325 - Knock and Enter from the Front
"This is completely different from what we were told!"
"How much longer is this situation going to continue!"
"Many countries are already in no condition to fight. How do you intend to break through this situation!"
In a large tent prepared near the Mobile Fortress, representatives from various countries had gathered to subject me to what they called "opinions," which were essentially a public shaming.
Faced with the Kingdom of Banseime, which showed no sign of crumbling, the coordination of the Allied Forces was gradually beginning to fall apart.
For a ragtag assembly, they had held out quite well. Thanks in part to Celes's naive thinking, I had been able to take full advantage of the situation.
Ten days had passed since the attack on Central began. It was obvious that Celes, who could manipulate the dead, would have the advantage if both sides continued to fight a war of attrition.
There was no need to panic.
Everyone's gaze converged on me. Some even went so far as to point at me boldly and shower me with abuse.
"I hear the Alliance Leader's forces have suffered little damage! Surely you aren't just watching us wear ourselves down! Do you intend to just swoop in and take the glory! As I thought, the Walt family is the root of all evil! You jinx, splitting us into enemies and allies and staining the continent in blood!"
Those around him tried to stop him, but I signaled them to stand down with a wave of my hand.
In reality, looking at it calmly, it was only natural that the damage differed between me, who had prepared, and the other countries. I had prepared specifically for this day. My level of commitment was different from those who were merely participating.
Though, it was true that I had been watching them get ground down.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear the latter half. However, there won't be a next time. But if we continue to fight against an enemy that seems to spawn endlessly no matter how many we kill, we will be the ones to succumb. Morale is only continuing to drop."
Enemy soldiers who were already dead had no reason to think about the future. They simply charged, trampled over their comrades, and killed the enemy in front of them. They didn't even seem to feel pain.
From the perspective of my allies, they were fighting every single day against a terrifying enemy. Not just physically, but mentally, they were being pushed to their limits.
I stood up from the chair I was sitting in.
"...The tool to destroy Central's walls is complete. To break this deadlock, we will launch an assault on Central. However, if you say I'm just taking the glory, I can only agree. We will charge into Central, but those who wish to charge with us, step forward."
The crowd buzzed when I mentioned charging into Central, where the number of enemies was unknown. However, no one stepped forward.
The King of Fanbayle raised his hand.
"...Central's walls are thick and highly resistant to magic. I find it hard to believe such walls can be easily broken? Furthermore, we have been attacked daily and haven't been able to properly attach ourselves to the walls. Is a breakthrough even possible? I sent men to gather information, but none of them returned. I cannot imagine a method like blowing them up from the rear would work?"
As expected, only the Fanbayle royal family would think of that. Perhaps because they had suffered at the hands of the Seventh Head, they thought I would blow the gates open from the back.
However, this time, it was a frontal assault.
"No, we're going from the front. That's why I prepared it."
I looked toward the back of the tent. Immediately, the interior became noisy.
"No way, are we using that?"
"B-but..."
"No, if it's that, it's possible. Even if we can't break through, it will serve as a foothold."
Amidst the noise in the tent, I raised my hand slightly. Once the surroundings fell silent, I spoke.
"Tomorrow morning, my forces will launch the assault. Does anyone have an opposing opinion? However, if you object, you must present an alternative plan."
By telling them to produce a better plan if they had an opinion, I silenced them. In reality, each faction must have sent in people or skill-holders. But seeing that no results had been produced, it seemed everyone was hesitating.
To break the current situation, the meeting ended once everyone agreed with my opinion.
――May was galloping through the sky in the form of a Kirin.
She was flying around the skies surrounding Central, but...
"Ugh, so noisy!"
Chasing May's back as she raced through the air at full speed was a black Kirin. It had bright red horns and chased May in silence.
However, there was no sound of breathing. It was a Kirin that felt almost like a doll.
"Could you just give it a rest?"
As she flipped her body in mid-air, a flash of light streaked across. Lightning struck, and May felt a slight numbness.
(To be tireless and able to fire this much lightning...)
