722

21-33　A Confiscation Filled With Mysteries

“What… what an unbelievable number…!”

“Is this… perhaps the military force the Leonard Kingdom once possessed…?”

“Amazing! Amazing! Amazing!”

Jade Nefroy had lost all composure, darting between the rows of golems like an excited child.

“Hey—don’t get distracted by the golems. Look over there.”

A soldier pointed toward the back of the hall. The knights turned as one.

“W-whoa!”

“…That’s incredible.”

What awaited them was a mountain of Magic Crystals, piled high—unseparated by attribute, but sparkling in shades of red, yellow, green, blue, purple, white, black, and clear.

“Why is there so much…?”

They couldn’t yet understand how it came to be.

But to Captain Bruno, one thing was certain: with this amount, even the losses from the ‘Golem Garden Party’ could be fully compensated.

He looked upon the trove with shining eyes.

＊　　＊　　＊

On the Magi Monitor’s receiving side, Minister Kerihidore was equally struck.

“Magnificent. Magic Crystals and combat golems… this discovery will let our kingdom breathe easier.”

A fallen kingdom whose ruins hid vast wealth.

Here, the law was simple—he who finds it owns it.

There was no one left alive to contest their claim.

“Could this have been an old mining site…?”

Jin murmured to himself.

If the Leonard Kingdom had been mining Magic Crystals long before its fall, the abundance made sense.

After all, even on Hourai Island, golems had been mining continuously for a thousand years.

But that explanation did not account for the combat golems.

“Hmm. That is indeed a strange combination.”

Kerihidore, now settled from his initial excitement, agreed with Jin’s doubt.

“…And the direction they’re facing.”

Elsa added her own concern.

“Direction?”

She pointed: every golem was turned toward the back of the room.

“See? They’re all facing inward… as if guarding against something coming from deeper inside.”

“…You’re right.”

From afar, Jin’s group could judge calmly.

But the on-site investigation team, dazzled by discovery, noticed nothing unusual.

Just then, the image on the monitor began to move—someone carrying the Magic Eye had started walking, moving the view further inward.

＊　　＊　　＊

“Hm? These golems here have scratches.”

Around the four-hundredth golem, its steel shell bore claw marks and gouges.

And then—

“…Its arm is missing?”

Past number five hundred, the damage grew severe.

Then—

“…!”

Every golem beyond five hundred was completely destroyed.

“What happened here…?”

“Why does the damage increase the farther inward we go? It’s almost as if something came out from the back and tore them apart.”

There was no answer.

At the very end of the hall, heaps of rubble were piled high—offering no clue as to what once stood there.

＊　　＊　　＊

Beyond this, the ruins yielded no further discoveries.

Still, the sheer number of combat golems and Magic Crystals would bring enormous benefit to the Kingdom of Egelea.

Preparations began immediately for a large force to retrieve the treasures.

＊　　＊　　＊

“Well then, we’ll take our leave for now.”

On the morning of the 10th, Jin’s group departed Asunt and headed toward the Klein Kingdom’s capital, Alban.

There had been no further developments at the ruins.

“With this, Reinhardt, your duties as envoy are nearly complete.”

“Yes… it has been eventful.”

Jin also wanted to settle the matter of Konron Island formally with the Klein Kingdom.

The distance was about 250 kilometers.

Jin’s airship reached Alban in five hours, arriving at 1 p.m.

They had been expected.

Princess Lieschen and several familiar faces were waiting.

“Oh, Jin! It has been a while! …Though it’s only been about two months since you healed Father.”

“Jin-dono, Lady Elsa, and Envoy Reinhardt—welcome.”

Prince Arthur offered greetings as well.

And—

“Jin-dono, it is an honor to meet you again.”

The prince’s tutor, Liones Ashford, bowed politely.

The group was led to a reception room.

“We ate earlier in the airship,” Jin said, so tea and sweets were served instead.

“Lady Elsa—no, Lady Elsa Landoll, I should say. Allow me to once more express my thanks. Thank you for healing our father.”

Arthur bowed deeply. Lieschen followed.

“He has recovered greatly. He now manages state affairs almost as normal.”

“That is wonderful to hear.”

Elsa answered shyly.

“Lord Jin Nidou, let us first address your matter.”

Princess Lieschen handed him a parchment and read it formally:

“On this 10th day of the First Month, Year 3458, the Kingdom of Klein recognizes you as ‘Lord of Konron.’”

“Jin, this is quite a feat! I want to see that Konron Island someday!”

She handed him the parchment with an informal grin.

Jin accepted it with a respectful nod, then returned her smile.

“Yes. Once things settle, certainly.”

“Umu, that is a promise!”

Lieschen nodded happily.

The conversation turned next to Reinhardt.

“Envoy Reinhardt, the road construction using the five ‘Gorias’ golems borrowed from the Shouro Empire is proceeding smoothly. Allow us to offer our thanks.”

A sealed document was handed to him—compensation for Shouro.

Reinhardt would deliver it to the Empress.

“Jin-dono, regarding that crop you mentioned earlier—‘Soba’—the Nostalgia Party provided us some seeds. We’ve already begun cultivation.”

“That’s excellent.”

Jin had sent Ann to the demon lands to acquire extra seeds, which were passed through the Nostalgia Party.

“And as promised, I brought some as well.”

At his signal, Reiko handed over a small sack—about one kilogram.

“This helps immensely.”

It was a small amount, but fulfilling his promise still mattered to Jin.

“And I also brought this.”

He handed over the map.

“Oh! This is…!”

“Amazing!”

“It even shows the terrain of the Leonard Kingdom!”

Though simplified, the map’s impact was enormous.

Details of its compensation would be discussed later and put in writing.

The meeting continued.

“Then our investigation team should currently be around this area.”

Arthur pointed to the upper reaches of the Dars River.

Jin guessed they would naturally follow the contour lines—avoiding unnecessary climbs or descents.

But this also meant they might miss the Egelea investigation team entirely.

How effectively they were using the hot-air balloon, Jin could not say.

The exploration of the former Leonard Kingdom had only just begun.