Volume 9 - Chapter 45 – Storming In (1/2)

09-45 Storming In

At the entrance that appeared to be the front one. Fifteen minutes after the Land units from 61 to 80 rushed in through it while it was left open.

Reiko, Ann, and Jin’s substitute puppet ‘Deus Ex Machina’ also entered.

“There’s no mistaking it. These are the ruins of an ancient fortress.”

Ann said after checking the structure.

The place where they arrived after going through the entrance was something like a wide hall. It was the place where soldiers who warped in would wait for orders.

Similarly to the ruins in Yada Village, in the floor there were traces of a Warp Gate. Although the parts left behind were very few so there was no hope of reconstructing it.

It had probably been destroyed when the fort got abandoned.

From the front there, a passage extended out. At the entryway to the passage there were concaves where guards had likely once been stationed in, but now there were unmoving golems there that the Land corps had destroyed.

“We should find stairs after walking for a bit.”

Following Ann’s guidance, the three progressed.

Just as she said, after walking 20 meters more there were stairs leading up and down.

“The stairs down go to the armoury while the stairs up go to the control room. Where should we go?”

Ann turned to ask for Reiko’s opinion, and at that very moment. The sound of people walking up the stairs from below was heard.

“!”

Reiko immediately got on guard, but after sensing the Magic Energy Patterns she realized that they were Land golems and moved her hand off her sword’s handle.

The ones that came up were Land-70 and Land-71.

“Oh, milady. The basement seems to be an armory, but there were nothing but broken golems and Magi Tools that had become useless. Land units from 41 to 60 also joined us and we’re continuing the investigation.”

Hearing the report, Reiko decided to head upstairs.

“Let’s go up.”

They went upstairs taking Land-70 and Land-71 with them.

“Oh my, we’re not the first.”

The door leading to the second floor hallway was left wide open, and in the hallway there were the Land units from 91 to 100 who were supposed to have entered through the wester side.

“Milady, there was nothing but household golems. Yet they’ve all been neutralized.”

Land-100 reported to Reiko.

“Most likely the control room is on the fourth floor, let’s go.”

Ann suggested. Reiko nodded and called out to Land-100 and the others.

“You guys please keep on investigating this floor.”

Reiko’s group then went to the third floor.

The door to the third floor was left wide open, the Land units from 81 to 90 were there investigating.

Reiko’s group left that floor to the Land corps too and went to the fourth floor.

The stairs reached their end there, and a robust-looking door blocked their passage.

“Milady, let us try first.”

Land-70 said and pushed the door together with Land-71. But it didn’t budge.

“It feels like it’s been barred from the inside. What shall we do?”

They had a few ways of opening it. He was asking about that.

Then Jin contacted them. The substitute puppet’s mouth opened.

“Just now Land-61’s group discovered members of the Unifiers. The 17 people in total were all neutralized. From questioning those guys it seems that the control room is on the fourth floor.”

“That’s the floor we’re on, isn’t it.”

“That’s right. Most likely the ‘Golden Princess of Destruction’ is also here. Be very careful.”

“I understand. What shall we do about this door? Should we open it with force?”

“Let’s see, chop it off with the Vibration Blade.”

Jin gave instructions while borrowing the mouth of his substitute puppet ‘Deus Ex Machina’.

“Yes, Father.”

Reiko felt just a little disappointed. The substitute puppet turned to Reiko and said to her as if consoling her,

“Reiko, you’ll be headlining today so it’s better to not go ahead recklessly. ”

Then,

“Also, stop calling this puppet ‘Father’. This goes for all of you there, make sure to call it ‘Machina’.”

The word Deus meant ‘god’ so Jin refrained from that and decided to have the substitute puppet nicknamed ‘Machina’ which meant ‘machine’.

“Yes, Machina-sama.”

The group then passed through the door and stepped into the fourth floor proper.

There in the comparatively wide hallway a carpet had been laid down.

“There’s no mistaking it. At the end of this hallway is the control room. It’s clear that a rather high-ranking commander had been in charge of this fort.”