Both clad in purple lightning, they charged with their horns aimed at each other, and as the horns collided, sparks flew.
Looking into the eyes of the black Kirin, they were bright red. And there was no sign of life.
"...Can you understand my words?"
She called out, but there was no reaction from the other Kirin. However, when it opened its mouth, it was sinisterly large, with fangs arranged haphazardly, feeling almost painful to look at.
Whenever May tried to scout the interior of Central from the sky, the black Kirin interfered. May dealt with it in this manner every time she encountered such a Kirin.
However, no matter how many times she pierced it or struck it with lightning, the opponent recovered immediately. May could regenerate if she lost limbs, but it still took time.
"If my own kind has become like this, I'd want to help... but the timing is bad right now. So, maybe next time."
Evading the opponent's erratic power, May slammed the black Kirin down to the ground and then fled from the skies of Central.
Whether the black Kirin was guarding the skies of Central or not, it did not pursue the fleeing May.
"...I couldn't get much done. I can't gather any allies either. Sigh, how am I going to explain this to Lariel?"
A disappointed May looked back from a short distance. There, the black Kirin was staring at May――.
――Monica was looking at Central's walls from the roof of the Mobile Fortress.
As the zoom of the lens within her red eyes moved, she saw Allied soldiers who had infiltrated the top of the walls.
It seemed they had infiltrated at night, targeting the time when the moon was hidden by clouds and it was pitch black, but the soldiers on the wall did not move at all.
The infiltrating soldiers found this strange and tried to move, but they collapsed.
In the darkness where nothing could be seen, a red-haired man wearing a tailcoat had entered and was disposing of the soldiers.
"...I had heard the enemy also had automatons, but seeing it like this."
As Monica watched the opponent's movements, the automaton in the tailcoat swung its right hand. Immediately after, Monica put her left hand in front of her face.
A knife blade was gripped between the gaps of her fingers, and Monica crushed it by applying strength to her fingertips.
When she turned her gaze back to the top of the wall, the opponent was already gone.
"I'd heard about them, but a butler type, huh. Of all things, a different system from ours... that's a bit troublesome."
Saying so, Monica looked at the ground. Looking at the broken knife, she took a tool from the gap between her skirt and apron and began cleaning.
"To think we would oppose each other in a place like this... I wonder if this is fate."
Monica began saying something that sounded like a long-standing grudge. However, Monica was Monica. She was an automaton who had lost more than just one screw in her head.
"A maid and a butler... let us decide which of us is more suited to serve a master."
It seemed she had no particular personal grudge or history――.
Before dawn.
Having called General Broa, Baldoor, and Maxim to the Mobile Fortress, I relayed what I had heard from May.
Hearing this, Baldoor wore a troubled expression.
"I wanted to call upon the Divine Beasts and somehow push for an advantage."
Maxim felt the same.
"They helped us during the monster army's attack, but is it impossible this time? I think it would be fine if they helped."
General Broa looked at Maxim with exasperation.
"It's lucky we were helped even once. There's no way we could win on our own. To think they even have connections to Divine Beasts... but looking at it the other way, we no longer have to worry about other problems."
I nodded.
May had gone around calling out to her own kind and other Divine Beasts. However, as a result, she could not obtain cooperation. The reason was that a large number of soldiers had gathered in the capital of Banseime, increasing the damage caused by monsters.
Additionally, the likes of labyrinths, which should have been subjugated, were becoming uncontrollable.
There was a possibility that the labyrinths would go berserk. However, the Divine Beasts were handling that follow-up.
"Apparently, their numbers have decreased significantly over three hundred years ago. Well, if they're acting in relation to labyrinths and monsters, it's like they're cooperating indirectly. Let's consider it a blessing."
However, General Broa put his hand to his chin.
"But a black Kirin, huh. I'd certainly heard the rumors, but it's scary if even Kirins find it troublesome. It would be unbearable if they dropped lightning on us from above."
The black Kirin attacking us from the sky. That was something I wanted to avoid.
