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Chapter 290 – What to Abandon and What to Renounce
“Wow, it stinks.”
“It smells absolutely awful.”
We opened the hatch and frowned at the horrible smell of burning carrion and protein that filled the air around us.
Ecla-san came down from the ramparts and shook her head with a wry smile.
“It’s true that it smells bad, but what about the person who did it?”
“I don’t know. There is no other way.”
“I’m just kidding. I can’t complain, even though I should be grateful to you for helping us eliminate a monster of an enemy that should have been dealt with by the Republic. We owe you one more.”
“You are too considerate.”
“This is due to circumstances.”
Myrril and I shook our heads, breathing through our mouths as best we could.
“I don’t think that’s possible. If you’re going to be in charge of the national government, you have to be able to handle it. Is that… barrel-like golem also made by Rinkov-jouchan?”
“But the prototype is the Empire’s Golem.”
When I look back and see that it is rude to call it a barrel, I realize that it is just a barrel. The short legs are buried in the snow under their own weight, making them look more and more like barrels. It is a form that pushes mobility and defensiveness to the limit.
“It’s a big thing, isn’t it? It moves much faster and smoother than the imperial ornaments I saw before. It has a barrel-shaped body and small limbs, but it moves in a very interesting way.”
It’s hard to understand, but she’s thanking me. She praises me for a good job. And she’s investigating the identity of the composite golem. Well, it seems that she doesn’t want to hide her intentions.
“Yoshua, why don’t you try storing the golem?”
“Huh?”
It was probably because I looked back at her as if I had been hit by a hook in the nose. Myrril laughed and shook her head.
It’s not the corpse-flesh golem. I’m talking about the composite golem.”
That’s right. I don’t care if Prince Haidar is willing to exchange currency for it, but I don’t want to put the burning carrion scraps, which are not only strange but also smelly and dirty, in my camp. I don’t know if they are in contact with each other inside the camp, but I don’t feel like it. I don’t know why I’m saying this after having stored tens of thousands of corpses.
“Storage…”
I tried for a while, but there was no response. I quickly moved over the still-open hatch and turned on the communicator. Tapping the screen, I zoomed in and saw a white, double-hulled airship. It seemed to be still waiting for me in the sky.
“Rinko, over, can you still load it?”
“We have room, but what can we load?”
“This golem, it cannot be loaded. The Imperial Golem was no good to begin with, so maybe it’s the same.”
“The Ekranoplan could be stowed, right?”
I realized that a while ago when Myrril told me. I thought the Imperial Army Golem was rejected for storage because it was a living being as a category, but was I wrong?
“Isn’t that the source of Takifu’s problems?”
I heard Ecla-san’s voice from outside the hatch and saw her pointing at the composite golem’s waist.
“What is it, Ecla-dono?”
“The golem has an identifier built into the body’s main control magic circle for management purposes. The identifier is used to prevent anyone other than the golem’s pilot from manipulating it. The identifier activates a defensive phrase when it receives magical interference from outside.”
“Hmm…? Did you hear that, Rinko?”
I could barely understand what she was saying, but maybe Rinko, being a technician, would understand.
“Hmm… I think I found out why, somehow. I thought I had removed all the protections. After I reconfigured the drive crest, I had no trouble maneuvering it, so I didn’t touch the root of the system.”
I know the small talk is coming through on both sides, but I have no idea what they are talking about. Maybe Myrril-san wasn’t an expert in magic-related matters, but she didn’t seem to have the slightest idea either.
“I understand the general logic as well, you know.”
Oh, is that so? I guess she’s a craftsman in a different field, so she doesn’t want to be lumped in with me, who has a liberal arts background. I guess I didn’t go so far as to say.
“Is it a problem that can be solved?”
“Maybe. But I don’t think it’s immediately possible. I’m not an expert in that area.”
“If you want, you can leave it to me.”
“What about you, Rinko?”
“I’ll leave it to you. It would be hard to carry both Ekranoplan and Ekranoplan back to the deck.”
After an hour or so, the unprotection of the main magic circle―a task that I assume was done―was finished, and the camp was safely ready. Defending Casemaian was no problem, and we were to remain in the Republic until spring while Rinko and the young dwarf engineering team returned by airship.
