Volume 3 Chapter 47 Military Envoy
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Inside a cavernous structure resembling a hangar, Pia lay bound and naked, unconscious, beneath a Type 98 Golem.
Beyond it, a three-story stack of dried fodder had been set ablaze. The flames roared, leaping high enough to lick the ceiling. The Golem’s massive foot began to lift, descending directly toward Pia’s lower body.
Was it enjoying the torture? It moved sluggishly for a Type 98.
I kicked off the ground. My youthful body moved faster than I’d anticipated, but the Golem’s foot was already descending.
Too late.
I discarded Excalibur, leapt with everything I had, grabbed Pia, and rolled.
”Agh—!”
Even unconscious, Pia let out a cry. A glance revealed that her toes had been caught by the Golem’s step. But it was only a grazing blow. One more lateral roll and she was free.
”Damn.” I muttered, gritting my teeth.
Crouching, I tossed Pia behind the Golem. To regain the momentum needed to retrieve Excalibur, I shifted my weight toward the front of the machine. The Golem, suddenly showing a burst of speed, swung a long arm to crush me.
I dodged by throwing myself toward Excalibur and managed to snatch it up.
Now, the Golem lifted its foot, seemingly intent on crushing me instead. This shift caused the mudguard on its heel to slip, revealing the magic threads connecting the joint.
I drove the two rods, with purple light overflowing between them, into the gap.
”Got it!”
No—it wasn’t stopping.
”Dammit, is it not working?” Just as I thought that, the Golem didn’t stop—it began to collapse.
With a heavy thud, it slammed face-first into the ground. I leapt onto its back, rushing to open the small hatch at the base of its neck. Because it was wireless, there was a mess of obstructive wiring near the nerve center; as I cleared it away, the machine actually started to move again.
The Golem planted its hands, trying to stand.
I grabbed the edge of the door with my left hand to stabilize myself, shoved the wires aside again, and thrust my hand in.
After resetting it, I finally brought the Golem under my control. By then, the fire had spread to the ceiling of the fodder warehouse, and smoke was filling the air. Operating the Golem as it hung from the door frame, I placed Pia on its massive palm and smashed through the building wall to get outside.
Once out, Thomas and his men were still fighting the full-plate knights.
Still carrying Pia, I performed a sidestep, kicking the knights away. Several went flying, but Thomas and his men were too overwhelmed to press the attack. Some of the subordinates had several arrows bristling from their backs. Looking for Isabella, I saw she had largely pacified the area; a few were moving to scout with Coilguns, while others provided cover.
Near the carriage, someone was lying down, and Pamela was treating them. Katri was among them.
I looked down again and crushed the remaining knights underfoot.
”Hey, your ankle—?” Thomas shouted at me.
Even though he should have been exhausted, Thomas sounded sharp. I looked down and saw Excalibur still embedded there.
I thought I’d left it behind in the fodder shack. The blade—or rather, the two rods—didn’t matter so much, but the Cockcroft-Walton circuit that boosted the magic voltage was filled with rare Magic capacitors that were a pain to manufacture. I was already fretting about the cost of remaking it, even in this state. The high-voltage magical current from this circuit, when applied to a Golem’s nerve circuits, could temporarily overwhelm their control, allowing me to hijack them—just as I did today.
For now, I set Pia on the ground, signaled the Golem to kowtow, and hopped down to the dirt.
”What now?” I asked.
”You ask me ‘what now,’ but for starters, we need to gather the wounded in one place.” Thomas replied, his tone clipped and procedural.
Our nation’s lone General didn’t exactly have a genius plan.
”Where are your soldiers and the town guards who were here? It makes no sense for the townsfolk to stay hidden when the fodder warehouse is clearly burning down.”
”My guess is the main gate is the West Gate, and there’s a large plaza there. If they’re anywhere, it’s there. But…” Thomas trailed off.
I understood what Thomas was implying. We couldn’t possibly secure this town with the numbers we had left.
”Let’s head back to Isabella for now.”
”Understood. Proceeding immediately.” Thomas agreed.
I picked up the unconscious Pia, bridal-style. Had her consciousness been snuffed out?
I was worried about the mage who’d set the fodder on fire. They’d conjured a fairly large Fireball. Above all, I’d learned that moving a Golem slowly is surprisingly difficult. At first, I thought the machine was just clumsy, but its movements afterward hadn’t been bad at all.
Why would someone like that be with a rural warlord?
”We’re setting up camp at the East Gate.” Kenze stated firmly.
