bag, I took one final look around the Magic School dormitory room where I had spent the past few months.
Marie had been picked up before noon by Isabella, who was now serving as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Army. She had been escorted straight back to her family home without staying another night, taking nothing but her personal hand luggage.
I heard the campus laundry was in a state of absolute chaos, completely buried under mountains of clothes left behind by students who wanted them washed over the break.
Nico, who worked there, mentioned she would be staying at the school laundry until spring break wrapped up before heading back to her own parents’ place.
That meant Nico would be living alone in this room for about another month, with both Marie and me gone.
”My husband.”
A gentle nudge on my back from Louise snapped me out of my thoughts, and I finally stepped out of the room the three of us had shared for the past three months.
As I closed the door, the last thing that caught my eye was the trio of mismatched cups on the table.
The largest one was mine.
The ceramic one that looked like a teacup but had a wide, flared rim belonged to Nico.
The rugged, heavy cylindrical mug was Marie’s.
We had spent so many nights drinking tea from those exact cups, swapping ridiculous stories, dirty jokes, and talking about the children growing in their bellies.
Perhaps because I always avoided talking about the long-term future, the two of them had held back from bringing it up here, too.
That was my fault.
No, actually, the one to blame was the Fourth Sage.
* * *
”My husband, if you travel in those clothes, the city guards will detain you on sight.”
So the Royal Capital was going to be just as strict, then.
Left with no other choice, I shed my grandfather’s old, worn coat and changed into my official academy uniform robe.
When I climbed into the carriage, I found several human-sized Golems slumped limply in the passenger seats like lifeless bodies.
Right beside them sat Veronia-san, her eyes vacant and unfocused, looking almost indistinguishable from the dolls beside her.
”Move out!” Louise commanded, leaning halfway into the carriage cabin as she signaled the driver.
”Moving out!” the coachman called back in confirmation, and the carriage jolted forward into the crimson glow of sunset.
”We plan to swap out the horses at a few checkpoints along the way,” Louise explained. “If all goes well, we should arrive at the Royal Capital just before noon tomorrow.”
It looked as though we would be driving straight through the night.
”Are the Golems a precaution against an ambush?” I asked.
”Yes. When a carriage is surrounded, the moment of highest mortality occurs when the passengers first attempt to step down. By deploying the Golems first to draw fire and suppress the perimeter, it allows the personnel to exit under cover. It significantly raises our chances of neutralizing the threat and drastically improves passenger survival.”
”I see. And what’s the deal with the person sitting next to them?”
”She claims that during last night’s gambling bout, she not only emptied her personal accounts but also ran up a massive debt.”
(Wait, isn’t that incredibly bad?)
I reached out, placing my hand gently over Louise’s cold fingers.
(Wasn’t Veronia-san supposed to be the chief financial officer? She handles all our procurement and purchasing. Is it really safe for someone in that position to get so completely consumed by gambling that she plays until she’s penniless? And her clothes are bright pink, for crying out loud.)
(It should be… acceptable, I believe,) Louise replied hesitantly. (Second Lieutenant Elna from the administrative corps is assigned to monitor her.)
That wasn’t exactly a reassuring answer.
If I remembered correctly, Second Lieutenant Elna was the facility manager with an absolute obsession for anything shiny and gold.
She was the same person who had escorted me from the battalion headquarters in a carriage on the day of my trial.
”What are you staring at?” Veronia-san muttered suddenly, her vacant eyes still staring out into nothingness.
We had been communicating entirely via Telepathy, so there was no way she could have actually overheard us.
”If you want to laugh at me… just go ahead and laugh, fine!”
Veronia-san seemed completely broken.
Shouting without warning, she slumped sideways, burying her face into the shoulder of the lifeless Golem beside her.
”I am… such a hopeless idiot!”
She was spiraling into pure self-loathing.
Clearly, it was not only her taste in fashion that was volatile; her actual personality seemed incredibly unstable.
(That is not entirely fair to her,) Louise interjected, defending Veronia-san via our mental link. (She is normally exceptionally capable. It is just that whenever alcohol is involved, her inhibitions tend to disintegrate entirely.)
(So it’s the booze.)
(Yes.)
My curiosity was piqued. “What exactly did you play to lose that much?”
”Well… at first, it was just the Marble Race, you know?” she whined, her voice trailing off.
It was a standard game where marbles were rolled down a twisting, obstacle-filled track, and players bet on who would take first and second place.
