Volume 8 - Chapter 32 – Battle Start (1/2)

08-32 Battle Start

“W-what!!”

By now the sixth subdivision was in a state of confusion.

The time was past nine in the evening. In a sense, it was the most relaxed time. It was the time when people on the night shift started, and the people on day shift went to rest.

Disorder filled the fort’s night.

“The guards at the side entrance were discovered unconscious.”

“The personnel on the perimeter haven’t returned.”

“The two underground guards have been confirmed to have fainted.”

The reports kept coming in one after another, but it was simply incomprehensible.

“Gaah, just what is going on! Make your reports more clearly!”

The head of the sixth subdivision, Intact Mazecilia d’Galvani yelled loudly, but despite that the situation didn’t change for the better.

“I-it’s a disaster!”

“What is it this time?”

“The p-prisoners are gone!”

“What? What are you on about?”

Without understanding what was going on at all, Intact began getting affected by the disorder.

“Branch head, please calm down. No matter how you think about it, there’s no other conclusion than that someone infiltrated us from the outside.”

The one who called out was the vice branch head Marcello. He was also a Magi Craftsman.

“Someone, you say? Who was this someone!”

Intact asked, but Marcello replied incomprehensibly.

“Yesterday, a pigeon came from the headquarters, right? Try to remember, please.”

“What? Don’t tell me you took the tale of that upstart Purcell seriously?”

“I told you, if you think about it there’s only one possibility.”

It was extremely close to the truth but Intact turned a deaf ear to him. As a last resort, Marcello was about to give his own orders when something happened.

There was a shock as if something had hit his face, and while he thought he saw something pass by his eyes simultaneously there was a dull sound and a hole appeared in the wall.

“Wha-what? What was that just now?”

He touched his face and it was bleeding.

And in the next moment, a hole appeared in the wall behind him accompanied with a dull sound.

He had no inkling of what was going on. Marcello was also an excellent Magi Craftsman in his own way, but having no knowledge of this phenomenon he was not able to make any guesses.

In the neighboring room a guard soldier began to panic as suddenly there was a hole in the wall, and something had brushed against his arm completely tearing off a piece of flesh from it.

Despite this, Marcello was able to think clearly.

“There was something written…That’s right, ‘there was a Magi Craftsman who told us to not get involved with him’, it said. Don’t tell me…”

“Branch head! A hole suddenly appeared in the wall, and two golems which were on standby were demolished!”

“Something got stuck in the wall facing the river!”

The reports came in.

“Go get that thing stuck in the wall, then bring it to me.”

He gave the order, turned towards the front of the fort, and looked outside through a small hole meant for observation.

“Hm? What’s that?”

There were several figures standing about a hundred meters away. They were far away and it was dark so he couldn’t make out their facial features.

“Judging from the direction of the holes those guys are behind this?”

After thinking about it a bit, he decided to bring out two combat golems. Of course, they were golems of the lowest grade just to wait and see what would happen.

“Go. If they’re the enemy then catch them and bring them here.”

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“Now then, there ought to have been some sort of a reaction by now, but.”

Ten minutes after the three railgun shots. In the darkness, Jin was watching the fort using the night vision mode on his helmet.