CH 85

Chapter 85 – Bounded Giant

“You’re too late, Klein. Move the ‘bug’ forward! Now!”

Klein struggles to hide his disgusted face from the hysterical voice of his superior, Brigadier General Chelska.

Klein is the manic cavalry commander of the Imperial Army’s mounted golem unit. He is a field commander who organizes the mages and manic cavalrymen who move the Golem and leads them in battle.

“With all due respect, sir, this is the limit of the speed at which we can keep an eye out for traps.”

“It’s a gutless and unfounded fear. It was not the soldiers who reported the information about the Demon King’s traps but a bunch of spineless mages. They are not worth listening to. In fact, there was not a single trap on the road from the imperial capital.”

Chelska, the second son of a duke, is narrow-minded and intolerable. He may be able to see what is going on, but he cannot see why it is happening. Nor is he willing to see.

――If the mage is so weak, then what are you, who has nothing to offer besides your family background?

“There was a report of a collapse and an explosion. I’m sure you saw the scene as well.”

“That’s all I have to say. If we do not reach the demon city before nightfall, you will be removed from your position on charges of defying orders.”

“…Understood, Your Excellency Brigadier General.”

――What a braggart you are, you no-good, incompetent greenhorn. I don’t know if you’re related to the emperor or not, but it’s scum-like you who get mixed up in the chain of command that keeps the army out of sync.

Klein cursed in his heart as he watched Chelska walk away arrogantly.

If he is removed from office for the crime of defying orders, he will not escape death. Not only himself but also his family in the capital.

Because golem operation requires an abundance of magic power and magic control skills, this is a special unit where almost all members, except for the accompanying infantry, come from noble families and are treated as officers.

Even though they are from noble families, they cannot even be called nobles, as can be seen from the fact that even Klein, the head of the actual unit, is only the fourth son of a low-ranking noble family. Since the chain of command is independent and under the direct control of the emperor, the ranks are all lined up horizontally, and everyone is a mere “manic cavalryman.”

However, it seems that in the past, they tended to think of themselves as exclusive and elective because of their pride and conceit that they were the strongest fighting force in the imperial army.

The head of such a potentially problematic unit is merely a “chaperone to prevent problems from occurring,” or “a person to clean up the mess when problems do occur,” and in most cases, he or she is just a decorator ― The senior nobles, most of whom do not have satisfactory magic power, combat ability, or political power, are assigned to this position.

Brigadier General Chelska, the second son of a duke, is a typical example. He does not even seem to understand that he is standing on thin ice with cracks in it, which, on the contrary, makes him a suitable candidate for the job.

The practical work is carried out by the lower nobles under Klein, but Chelska complains about every little detail or drags them down. The driving force behind this is his sense of inferiority, as he does not possess the magic power, physical ability, judgment, political power, or other combat skills necessary to make a name for himself in the military.

“Armie! Advance, no need to be on the lookout for traps anymore!”

Emerging from the rider’s seat of a large, six-legged, walking ore golem, the Golem cavalryman Armie looked at Klein with dismay. He is the third son of a baron family, a giant that boasts enormous magic power. He is a man with a blank, unsociable face, but he is always calm and dependable.

“There is no need, you say? If we get caught, we will be the ones who die, you know.　Besides, we don’t even know how they carried out the massive collapse.”

“I don’t need you to tell me what to do; I know what to do! The young master got impatient; that’s what I say. If the troops haven’t engaged in battle by sundown, I’ll be ousted, and you’ll be the commander from tomorrow. You can have my house if you want.”

“I don’t need it. It’s just a big old shack. Even the commander’s position is just a hassle. Then why don’t we shorten the route through the Dark Forest?”

“Not a bad idea. But only if the Brigadier General’s elegant carriage can follow.”

“That’s impossible.”

Armie shakes his head, lets out a sigh, and raises his hand at the controls as if he understands.

“Roger that, I’ll drop the alert and pick up speed.”

The lineup consists of Armie’s six-legged walking ore golem in the vanguard, flanked by four tree golems and three ore golems in the middle guard, and 20 clay golems in the rear guard.

These are all the mounted golems that are operational now.

After being caught in a collapse that appeared to be an enemy trap during the invasion, a mysterious explosion killed and wounded 16 manic cavalrymen in addition to the Transportation Corps, accompanying infantrymen, and escorting cavalrymen.

The large ore golem that was being transported by wagon was assembled, and the cavalry managed to get a good number of cavalry, but the remaining mounted Golem was left unmoved because it was half destroyed by a fall or explosion, or the rider in charge was killed or wounded and sent back.

After allocating 22 beginner and intermediate manic riders to clay golems and woody golems, and four advanced riders to four ore golems, there was no surplus of riders.

The only reserve is Klein, who is also the field commander.

Not only will he be killed or wounded, but his forces will not be able to function fully even when the main force runs out of magic power.

“This vacancy before the battle even starts?”

“Commander Klein.”

Zarpa, the unit’s rider apprentice and Klein’s squire, comes running in with a note. There must have been a magical communication by magic core. He conveys an order from the imperial capital.

“Communication has been lost at the advance base that was secured yesterday. The situation is unknown. The unit has asked us to send some people to check on the situation.”

“Tell them there is a battle coming up. The only person we have available to run errands for us is Chelska.”

“The commander of the unit assigned to the base, I believe his name is Lowen Chelska. Is he related to the brigadier general?”

“I don’t know anything about that… Yeah, I think I heard once that his brother is in the cavalry.”

That’s right. I remember the words of Brigadier General Chelska, who speaks with hatred. How incompetent his brother is, how vulnerable and lazy. To sum up his words, his younger brother was a reasonably useful military man.

Klein thinks for a moment and then orders Zarpa to go.

“Tell the brigadier general. His brother’s unit has disappeared. Unfortunately, they are out of our path of advance, so the search will have to wait until after the battle.”

◇ ◇

Sure enough, he was immediately ordered to search the base as a change of orders. He must have thought it was an opportunity to ingratiate himself with his brother and show off his unit.

While pretending to play along with the fool’s game, Klein used the time he could spare to prepare for the attack.

“Armie, I’m leaving you in charge of the troops. Move forward three miles from Casemaian and stand by with all cannons ready to fire, and if you don’t hear from me within a minute, you will lead the troops.”

“I understand. Where are you going, captain?”

“It’s a good-luck charm for the incompetent. I’ll take one shitty tree, five shitty clays, and about ten accompanying infantry in my palanquin. The rest of you can take the golem, the infantry, the artillery, the supplies, everything.”

“Be careful. I don’t want to be captain all the time.”

“If only we could be so careful. My hunch is that the stronghold has been crushed. We’re being outsmarted, and we need to move with the knowledge that we’re being outsmarted.”

“Roger that. But of course.”

“Yeah, well, he’s the Demon King, after all. …Damn it.”