If you managed to hit the exact combination, the payout was fifteen to one.
It was entertaining enough just to watch.
If you stuck to the minimum bet of a single white coin, even a complete losing streak would not exactly ruin you.
”But then… I called it right twice in a row. I got cocky. I felt unstoppable.”
”And that’s when you moved over to the dice tables?”
”I should have walked away,” she groaned, burying her head deeper. “But I just had to try my hand at Five Dice.”
A game by that name existed back on Earth, but the version in this world was a high-stakes psychological battle.
The dealer secretly rolled five dice, and the players had to guess the exact values.
There were no betting limits at all.
I didn’t know the exact mechanical details, but apparently, the dealer and the player would reveal their dice one by one, ramping up the wagers with every single turn.
Nikole-senpai had explicitly warned me that amateurs should stay far away from it.
”And then… on the third or fourth round, I hit a Royal. I had wagered a red coin. The raises brought it up to eight coins, and when the win cleared, it multiplied into eight hundred red coins!”
Doing the rough math, a single red coin was worth about ten thousand yen, which meant eight red coins translated to eighty thousand.
Multiplying that by the payout meant she had briefly held eight million yen in her hands.
A windfall like that would turn anyone’s financial sanity upside down.
”The moment that happened… everyone started crowding around the table. The other players, the lounge girls—they were all cheering, hyping me up, calling me a high roller.”
They let her win big early, fattened her up with praise, and then bled her completely dry.
It was the textbook method for trapping a naive amateur.
Adolf-san’s establishment ran a truly vicious operation.
”And with everyone egging you on, you let it ride, lost the entire fortune, and piled a mountain of debt on top of it.”
”Yes!” she wailed. “But come on! You’d think the luck would swing back just one more time, wouldn’t you?!”
I couldn’t bring myself to offer any sympathy.
(Louise, make sure this woman is banned from ever stepping foot inside a gambling den again,) I sent via Telepathy.
(I will ensure a directive is circulated across the entire battalion,) Louise replied.
That seemed like the wisest course of action.
Before long, Veronia-san cried herself to sleep, still clinging tightly to the metal framework of the Golem.
I marveled at how anyone could sleep so soundly inside a tireless wooden carriage rattling over an unpaved gravel road, but soon enough, the sheer exhaustion of the past few days caught up to me, and I began to drift in and out of consciousness.
(My husband.)
Louise’s voice cut through my haze via Telepathy.
(We have mounted riders closing fast from the rear.)
”What?!”
Veronia-san must have detected them at the exact same time.
She was already popping open the control hatch on the back of the Golem’s neck, initiating the synchronization sequence.
It appeared she would be directing the human-sized constructs from inside the cabin.
If she was handling the rear guard, did that mean Louise would lead the countercharge?
”Don’t underestimate me,” Veronia-san said, her voice sharp and entirely devoid of her previous drunken slurry. “When it comes to handling Golems of this caliber, I can outperform any average soldier.”
Despite the pink attire, she was still a trained officer of the Royal Army.
Right beside her, Louise pulled out a set of heavy metallic chest armor—resembling the rigid plates used in kendo—from a hidden compartment behind the seat cushions, strapping it swiftly over her military uniform.
”My husband, please hold the luggage and wait,” Louise said.
Louise, wearing the metal chest protector, made me hold my bag from the shelf, but I could not just sit still.
”The target is you. Their purpose is to abduct you, so you won’t be killed. Probably.”
Veronia-san was likely right.
Yes, I alone might be fine.
But the thought made my stomach turn.
Louise was carrying my child in her belly.
If Louise and that unborn baby died out here while I was coddled and protected, I would rather be dead myself.
There was no way I was going to let her step out there and fight alone.
But I was an amateur.
What practical use could I possibly be in a magical skirmish?
That’s it.
When I frantically tore open my travel bag, digging past the clothes, my fingers brushed against it—there it was.
It was the spool of Man-Eating Spider magic thread I had purchased back at the academy, originally intended for crafting projects after I returned to my home village.
Alongside it, I pulled out the low-grade, fractured scrap amber that Torge-san had gifted me.
Working rapidly in the dim, flickering light of the carriage’s oil lamp, I drew the Viscount’s Treasure Sword.
With careful, precise pressure, I gouged the high-density core from the center of the scrap amber.
Next, I grabbed the rigid leather tube I used for storing my architectural blueprints.