"I'll have May and Marina-san handle that. Also, it seems the presence of an automaton was confirmed inside. Monica seems to be handling that, so I'll leave it to her. Honestly, automatons connected to a line are troublesome because they regenerate."
The Valkyries do not regenerate, but Monica does. I had confirmed that previously. Even if she couldn't defeat it, I wanted her to buy time at least while I fought Celes.
Baldoor shrugged.
"A butler type? I wonder why she's so competitive. Speaking of butlers, they're the ones who manage a mansion. Aren't they like a maid's boss?"
Maxim said with exasperation.
"We can't understand the common sense of automatons or the ancients. Since they say that behavior is normal, I guess that's just how it is. But, are we really going to slam this thing into them?"
Maxim said this while looking at the floor.
The Mobile Fortress. Originally, it had been prepared for times like this. The fortress's functions and workshop were merely things Damian and the others had attached on a whim.
General Broa looked amused.
"Once the funding issue is settled, this will surely change warfare. Well, it'll probably take a few hundred years to make it practical."
The consumption of magic stones. Additionally, the materials used in the Mobile Fortress were rare metals. Maintenance was also a chore. Even when it wasn't moving, maintenance was required.
"...It's certainly effective in war, but I wouldn't want to use it a second time. More importantly, for General Broa..."
"I know. If there are any forces making strange moves, I'll handle them. I hope it doesn't come to that, though."
A small elite group would storm the royal palace of Central. The rest had the role of preventing the enemy soldiers filling the city from approaching the palace. At the same time, they would keep watch to see if any forces tried to fish in troubled waters.
"How far the Mobile Fortress can advance is also a key point. I really want it to break through the walls no matter what."
When General Broa spoke, Baldoor, Maxim, and I all nodded. Then, Vera entered the room.
"It's time. You're all ready, right?"
As the four men nodded, Vera spoke.
"That's good. Professor Damian and Old Man Ratata are ready too. Also, since you seem worried about whether we can cross the walls, I'll tell you... I'll definitely deliver you to the royal palace, so you lot just do your jobs properly!"
Seeing the confident Vera, I felt a bit embarrassed, thinking she had read my worries. That's right, I had left the Mobile Fortress to Vera.
"Right. Let's do our jobs. Now, I guess I'll board the Porter."
When I said that, Baldoor looked at me.
"Lariel-sama, if your feelings haven't changed, I won't say anything more. However, victory only counts if you survive. A mutual kill is the same as a loss."
Baldoor's gaze was serious. General Broa and Maxim seemed to share a similar sense of gloom.
"Well, if you die here, all the plans will go haywire. For my part, I'll pass on a Sengoku period."
"Same here. Now that we've finally gained a new lord, we'd like to live in peace under him, wouldn't we?"
I looked at the three of them and laughed.
"I'm bad at giving up, so don't worry. The unloved always thrive in this world."
Vera was giggling.
"Come on, let's go."
――The control room of the Mobile Fortress.
In the room where mesh iron plates were stretched across the windows, everyone was dressed warmly. Vera spoke to her subordinates, the captain and the crew.
"Now, it's the big job. We're going to storm Central with this thing. Status of the power reactor?"
As a crew member confirmed, he shouted,
"It's in peak condition! It's complaining that if we don't move it soon, it'll melt from the heat!"
Vera nodded.
"Everyone, you've all fastened your belts, right?"
The captain nodded.
"You too, Miss, please don't bite your tongue when giving orders. It would be quite unsightly."
The belts and handrails to prepare for the impact had been proposed by the automatons like Monica and installed by Damian and Old Man Ratata. The Mobile Fortress, designed on the premise of the absurd action of charging, was built to fulfill that role.
Vera took a light deep breath.
"...Alright! Charge! Blow away Central's walls!"
"You heard her, you bastards! If you slack off just because we're on land, you'll answer to me! Show them the pride of men of the sea!"
As the shouts of the men echoed in the control room, the Mobile Fortress moved violently. The stakes pinning it to the ground were pulled, and it began to move.