At Kenze’s command, everyone nodded and began to move. We didn’t know how many enemies were left in town, but we couldn’t guarantee we wouldn’t be attacked from outside, either. However, if we occupied the gate, we could escape outside if attacked from within, or retreat inside if attacked from without. It was precarious, but we had no other choice. Besides, the gate was a tower; the rooftop was surrounded by crenelations, allowing us to monitor the surroundings while keeping ourselves protected.
”Did you snuff out Katri’s consciousness?” I asked.
After putting Pia in our carriage, I asked Pamela, who had told us to bring Katri in as well.
”She was in a state of agitation because you were targeted. I don’t know if she was threatened, but I needed to keep her quiet for the time being.” Pamela explained calmly.
I suppose so. I didn’t know what had happened, but I was glad she was safe. Still, it was a fact that the level-headed Katri had betrayed her allies. I had to get to the bottom of why. Knowing her, she must have had no other choice.
By the time we started moving, the fodder warehouse had collapsed. The wind seemed to be blowing the flames away, so the fire didn’t appear to be spreading, but I couldn’t rest easy yet. To my regret, the Type 20 Golem had been left inside. Originally brought by Haritz remnants, it wasn’t mine, but it had saved us more than once. Thanks for your service.
A fixed-wing drone flew out from the carriage where Isabella was. Wanting to see the feed, I jumped onto the cargo crates atop the carriage.
”I didn’t say you could do that.” Isabella snapped.
For some reason, Isabella, sitting on the coachman’s bench, snapped at me.
”Come on, I need to understand the situation.”
The fixed-wing drone was gaining altitude. I wanted to see the area around the town.
”Just for a second.”
”What’s with that ‘seducing a girl’ tone of voice?” Isabella grumbled.
Isabella let out a dry, uncharacteristic chuckle, so I reached out to touch the girl’s hand.
”Eek!” the girl squeaked.
She pulled her hand away.
”See? You’re creeping her out.”
”She was just surprised, that’s all.”
”Ah, yes, I’m terribly sorry.” The girl apologized to me.
She apologized properly. When I looked at Isabella, she just sat back down on the bench with a “do whatever you want” expression.
”I’ll just touch it briefly.” I told her.
”Ah, yes.”
I asked for her permission, touched her hand, and synchronized with her visual feed.
”You are Larry-sama, the inventor of the fixed-wing drone, aren’t you?”
She spoke to me via telepathy. Being called “Larry-sama” was a bit embarrassing, but the young mage didn’t hide her excitement.
”Do you remember me?”
”No.”
I managed to sync with her field of view. The altitude was about 150 meters, offering a full view of the town, which had a diameter of 400 meters.
”I, I was one of the students at the Academy who received instruction on the fixed-wing drone from the Dean.”
”Oh, really?”
Just as Thomas had said, the West Gate was the main entrance, and there was a large plaza just inside. The fixed-wing drone began to descend, circling slowly toward it.
”What is that?”
”People… they’re tied up and gathered there. Those bastards…”
I had no time for pleasantries. The words left my mouth, bypassing telepathy. In the center of the plaza, about fifty people—young and old, men and women—were bound, necks roped together. Fodder bundles were being thrown in among them. Then, they began to douse the area with oil.
”Move!”
I jumped off the roof of the carriage and reached for my horse, but the moment I did, Isabella punched me square in the jaw.
My head swam, and I felt myself falling forward. I have to save them. Despite that thought, my vision blackened, and my consciousness faded away.
When I came to, I was lying in my carriage with Pia, Katri, and Pamela.
”Ow…”
That Gorilla Woman (Isabella) really let me have it. My jaw was swollen and hurt to the touch.
”You’re awake? Come here, let me cast Heal on you.” Pamela said, leaning over.
”What happened?”
”We couldn’t save two-thirds of the villagers.” Pamela replied.
Kenze and the mage with the Coilgun had taken the ramparts. Thomas, Isabella, and the others who could move had charged in on horseback, but they were outnumbered. Still, once the Coilgun unit took the walls, they covered the ground troops, and Maya and her forces finally retreated through the West Gate. The Golem that followed later could only separate the people from the piles of burning fodder; two-thirds of them had been left to their fate.
It was a devastating realization.
”The young mage who was operating the Golem is in critical condition; she was your body double.”
”The girl who was flying the fixed-wing drone?”
”I don’t know about that. It makes me shudder to think what would have happened if you had gone instead. Don’t act so recklessly. If Isabella hadn’t been there, who knows what would have happened?”
The circumstances were different; there was no guarantee I would have been targeted. Still, I knew I had to stop acting impulsively. I didn’t want to admit it, but she was right.
”Oh, and what about the soldiers and town guards?”