I popped the cap off, sliced the bottom clean off with the enchanted blade, and began winding the Man-Eating Spider thread tightly around the cylinder, binding it securely.
Louise finished pulling on her chainmail-reinforced gloves and lacing up her armored helmet, then took her position directly behind the lead Golem.
Her legs and her back were completely exposed, devoid of any protective plating.
”Flow,” I muttered under my breath.
I channeled my mana directly into the extracted amber core, watching it surge through the tightly wound spider silk before tracing the return loop back into my palms.
I carefully checked the stability of the improvised circuit.
”It works!”
The magical conduction was slightly lower than I had calculated, but the mana was flowing cleanly and returning without dissipating.
This was not the stable, balanced Dimer state that naturally returned during controlled Kumite sparring practice; this was a raw, unstable, tingling Monomer¹.
Also—right. Grandfather’s coat.
I threw it on over my robe.
It has layers of linen and wool sewn onto it.
A poorly aimed arrow might be stopped by the robe and the coat together.
What else.
I rummage through the bag once more.
Pussy willow branches.
That’s right, a little bit of scrap amber too.
I stuffed them into the coat pockets.
Right at that moment, the thunderous roar of galloping hooves tore past the sides of the carriage.
I could hear them clearly—at least three or four riders flanking us on both the left and right.
Suddenly, the carriage lunged violently out of control as the mechanical braking alignment failed completely.
Had the coachman been taken out?
Within seconds, the entire carriage ground to a harsh, shuddering halt.
They seemed thoroughly experienced at staging highway ambushes.
”Unhitch the horses, boys!” a rough voice shouted from the darkness outside.
At that moment, Louise leaped out, one breath behind the Golem.
”They came out! You must not let them escape!”
”No! It’s a Golem! Throw the oil!”
The latter was a woman’s voice.
Was a woman the commander?
An Amazoness?
The sharp, echoing din of clashing steel erupted right outside the wooden walls.
I couldn’t tell if it was Louise striking or the Golem taking the brunt of the blows.
”That’s not the target! Fall back, kill it with arrows!” the female commander shrieked again.
Again, as expected—was it an Amazoness?
With the door closed, I could not see the battle.
”Damn it!” Veronia said.
Veronia-san should have been able to see through the Golem.
”What about Louise?” I asked.
There was no answer; instead, Veronia-san opened the carriage door slightly.
”Louise, pull back! Come back! Switch places!” Veronia shouted over the noise.
Was it bad?
Beyond the slightly opened door, under the moonlight, I could see Louise.
One arrow was stuck in her arm, and one was stuck in her flank.
I could no longer wait.
Pushing Veronia-san aside, I leaped down from the carriage.
Immediately, dropping my hips, I leveled the improvised “Shishi-odoshi²” and fired five consecutive shots while slightly changing the angle from the left.
Several horses panicked and went wild, refusing to listen to their riders’ commands.
After the roaring blast, a sharp, whirring hiss of displaced air swept through the night.
As five of those shots were unleashed and the startled horses galloped away, the surroundings became quiet.
”We’re kin of Isabella, so back off!” I roared out.
I shouted in the tongue of Kiridal.
It was hit or miss.
The words the men used were the same ones Marie always used.
If they were those failed mercenaries from over there, Isabella’s name might give them pause.
I heard the men muttering.
”What are you doing? That is the target! If you capture him, I will give you ten Gold Coins!” the female commander yelled.
This was bad.
I unleashed the “Shishi-odoshi” toward that woman’s voice.
Looking back, Louise was down on her knees.
The only chance to recover her was now, while the men were shaken.
”Veronia, recover Louise!” I ordered.
Fortunately, although arrows were stuck in the Golem, it was not splashed with oil and had not caught fire.
However, the time it can move does not seem that long.
The Golem tried to lend a shoulder to Louise, but for some reason, she was refusing.
”Louise, protect the child!” I screamed at her.
Are you trying to save me?
But it was already impossible for her.
There was an arrow stuck in her leg as well.
These bastards would kill Louise, but they would not kill me.
The very instant I called out, a fresh arrow cut through the dark and drove straight into her back.
Aiming toward the direction where that arrow was thought to have been shot, I unleash the “Shishi-odoshi.”
Whether the men feared Isabella more than they wanted the money, I could no longer hear their voices.
Looking back, the Golem was pushing Louise into the carriage.
All right.