Damian, sitting in a chair with a seatbelt in the room, took off his glasses and handed them to a nearby automaton.
"According to calculations, we should be able to break through."
Old Man Ratata, sitting next to him, had sparkling eyes.
"Destroying the walls and charging with this thing. I thought it was madness when I first heard it, but it's actually quite fun to try."
Both Damian and Old Man Ratata seemed truly enjoying themselves. The surrounding scenery gradually flowed faster, and it was clear the Mobile Fortress was accelerating.
Vera shouted,
"Pile Bunker, hurry with the preparations!"
Then, something like a chimney on the Mobile Fortress tilted over. As the large cylinder fell horizontally, smaller cylinders were attached to the top and bottom of the center.
"Enemy concentrated fire, incoming!"
As the Mobile Fortress moved, magic was concentrated and slammed into it, causing the fortress to shake. A minimum shield was deployed, but the impact weakened the fortress's momentum.
"I knew that from the start! Fire back!"
The Mobile Fortress's cannons spat fire, hitting the walls. The distance closed, and shells repeatedly struck the walls, smashing through the enemy's shields. Cracks appeared, but they didn't break.
"We're about to hit!"
At the crew member's voice, everyone entered a shock-resistant posture. Since the collision was a premise, various measures had been taken for shock resistance, but they couldn't absorb all the impact. As a violent shaking occurred, Vera screamed,
"Ignite the main cylinder!"
The captain shouted, "Hurry with the ignition!" and one of the crew members gripped a lever with a fastener, removing the safety lock. He then pulled the lever down with all his might.
The lids of the cylinders piled up at the rear of the Mobile Fortress blew off, and fire erupted from them. The momentum was tremendous, a pale blue light became a tail, and the surrounding scenery distorted from the heat. The front part of the Mobile Fortress had a large V-shaped iron plate, which had dug into the wall. From there, the cracks gradually grew larger.
Vera gripped the handrail and laughed as she watched the scene before her.
"The incision is made. Now... we just have to smash through!"
As the crew member operated the controls, stakes were fired from the cylinders at the top and bottom of the large cylinder. Once fixed to the wall, the Mobile Fortress shook.
"Release the fixing devices! Prepare for impact! Don't let your guard down even after we're inside! Cover your ears and open your mouths!"
At the captain's voice, Vera covered her ears and opened her mouth. Then, the large cylinder caused a massive explosion, and a stake was fired from it.
The extra-large stake pierced the wall and drove deep into the city of Central, while the cylinder itself was blown backward.
(My ears... I'm absolutely never using this again.)
While thinking she never wanted to use it again, a large hole opened in the wall and it began to crumble. Then, the Mobile Fortress, accelerating with fire spitting from the rear cylinders...
"Blow it away!"
At Vera's voice, the Mobile Fortress destroyed the wall and entered Central.
By creating cracks with cannons, making an incision, and then applying a sudden impact, the Mobile Fortress had broken into Central.
The soldiers of Central saw this, but they didn't panic. They weren't stunned either. They simply charged at the Mobile Fortress in an attempt to do something, only to be trampled.
"Position of the royal palace!"
The captain asked Vera.
"The heading shifted. Anyway, we're close to――"
"Slam it into the royal palace no matter what! Otherwise, we'll miss it by a wide margin and pass right by!"
The crew member operating the accelerating Mobile Fortress turned the rudder to correct its direction. The Mobile Fortress plowed through the streets of Central, destroying everything in its path as it made a wide turn.
Debris from buildings, cloth, and even stuffed animals were slammed against the control room windows, making it hard to see ahead.
Scraping the ground, the Mobile Fortress charged toward the royal palace. Several tires blew out, and its momentum was beginning to wane. The Mobile Fortress's cannons were blown away, its armor was peeling off, and it aimed for the palace while becoming a wreck.
Damian asked,
"I wonder if it'll hold until the end?"
Old Man Ratata was laughing.
"It'll hold! After all, we built it, and these guys are driving it!"