”I heard every soldier who was here was killed.”
I couldn’t just lay here. I tried to sit up, but Pamela pushed my throat down, forcing me to stay lying. She said that while I was out, the rear guard—primarily infantry—had arrived and established a defensive perimeter, so I had to rest.
”But, why did this happen?”
Pamela, prefacing her explanation with the fact that it was based on the deductions of Thomas and Isabella, told me what they had learned from the townsfolk. Three days ago, the town had been surrounded by Maya’s army. Because the enemy’s numbers were small, many had initially thought they could call for reinforcements.
A few groups had tried to break through the encirclement to convey the situation, but all had failed. That was why they had entrusted their hope to those two little sisters.
However, we had initially underestimated the enemy; they possessed even small-sized Golems. They had stacked themselves up like a gym class to scale the ramparts, and once the west gate was thrown open, enemy soldiers flooded in.
It seemed they had been concealing troops within the nearby woods.
The town of Trabius was occupied in the blink of an eye. Soldiers and town guards were summarily executed, while the townsfolk—from children to the elderly—were rounded up and bound in ropes.
That was precisely when we arrived. To an enemy that had believed their preparations were flawless, our counterattack with Coilguns must have been entirely unexpected. Not only were their hidden archers and infantry wiped out by our Mages, but their Golems were also wrestled away from them.
Driven to desperation, Maya’s forces apparently decided that if they couldn’t win, they would simply slaughter the townsfolk, forcing us to abandon the city.
Instead, we put up an unexpectedly fierce fight. We saved two-thirds of the townsfolk, our infantry managed to push into the town, and we established a defensive perimeter, Pamela explained.
”When you consider the aftermath of Larland’s independence, it seems you were an eyesore to them,” Pamela noted in her steady, warm tone.
”Is that how it works?” Larry asked, his voice neutral and measured.
”That is exactly how it works,” she replied, offering a grounded, proverbial nod.
In my view, the presence of Maya’s army, remnants of the old Larland, was what gave the independence movement its legitimacy. They could serve to stabilize the region and act as a diplomatic bargaining chip. It didn’t bother me if they held key posts in the new government; as a small nation, we would have been content just to have a friendly neighbor. And yet.
Is Maya’s grandmother unable to fully control the warlord faction she inherited from her father? If there’s an internal power struggle, framing me as an enemy might be their way of deflecting criticism and tightening their own ranks.1
A dozen different thoughts surface and then fade away.
Ten days have passed since then. The winter cold is deepening, and while the Maya army stationed outside must be suffering, they show no signs of retreating. On the contrary, they periodically bring those small-sized Golems near the walls or line up archers to fire volleys, never letting us forget they are the aggressors.
As for us, we have only one pair of Giant Amber for the Golems. (The other pair burned up along with the Type 20Golems.) Since we have to manually refill them, the process is agonizingly slow.
We have enough food for the people for about a month, but the horses’ feed—the hay—was burned, leaving us with very little. Even when we feed them unthreshed rye and the like, they seem to crave fresh grass. Whenever we take them out for exercise, if they catch sight of even a patch of green, they stop listening to their riders and start grazing.
Two weeks into this grueling situation, a military envoy from the Maya warlord arrived. Because he was an envoy, we couldn’t fire on him, so we brought him inside the gate to hold talks in the former Bishop’s chambers.
The envoy was wearing a Mage’s hood. It seemed to be the same Mage we’d encountered at the hay warehouse. I recognized the shape of his mouth.
”Envoy, do you have some sort of proposal for us?” Larry asked with a cool, detached air of superiority.
”Indeed. It is a proposal that ensures no one here will lose out,” the envoy replied, his tone clipped and formal.
The proposal was this: with the battle in the Royal Capital of the old Kingdom of Larland drawing to a close, a thousand soldiers under Maya’s command were headed our way. He told us to surrender because we had no chance of winning.
”In exchange for the head of Larry・von・Fee-dono, we will guarantee the lives of everyone here and promise that for the next five years, Larland will not invade the Fee Grand Principality,” the envoy stated with procedural precision.
”You’re telling me to die?” Larry countered, his voice remaining flat and neutral.
”Yes. Surely, everyone here must be troubled by a leader foolish enough to let his own subordinates die,” the envoy replied, his tone cold and bureaucratic.
The envoy wasn’t looking at me when he said it. He was implying that if they killed me, the rest could be spared. How I loathe this.
”Envoy, may I ask you one thing?” Isabella spoke up, her voice sharp and procedural.
I feel that in situations like this, it’s probably best not to let subordinates speak directly to an envoy, but—what could she be planning?