At that exact moment—
An arm wrapped in chainmail clamped around my neck from behind.
They had approached without making a sound.
Was this a sleeper hold?
They were trying to choke me out and kidnap me!
Tucking my chin to resist, I struggled while pulling a p**sy willow branch out of my pocket and stabbing it around the opponent’s waist.
Fortunately, the branch slipped past the links of the chainmail and made contact with the skin.
Perfect. Now I could execute a Mana Drain through the branch.
If I could establish direct skin-to-skin contact somewhere, I could drain them all at once, but not a single convenient spot was exposed.
At this rate, it was a race: would they compress my carotid artery and drop me first, or would I drain enough Mana through the branch to incapacitate them completely?
Then, under the moonlight, two human silhouettes emerged from the withered bushes directly ahead of me.
Had they already written this off as a guaranteed victory?
”＃％’＄＄”‘”
It was a language I had never heard before, spoken in a man’s voice.
The person being addressed stripped away the chain reed screen they had been wearing like a mask.
Rather than armor, it seemed to be a countermeasure against Mana, given how the woven magic thread glowed a faint white.
This was the woman with the Indian features who had been hanging around Rudy.
”％＆’J＝～”
I couldn’t understand the words, but the tone made it feel like they recognized me.
However, it looked like I had won the contest against the person choking me.
The strength in the opponent’s arm began to slacken, and eventually, they collapsed onto the dirt with a heavy thud.
I quickly pointed my “Shishi-odoshi (deer scare)” at the woman.
”That’s just sound. It doesn’t hurt.”
She approached me, wearing a triumphant, mocking smile.
”This was bad. Tell me, is Rudy doing well?”
”Don’t know. Premature e**culation is no good. I wanted to tell him to fix it, but it’s impossible.”
”Yeah, well, I’ll be sure to pass that message along to him perfectly.”
I shoved the p**sy willow branch inside the barrel and fired the “Shishi-odoshi (deer scare)”.
Startled by the fact that something actual had flown out alongside the blast of compressed air, the woman flinched for a split second.
Without missing a beat, I snatched a piece of scrap Amber from my pocket, dropped it into the cylinder, and fired the “Shishi-odoshi (deer scare)” once more.
Amber reacts to the magnetic fields of Mana just like the p**sy willow does, but I think it was ejected from the barrel at high velocity due to the rapid expansion of air from the released Fireball.
Thanks to that, my hand throbbed with a burning, agonizing pain.
Even so, luck was on my side, and the Amber struck the woman squarely in the face.
It must have hit her incredibly hard, because she crumpled instantly, knocked out cold.
That left at least one more man out there.
Keeping my body low to the ground, I backed up toward the person I had drained.
I lifted their mask, slid my hand inside, and drained their Mana until I was certain they wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon.
Then, keeping my guard up, I crept toward the woman who had been with Rudy.
I placed my hand against her exposed face and drained her Mana the same way.
I pulled her unconscious upper body upright, propping her up in the direction of the remaining man.
There was nothing behind me but the carriage, which didn’t offer much security, but she would have to serve as my shield.
Straining my ears, I could hear the faint, muffled sounds of medical rescue work being performed inside the carriage.
Aside from that, the only sound was the wind whistling through the withered grass.
I couldn’t hear the woman’s breathing anymore.
Is she dead?
Additionally, there was no sign of any horses nearby.
I inspected the cylinder of the “Shishi-odoshi (deer scare)”.
Fortunately, the internal blueprint had been drawn on exceptionally sturdy Parchment, which was the only reason it had lasted this long.
However, the tip of the barrel was split open like a trumpet, and one of the cracks ran all the way down to the midpoint of the cylinder.
It looked like the wrapped magic thread was the only thing holding the entire apparatus together.
I doubted it could handle more than two shots before exploding.
There was still at least one more enemy out there, so I couldn’t afford to relax.
Furthermore, the total amount of Mana I had managed to siphon from both the person who had choked me and Rudy’s woman was remarkably low.
They might regain consciousness a lot faster than I anticipated.
Should I just finish them off?
The moment that thought crossed my mind, Rudy’s woman let out a hacking cough.
She was drawing breath again.
She tried to push herself up onto all fours, but lacking any real strength, she collapsed flat back onto her stomach.
Under normal circumstances, I should have delivered the killing blow right then and there, but I needed answers from her.
The footwear she wore looked identical to the combat sandals we used during our time in the Militia.