Feeling the unpleasant vibrations and the floor tilting inside the Mobile Fortress, Vera looked ahead. The Mobile Fortress began to creak, but it continued to advance.
Following behind it, large Porters carrying soldiers followed suit.
"Frontal view acquired! Miss, it's a success!"
As the captain shouted, Vera told them to prepare for impact. And in her heart,
(I delivered you properly, Lariel!)
The Mobile Fortress slammed into the outer wall of the royal palace and stopped――.
Inside the bed of the Porter.
We, who had been secured, confirmed that Vera had slammed the Mobile Fortress into the royal palace as promised. Gripping the jewel, I spoke to Clara.
"Clara, charge."
Clara replied from the Porter's cockpit.
"Yes. Blowing off the cover."
Debris and trash were resting on the metal cover. The Porter raised its front section and brushed them away with its arms.
The outside scenery became visible. Everyone in the bed shared the view Clara was seeing.
Ludmila spoke while touching her lips.
"I didn't feel like I was alive for a moment. But the result is undeniable."
Shannon, who was covering her mouth with both hands, looked pale. Eliza, sitting next to her, spoke with concern.
"I-I feel sick. Also, I've reached my limit. I'm tired."
"Sh-Shannon, we're only just beginning."
While looking at the scenery outside, Clara operated the Porter. On the Porter's upper body, in the chest area, there was a device using a gem with rare magical power called magic ore. That assisted Clara in her operations.
The powerfully accelerating Porter leaped from the Mobile Fortress and entered the royal palace.
"Lariel-san, the knights have come out. It seems there are monsters as well."
While looking at the view Clara saw, I gave the order.
"Scatter them."
Then, the accelerating Porter blew away the knights and the former humans who had become monsters with both arms. I visualized the map of the royal palace and searched for Celes's reaction.
Miranda muttered the location.
"...The Audience Chamber. I wonder if this child can climb the stairs?"
Then, Monica, with a fearless smile, spoke.
"Hmph, nothing is impossible for the Porter, the fruit of love between me and the chicken coward. The power of the peridot gem I swiped... received from the chicken coward is roaring!"
Indeed, it was as Monica said. Scattering the enemies in front of it, the Porter forcibly climbed the stairs and aimed for the Audience Chamber.
"I wondered why I couldn't find it... what did you use it for this time?"
Monica replied in a panic.
"Wait! It wasn't me. Those inferior versions Unit One, Unit Two, and Unit Three said that magic stones didn't provide enough energy, so this would be fine!"
Apparently, the Valkyries had also stolen precious magic ore from me. Thinking that scolding them could wait, Monica unfastened her seatbelt.
With a serious expression.
"...It seems my opponent has arrived."
Immediately after, Clara crossed the Porter's arms, entering a defensive posture. As an impact hit the Porter, an automaton in a tailcoat appeared before them.
"I must ask you to refrain from going any further. To storm in with a hodgepodge of a vehicle that I can't tell if it's an armored car or a mobile weapon is far too uncouth."
With a straight face, Monica leaped from the bed and stood before the enemy automaton. With a graceful posture, she bowed to the opponent.
"To think a piece of junk who doesn't understand this ruggedness and cuteness would call me uncouth, that's rich. A butler-type automaton, huh. I've wanted to beat one to a pulp at least once."
Monica put her hand into the gap between her skirt and apron and pulled out a tool equipped with a large hammer and a drill.
The opponent also gave a graceful bow before speaking.
"I despise fakes from a country that can do nothing but imitate. Very well. I shall turn you into scrap here and show you the difference in performance and class."
I poked my head out from the ceiling of the bed.
"Monica!"
"...You should have said that sooner. My sisters will join us later, so leave this to me and go ahead... Ha! To think I'd get to say the line I wanted to say in a place like this!"
Ah, she really is the usual Monica.
"...Just make sure you follow us afterward."
Monica, turning back to me, was smiling.
"Yes, I'll definitely chase after you. My fixed position is right next to the chicken coward, after all."
Saying so, she stepped toward the enemy automaton.