”Do you know what this uniform is?” Isabella demanded.
”No. It’s filthy, isn’t it? If you follow my instructions, there will be no more conflict, and you’ll be able to wash it soon enough,” the envoy sneered, his voice dripping with condescension.
What an insufferable prick.
”This, you see, is the official uniform of an officer in the Kingdom of Schweilitz army,” Isabella stated firmly.
”And you are?” the envoy asked, his voice dismissive.
”I am Lieutenant Isabella・Novakova, Commander of the Special Temporary Platoon of the Kingdom of Schweilitz Eastern Front Army. Do you have any idea what that implies?” Isabella asked, her tone strictly military.
I suppose that was because it was a temporary platoon tasked with escorting me. But there was no way a Maya envoy would know that.
”Hmph, I have no idea,” the envoy spat back, clearly aiming to provoke.
”Then I shall enlighten you. Pointing arrows at an officer of the Kingdom of Schweilitz army, even when not in a state of war, is tantamount to a declaration of war. In other words, we will fight until the Maya-led warlord faction is eradicated down to the last man,” Isabella declared, her rhythm clinical and absolute.
”That… you must be joking, surely,” the envoy stammered, his facade of composure cracking.
”You’ll find out soon enough if it’s a joke,” Isabella replied.
”Wait a moment. You only fired a few arrows into the city walls; to call that a ‘war’ is absurd, isn’t it? That’s such an exaggeration,” the envoy pleaded, his voice thin and nervous.
”No, it is the truth,” Thomas interjected, his voice stern and grounded.
”Furthermore, one of our Mages who was struck by your arrows is still in critical condition. She is a member of the Magic Armored Division. If you’re wearing that hood, you’re a Mage, aren’t you? Then you should know of the devil known as Major Sonya, the commander of that division,” Thomas finished, his tone heavy with warning.
Poor bastard.
He shouldn’t have asked for my head.
Look at him trembling.
—
Summary:
The Fee Grand Principality’s forces are besieged in the town of Trabius by Maya’s warlord faction, despite having successfully repelled the initial occupation. A military envoy arrives under the guise of offering peace, demanding Larry’s head to secure a truce. Isabella asserts her authority as a Schweilitz military officer, revealing that the envoy’s minor acts of aggression have essentially declared war against a national military force, leaving the envoy terrified of the impending repercussions.
—
Trivia:
The Fee Grand Principality relies on Giant Amber to power their Golems, a resource that must be manually refilled.
The type 20Golems were lost in the fire at the hay warehouse.
Larry’s presence in the town is seen as an “eyesore” because his existence complicates the political legitimacy of the independence movement.
The military envoy is a Mage, a fact identified by his hood and recognized by his mouth.
Isabella belongs to the Magic Armored Division, which is commanded by the feared Major Sonya.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Pia – A naive, buxom Nurnhügel mage and pregnant slave to the protagonist. Partnered with Larry and Thomas, she serves as a healer’s assistant and pilot capable of operating Golems and drones. Though submissive and insecure, she speaks with archaic authority and a cynical worldview. Clad in a hooded robe, she is recovering from Golem-inflicted foot injuries while currently held captive by the enemy.
• Thomas – Thomas Bauer is a hulking, middle-aged General with a muscular wrestler build, red face, and scalp burns. Larry’s subordinate and a reliable ally to Fee and Earnest, he is married to Maria. Grounded, observant, and critical, this combat-focused tactical advisor organizes Trabius’s defense, issuing orders to 100 soldiers and mages in Twanste. Kenze was recently ordered to retrieve him.
• Isabella – Towering, muscular, and scarred, this jet-black uniformed Schweilitz Royal Army Lieutenant is a masterful spear-fighter, tactical advisor, and former leader of the Weasels of Bohemia. Now a pragmatic, ruthless commander of a Special Temporary Platoon tracking Larry’s party, she works with Thomas to assess enemy maneuvers and assist in interrogations, though currently absent from the North Gate. This noble VIP insists on escorting Marie, treats Ange like a granddaughter, and participated in the strategy meeting.
• Pamela – A petite, sharp-tongued Elf mage and logistics head who serves as the protagonist Larry’s slave and possessive, protective wife. She wears white Gothic Lolita fashion to hide her slave crest, handles healing duties despite limited ability with fractures, and offers composed strategic counsel. Formerly one of Earnest’s women, she now allies with Thomas’s five-person party and shares an intimate bond.