When she had collapsed earlier, the leather leg warmers wrapped around her shins had shifted out of place, exposing them.
I stripped the leg warmers off the dazed, powerless woman, grabbed her well-developed calf just above the ankle, and used the Treasure Sword to hack straight through her left Achilles tendon, slicing right through the leather of the combat sandals.
It didn’t slice cleanly like a willow-blade knife through raw sashimi.
A sickening, rubbery sensation lingered in my hand, but I couldn’t stop yet.
This would guarantee she could not move effectively, but I still needed her to function as a shield who would not struggle or thrash around.
I executed another Mana Drain just to be safe, then stripped her body of any hidden weapons like knives.
When I pulled off her helmet, a chain adorned with a small red gemstone fell to the ground.
I also stripped off her Mana-resistant chainmail.
With this, she was perfectly prepared to serve as a human shield.
Even so, she really did have an incredible chest.
I couldn’t help but wonder if Rudy being premature was entirely the fault of those breasts.
An unseemly thought to have, but we were still in the dead center of a lethal struggle.
Just as I attempted to prop her unconscious torso up to hide in her shadow, the person who had choked me managed to stand back up.
He was slender, but possessed an unexpectedly tall frame.
He seemed to lack full control over his motor functions, swaying unsteadily as he stumbled toward me in a drunken, zigzagging gait.
I hurriedly reached down to grab the cylinder I had set aside.
I had assumed the “Shishi-odoshi (deer scare)” had two shots left in it, but the magic thread had completely snapped.
Blasting that piece of Amber earlier must have pushed it past its absolute limit.
Left with no other option, I drew the Treasure Sword and took an offensive stance.
”You little brat… I’ll kill you now.”
It was a woman’s voice.
Perhaps having her pride thoroughly shattered by the Mana Drain had pushed her over the edge.
Vowing to slaughter me, she brandished a small sword she had somehow drawn from her person.
No matter how heavily she was stumbling, the opponent was still a seasoned combat professional.
The only weapon I had left was the Treasure Sword.
To make matters worse, the Treasure Sword was incredibly narrow, with a blade less than fifty centimeters long.
Its edge was mediocre at best; it had taken a massive amount of effort just to hack through an Achilles tendon a moment ago.
Scooping up a handful of gravel from the ground with my left hand, I forced myself to stand.
”Kill.”
The instant she closed the distance to engage, the carriage door swung wide open.
Wary of a potential ambush, she immediately stepped back to create distance from me, but nothing happened.
I attempted to back away as well, but she closed the gap again in a flash.
The moment I dropped my center of gravity, her blade came thrusting directly at my face.
I managed to dodge it by a hair’s breadth, but my right cheek was cleanly sliced open.
”Next time, kill.”
I completely lost my nerve.
Fighting from a defensive crouch, terrified, I thrust the Treasure Sword out in front of me, doing absolutely everything in my power just to keep her from stepping inside my reach.
Despite my desperate defense, her movements visibly sharpened by the second.
Was this the end for me?
No, I wasn’t done struggling yet.
I hurled the handful of gravel straight at her face, but she bent her back and managed to duck underneath it entirely.
However, right at that moment, a human-sized Golem lunged heavily onto her from behind, pinning her down.
”Now! Do it!”
I heard Veronia-san’s voice, and I stabbed deep into the back of the pinned woman’s head.
Driven by pure adrenaline and hysterical strength, the relatively slender Treasure Sword punched clean through the chain reed screen, piercing straight through the dead center of her upper neck.
The woman convulsed violently for a brief moment, then went completely limp as her life faded away.
”Get back inside for now!”
On Veronia’s instruction, I returned to the carriage.
”Louise.”
Laid across the passenger seat, her legs were propped up awkwardly because the cabin space wasn’t long enough to accommodate her full height.
”I managed to staunch the bleeding using the mugwort we had on hand, but the arrow in her back pierced deep into her lung. If possible, I want her seen by a Medical Mage quickly.”
I threw my arms around her, pressing my ear to her chest to check her vitals.
Her heartbeat was distinctly weak, but her pulse was definitely there.
However, her breathing sounded terrible; it felt as though blood was pooling inside her lungs.
I carefully turned her onto her side, positioning her so the right side where the arrow had struck was facing downward.
”What’s the situation out there?” asked Veronia.