We retrieved the refugees and the child elf Hjelmar, who had been left behind in an armoured personnel carrier during the battle and returned to the airship.
“Ecla-san, what is going on in the capital of the Republic?”
“The Emperor’s delegation is probably in the middle of negotiations with that brat Kel. It would be better if they had signed a truce, but I doubt that will be possible. If all the demands were accepted as they are, the Empire would be in a tailspin.”
That brat Kel is Kel Merlot, the chairman of the Hagwai Republic Council. He is about my age, in his mid-thirties. Even though he’s not that young, I can’t help but laugh when he’s called a boy. To Ecla-san, he might be a little boy no matter how old he is.
“By the way, is Ecla-dono related to Hjelmar?”
“We are not related by blood, but that’s about it. His mother was my grand-disciple. She was a good magician, but more importantly, she had great administrative, managerial, and coordinating skills. It is a pity that we have lost such a talented person.”
I don’t know how much he feared or respected the “witch,” but Hjelmar’s sulky attitude has disappeared, and he has become a good, obedient boy.
“My mother looked up to you as a mentor for the rest of her life. She said you were an impeccable magician, except for your messy room.”
“That girl… She’s already saying unnecessary things to her son, for God’s sake.”
I launched the Griffon and headed for the capital city of Hagway. As usual, I don’t know the way, so I leave it to Myrril to navigate. Most of the Western Territories are unfamiliar to me, so she gave me directions and distances while she checked our position on an aerial map.
From the conversations in the rear compartment, it seemed that some of the refugees had regained consciousness. Hjelmar went over to them to hand out some water and snacks. Everyone seemed relieved to hear that they would be joining the people of Keol in the capital city of Hagway. Although they did not fully understand the situation, they could tell that their safety was assured. They followed my instructions to remain calm.
“Are you coming to the Republic?”
Ecla-san came to the cockpit and started talking to us. We’re just moving over an almost flat snowfield, so I don’t mind talking to her. The problem is that she’s trying to involve us in the politics of the Republic under the guise of small talk.
“Now that we can include the Western Territories after the Southern Territories.”
“I don’t need them.”
“Even if you gave it to us, we couldn’t use it.”
“We will accept not only you, but all the inhabitants of Casemaian, as many as you want, and we will provide them with land, housing, positions, jobs, and a place to meet.”
“Of course, we will not prevent anyone from moving here if they wish.”
Even if they are offered territory and other things like freebies from online shopping, the advantages are too few, and the disadvantages and risks too great. The reason for such generosity is probably the lack of administrators and rulers due to the depletion of human resources and the judgment that it will ultimately be to the mutual benefit of both parties to hand everything over to us, including the profits and losses. At best, they hold on to the situation, and at worst, they give up their thinking. It may sound similar to what Myrril-san calls a “win-win situation,” but in reality, it is not the same. I don’t think they really accept it.
“We’ll go back to Casemaian in the spring. I’m curious to see what happened while I was away, and I have some things I want to do.”
“It won’t be war, will it?”
I chuckled and shook my head. I wouldn’t do that unless we were attacked. There’s no profit in it, no matter who we’re up against.
“As soon as things settle down in Casemaian, I intend to establish a trade route and start doing business.”
“You’ve talked to the district manager of Sarz and the guildmaster of the commerce guild, haven’t you?”
“It seems so. Kerg and Inos are very excited about it.”
“Sarz may well become one of the best commercial cities in the Republic.”
Oh. I just remembered something…
“Who will be the Guildmaster of the Adventurers’ Guild of Sarz after Ecla-san leaves?”
“Oh, it’s empty. Haru is the acting guild master now. It’s good that it’s closed for the winter, but we need to get someone in there before the snow melts.”
It’s like a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. Even if you move the necessary personnel from one place to another, another to another, there is still not enough. It will take time and effort to solve the basic problem.
“Why don’t you use Lord McKin’s contacts and get them out of the kingdom?”
“Ah. I’ve had a few conversations with Marquis Yerkel. It’s the same there. And the reason for it.”
I pretend not to have heard her and look out the window.
It is almost the border between the western and central territories. I’d like to think there won’t be any more fighting. After sending off the refugees, the witch and the child elf, we will return to Sarz. We’ll have a nice meal at the “Wolf’s Tail Restaurant,” and this time we’ll relax.
We felt like this town was our second home.