• Katri – A composed, long-haired Moscow Maid School graduate, she acts as Trabius’s interim Village Head, a source of information, and the protagonist’s forward, submissive romantic partner and caretaker. Dressed in a pink maternity dress and crimson gown, she bore his child, manages ledgers, and helps orphans. Deeply depressed and expressionless from self-blame after a failed self-sacrifice to save the protagonist, she sent a letter about Maya’s forces and is bound to Sanna, Larry, and Earnest.
• Pam – An escort to the protagonist who is observant and loyal.
• Kenze – A blunt, dark-skinned Amazonian warrior with short hair serves as the protagonist’s fiercely loyal slave, guard, and stern, authoritative military commander. Wearing a niqab and slave crest, this agile former agent is a skilled, bow-wielding tactician who maintains an arrogant attitude even in battle. Oblivious to social shifts, she casually yet fiercely protects Thomas, Teressa, Larry, and her master.
• Ho – Ho, a comrade of the protagonist. A member of the military unit that defended Garao Village and was slaughtered alongside Marx-san.
• Haritz – A town associated with a specific type of guard Golem used during a rebellion led by a now-deceased figure, whose remnants recently attempted to hijack the Cain estate.
• Larry – Sammy I, the 16-year-old dark-haired Grand Duke of the Fee Grand Principality, is a cold, analytical strategist and village lookalike who acts as a tactical golem operator and mage leader. Known to subordinates as Larry-sama, he is protective yet impulsive toward them. Armed with advanced weapons and Excalibur, he brutally navigates complex wars, four wives, and kids while craving simplicity.
• Dean – A professor whose office serves as a central hub for academic administration.
• Gorilla Woman – A towering, muscular mercenary of the Weasels of Bohemia, this aggressive woman dominates the village with her sheer presence and sharp insight into the value of mages.
• Maya – Elderly and ruthless, Marshal Yan is the cunning, salt-and-pepper-haired General of the Larland Provisional Kingdom. Dubbed a “hag” by enemies, she rules Trabius through intimidation, burning civilians and commanding knights in full plate armor alongside Golems. A high-priority tactical threat, she manipulates regional conflicts and maintains a fiercely antagonistic feud with the Fee Grand Principality.
• Trabius – The city currently under siege and being defended by the protagonist and his allies.
• Larland – A fallen kingdom, marked by its royal lineage of eight distinct princesses, has reemerged as a ruthless invading force. Driven by the loss of their homeland, these royal heirs now lead an aggressive campaign that threatens the entire region, turning former neighbors into desperate targets as they fight to reclaim power.
• Amber – An object or entity that receives mana infusion from Pamela, serving as a vital source of Mana to power the Golems.
• Principal – The mother of Line and the administrative head of the institution. She exercises authoritative control over research assignments and seeks to trade Larry for Ilse Klein due to interpersonal conflicts in her laboratories. The mother of Sabrina and Rhein who intervenes during Rhein’s violent corridor assault to break up the confrontation.
• Fee – Larry Fee Getys, a fifteen-year-old reincarnated youth and titular Duke, heads the Getys household governing Strock Village alongside Hans and Iffens. This pragmatic, telepathic protagonist navigates feudal intrigue and founds a new nation. Supported by family, including Teressa and maid Nico, his high status earns prime whale meat. Connected to Adolf and underworld structures, his lineage name aligns with the protagonist.
• von – The noble particle ‘von’ indicates high social standing and ancestral roots connected to territorial estates within the Sabaski lineage. It marks the noble bloodline and full names of Annerose von Bülow, Walter von Riedel, and Marc von Harritz, establishing their shared aristocratic identity and familial relationship within the Kingdom.
• Schweilitz – The nation to which the protagonist is being coerced to return, a kingdom possessing an advanced magic academy and military arsenal. The protagonist fears the execution of a specific person or entity currently trapped there in an unfavorable situation.
• Commander – A man leading the mercenary press-gang at the south gate.
• Novakova – Headed by Marie, the Novakova family carries a dignified surname tied to their Barsheni ancestry. Maintaining a modest yet respected status, they hold enough wealth to fund an attendant’s living expenses. Their deep regional roots and local identity command respect, shaping their supportive yet authoritative relationships with the village community.
• Major – A commanding military officer with a sadistic inclination toward interrogation. She orchestrates the sessions and utilizes Telepathy to coordinate with her subordinates.
• Sonya – Former Schuberitz Kingdom Major Sonya is a sharp-eared, petite elf serving as the Magic Armored Division Commander at the former Larland Capital. Youthful, serious, and a sadistic strategist known for her demonic cruelty, this elite pilot is feared as a devil. Using telepathic mana, she acts as Larry’s combat handler to toy with him, takes custody of Maria, and is fiercely protective.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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