In response, I reported that of the two individuals believed to be Amazonesses, I had killed one and severed the Achilles tendon of the other to immobilize her completely.
I added that when I screamed at the men speaking the Kiridal tongue that I was kin of Isabella, they had seemingly withdrawn from the area.
I noted that there was still at least one male commander-like figure remaining.
No, wait.
That wasn’t right.
There was someone else; there had been a woman’s voice directing the operation, speaking our native language with absolute fluency.
Was it possible that she could only speak our language?
A traitor from our own side?
”About how old did she sound?”
”Her age… I’d guess she’s in her thirties, maybe older.”
”Anything else?”
”It was just a voice, so that is the absolute extent of what I know.”
Veronia-san went quiet, pondering the information for a moment.
”It’s highly probable that there’s a military outpost about two or three kilometers from our current position where they keep horses stationed. There should be a squad of around ten soldiers there. Ride out to that location and bring back reinforcements and fresh mounts.”
What on earth was she talking about at a critical time like this?
”If I do that, it leaves nobody but you and an unconscious Louise out here alone!”
”Shut up! If we sit around waiting for dawn to break, your Louise is going to die!”
Veronia’s voice boiled over with raw fury.
But I refused to back down.
”If she dies, I die right alongside her—no, the three of us, including the child inside Louise’s belly, will die together! Veronia-san, you should be the one to go!”
”You stubborn brat, do you honestly think Louise would ever want that?!”
”I don’t give a damn about what she’d want! If I die protecting Louise and our child with every single ounce of my being, I’ll die completely satisfied!”
Besides, Nico, Marie, and my sister-in-law all have children growing inside them right now.
Even if I perish here, the Larry bloodline will not be wiped out.
And honestly, knowing my track record, even if I die in this place, there’s a decent chance I’ll just end up reincarnating somewhere else anyway.
This was standard-issue military gear, but it would have to do.
”What are you doing?”
I slammed the tip of the Treasure Sword straight through the ceiling of the carriage.
”I’m going to stick the Golem’s head through here to act as a lookout. That way, I can directly replenish the Golem’s Amber right from inside the cabin, allowing us to maintain a constant vigil without running completely out of Mana.”
In short, by using the Golem like a submarine’s periscope, we could maintain full situational awareness of the surrounding area.
To ensure we didn’t experience a total Mana depletion, I could directly feed my own Mana into the Golem through the Amber while simultaneously recharging the crystal itself.
”Wear this.”
I stripped off my overcoat and robe, thrusting them into her hands.
”If they mistake you for me in the dark, they probably won’t try to snipe you with arrows.”
”Then what are you going to do?”
”I can just poke my head out after a little while has passed, right?”
Seemingly conceding to my logic, Veronia-san slid her arms through the sleeves of the robe and my grandfather’s overcoat.
As for me, I didn’t waste any time donning the defensive armor that Louise had been wearing.
”If it is three kilometers, that’s a thirty-minute run one way. Accounting for the preparation time on their end, we’re looking at a round trip of an hour and a half. I will hold this position to the absolute death until then.”
”I will definitely return.”
After having her stand the Golem down, I resynchronized our consciousness and forced its head to emerge from the hole in the carriage ceiling.
As far as the perimeter check went, there wasn’t a single human silhouette visible beyond the two we had already dealt with.
”If you realize it’s an impossible fight, surrender. I’ve heard rumors that the Amazonesses can be quite lenient toward an enemy that raises a white flag.”
I had never heard a single rumor to that effect.
Just a few minutes ago, that woman had explicitly told me, “I’ll kill you now.”
Well, it didn’t matter anyway.
As long as Louise was in this carriage, surrender was never an option.
”If it is all the same to you, I would really prefer not to die, so please hurry the hell back.”
”Oh, just leave it to me. I am a professional military officer, after all.”
She had slipped back into her usual, easygoing cadence.
”Besides, Veronia-san has way too many outstanding debts to afford dying right now.”
”Shut your mouth. Alright, I’m heading out.”
Veronia-san opened the door and disappeared into the night, disguised in my overcoat.
I tracked her retreating figure closely through the Golem’s vision.
Say what you want about the pink military uniform; Veronia-san was a soldier through and through, and could run unexpectedly fast when the situation demanded it.
”Alright then, let’s take a look at the real threat…”
I rotated the Golem’s field of view in the complete opposite direction.
If there was an ambush waiting to happen, it would undoubtedly be inside that patch of overgrown bushes to our rear right, which stood well over human height.
Five minutes after Veronia-san left.
It should be about time.
I stepped out of the carriage and approached Rudy’s woman.
I grabbed her arm, intending to drain her Mana.³
”Kill me.”
Was she already conscious?
Ignoring her, I drained her Mana and knocked her out.
”As I thought, the one who ran away earlier was a dummy, wasn’t it?”
The tone is different, but the voice is familiar.
”An intelligence agent who infiltrates an enemy country for many years, living an ordinary life while leaking information, is called a ‘grass,’ you know? Did you know that?”
”No way… Kunila-san, you were the traitor?”
”It’s not betrayal; it was like that from the very beginning. Even so, severing their Achilles tendons is a truly vicious thing to do. They’re combat personnel, you know? Now they won’t be able to walk properly for the rest of their lives. It would have been a mercy if you had just killed them.”
Certainly, that might be true.
But since I was not from this world, I could not just go around killing people recklessly.
Even so, to think that the airheaded Dorm Mother was an intelligence agent.
Did that mean her clumsiness was all an act?
It was worthy of an Academy Award.
—
Summary:
Departing travelers prepare to exit the magic school dormitory as tension mounts over financial ruin and impending debts. An nocturnal transit through dangerous pathways exposes vulnerabilities within the core defense detail. Armed mercenaries launch a coordinated offensive that rapidly leaves critical personal lines targeted by ballistic fire
Defending the carriage, the protagonist ruthlessly neutralizes two close-quarters attackers through tactical magic application. Veronia-san rushes into the night to secure military reinforcement while the protagonist creates an improvised Golem lookout system. A localized threat lurks within the tall brush as internal family lineage survival hinges on an imminent tactical resolution
The protagonist exits a carriage to extract energy from a captive target following the departure of Veronia-san. Kunila-san unexpectedly reveals her true identity as a deeply embedded sleeper agent rather than a simple bystander. A confrontation regarding the severe injury inflicted upon a combatant highlights the narrator’s foreign perspective regarding mortality and violence in this alternate reality
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Trivia:
- The layout of the three mismatched drinking vessels serves as a psychological representation of the distinct social positions and boundaries felt between the three original occupants.
- The specific properties of the Man-Eating Spider thread indicate it can sustain localized high-frequency magical charges when paired with solid materials.
- The internal blueprint of the Shishi-odoshi device utilizes sturdy parchment.
- The enemy used the specific regional Kiridal language dialect to coordinate operations.
- The term ‘kusa’ (grass) is used in historical Japanese context to denote an espionage operative embedded long-term into a local population.
- The protagonist explicitly notes that their aversion to killing stems from their origin outside of this fantasy setting
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Character Insight:
The protagonist shifts drastically from a state of passive compliance regarding his forced relocation into a highly protective, active defensive combatant upon realizing that Louise’s vulnerabilities threaten both her life and that of his unborn offspring.
The protagonist shifts from high-panic survival to cold, clinical precision, deciding to physically sever an opponent’s tendon to maintain defensive control over the area.
Kunila-san drops her characteristic clumsy demeanor, adopting a stark, pragmatic, and analytical speaking style consistent with her background as an operative.
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Glossary:
Notes:
• Isabella – Towering and muscular in a jet-black and gold uniform, Marie’s aunt is a battle-hardened Royal Army Second Lieutenant with a facial scar and a low growl. Commander of the region-annexing Weasels of Bohemia, this masterful spear combatant uses her noble VIP status to personally escort her niece from her parents’ estate to facilitate Marie’s pivotal move to the prestigious Magic Academy.
• Marie – Novakova, a bold, headstrong 15-year-old noblewoman and Isabella’s niece, is a sharp-tongued Bizan Magic School student who resembles Nico in a comical floral hairpiece. The Barsheni elder’s granddaughter is determined to live independently as a mage while raising her child with boyfriend Larry. After living with Nico and the protagonist for three months, she returned home, leaving a complex dynamic.
• Mar – A battle‑hardened veteran, clad in worn armor, uses door panels as shields and captures enemy crossbows; Larry’s comrade who teases him about his sister‑in‑law’s pampering, known as Martin to his companion Edmond.
• Nico – A petite, silver-haired General and Bizan Magic School student, Teressa’s cousin, and a Village Head Fee member with zero Mana and cold extremities. The anxious, blunt fabric merchant’s daughter plans to inherit the family business, despite an Amazoness clerk’s pursuit. She works as a domestic assistant and school laundry worker, planning to stay in her dorm until spring break to return home. Early-rising and practical, she relies on her confidante Marie and fears shopping district threats. She shares an intense, bed-sharing romantic bond with her savior, Larry, and is currently pregnant and increasingly anxious following his recent trial.
• Louise – A towering, seven-foot-tall former Golem Battalion Deputy Commander of noble Jutland lineage. This strong military woman has a muscular build, short red hair, fierce features, and a professional, analytical demeanor. Clad in black and gold dress or armor, she is deeply attached to the protagonist, Larry, who sends her letters after she was saved by the Golems while protecting his child.
• Veronia – A Second Lieutenant and observant quartermaster for the Golems Battalion, she handles accounting, budgeting, and procurement. Distinguishable by her pink-accented uniform, she maintains strict secrecy but is easily surprised by tech findings. Though highly capable—once proving her proficiency by operating a human-sized defensive Golem—she loses her inhibitions with alcohol and suffered an emotional breakdown after accumulating massive gambling debts playing Five Dice.
• Elna – A middle-aged, elderly administrative officer and Second Lieutenant who serves as the facility manager of the 101st Golem Battalion headquarters. Discernible by her clerical military uniform adorned with her favorite gold decorations, she maintains a professional relationship with others, having previously provided carriage transportation from the battalion stronghold on the day of the trial.
• Nikole – Vice President of the Student Council and Chulpan’s assistant, this senior Level-3 Complex-type Nikole mage is a second-year repeating student who lost her tuition exemption after failing credits. Haunted by her past, she now works at a club in a frilly, see-through silk dress without undergarments to pay her fees. Distinguishable by her silver-streaked shoulder-length hair and a rune-etched coat, she previously had her head treated at Linto Field Hospital, where she still works as a medical mage. Once aspiring to marry Larry, she battles a heavy drinking habit that often leaves her intoxicated and lingering with the scent of alcohol.
• Niko – An elderly, dignified former slave and ex-head butcher, he is the oldest male servant of the Getys household, loyal to Larry and the family. He drives the carriage, shovels snow, mows grass in the forest, and prefers the stable loft. Possessing deep knowledge of the local landscape and sugar beet business, he aids their transition from the Fee estate with quiet wisdom and steadfast service.
• Adolf – The behind-the-scenes boss of the Viscounty of Bizan owns a central local shop that doubles as an intelligence hub. Dressed in high-quality luxury clothing, he radiates a polite yet dangerous aura. He maintains crucial connections with powerful mercenary figures, positioning himself and his establishment at the very heart of regional events.
• Torge – The father of Ursula and an amber merchant who wholesales goods from the northern coast to the Besanburg Magic School. He is skeptical of Larry’s young age and achievements until confirmed by witnesses.
• Al – Alberto (Al), a massive red‑haired man recently wed to Mary, lives near the Dish Basin. He’s a companion of Hans, helping intimidate and rally elders as a villager and leader.
• Ho – Ho, a comrade of the protagonist. A member of the military unit that defended Garao Village and was slaughtered alongside Marx-san.
• Rudy – A 14-year-old military recruit from Heberich with brown skin, large eyes, and physical performance flaws. A skilled woodsman and traumatized Vod Fortress survivor, he struggles with armor but code-switches to negotiate. Targeted by a foreign agent, he is linked to an Indian-featured female attacker and fiercely guards his former comrade Larry, despite loathing Larry’s domestic life.
• Larry – Larry Fee Getys is a tall, athletic, light-haired Bizan Magic School student, Fifth Sage candidate, and reincarnated former slave-soldier with a weary, pragmatic outlook. He hides explosive strength behind plain clothes, wielding a Treasure Sword and Level 3 Mana Draining. Now living in a rural village with his wives Nico, Monica, Teressa, and Louise, he navigates dangerous underworld contacts, complex social dynamics, and a reluctant companionship with an older brother whose methods he distrusts.
• Kunila – Dignified yet ditzy, Kunila is the modest-robed Dorm Mother of Bizan Magic School who welcomes students and harbors a suggestive interest in Larry after years of solitude. In truth, she is a deep-cover espionage agent from an enemy country. Striking with a grin in combat, she brandishes a rapier and utilizes Level 3 Mana Handling to conjure fireballs and hurl burning jars.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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