Chapter 730: 21-42 The Aftermath…

21: Maritime Transport and Ruins Arc (Year 3457–3458)

By the time Fritz-dono and his men managed to round up their panicked, scattered horses, Deus Ex Machina and Rei were nowhere to be found.

“Machina… Just who on earth are you?”

By the time the shaken expedition party finally regained a semblance of composure, it was already two in the afternoon—far too late to log any serious travel distance.

Yet, given that the area was actively plagued by Rock Wolves and Saber Boas—to say nothing of the fluid abomination that had just ambushed them—no one harbored the slightest desire to linger any longer than necessary.

“Move out! We’re putting some distance between us and this place!”

With Captain Bernardo-dono of the Klein Kingdom and Captain Bruno-dono of the Egeria Kingdom thoroughly exhausted and demoralized, Fritz-dono was forced to step up and command the combined column.

The heavily damaged Goliath 4 was still capable of basic locomotion, so they resolved to march it forward as far as its compromised systems would allow.

They trekked roughly ten kilometers that afternoon before pitching their tents in a secure clearing to rest for the night.

Everyone was bone-weary, but Fritz-dono pushed past his own fatigue and volunteered to take the first watch.

“…Fritz-sama, you look exhausted. Are you alright?”

Shortly before midnight, just as the watches were about to rotate, Cynthia-san approached the perimeter to relieve him.

“…It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

“But your complexion is terribly pale.”

“…Is it? It’s probably just the moonlight playing tricks on you.”

“I’ll take over a bit early. Please, go get some rest.”

“…Thank you. I think I will.”

Accepting Cynthia-san’s quiet concern with a brief nod, Fritz-dono turned and made his way back to his tent.

Watching his retreating silhouette, Cynthia-san let out a soft, lingering sigh.

—

“Jin-niisama, thank you.”

Back in the central control room of Hourai Island, Elsa-san exhaled a long breath of relief, her voice barely above a whisper as she stared at the Magic Screen.

She had watched the entire crisis unfold, witnessing the exact moment Deus Ex Machina arrived to snatch her biological brother, Fritz-dono, from the jaws of death.

“Yeah. I’m just glad we made it in time,” Jin-sama replied with a firm nod.

“My Lord, Machina and Rei have safely returned to base.”

“Right. Outstanding work, you two.”

The heavy doors slid open, and the two autonomous figures entered the control room.

For this deployment, Machina had been operated via remote proxy by Laokun. As for Rei—

“Father, I have returned.”

Reiko-san stepped into the room, removing her heavy helm. She had been controlling the construct from within.

“Welcome back. How did the ‘Rei’ chassis perform out there?”

“Well… it is difficult to put into words, but… the handling was rather poor.”

“Figures. I thought that might be the case…”

The true identity of ‘Rei’ was, of course, Reiko-san herself. She had been outfitted with Extension Gauntlets on her arms and Secret Booster Boots on her legs, completely encased in a heavy suit of plate armor topped with a full-face helm.

The makeshift rig was designed to artificially inflate her physical stature by roughly twenty centimeters to conceal her identity. Given the awkward proportions, it would have been a miracle if she could move fluidly.

“Just bear with it for now. It’s the only way you can operate on the surface without exposing your identity to the world. I’ll engineer a far more refined chassis for you next time.”

“Yes, Father. I look forward to it.”

The entire setup had been a rush job. The moment Jin-sama learned of the expedition’s imminent demise, he had forged the components, assembled the disguise, and deployed Machina and Rei via the Transfer Gate in a span of just five minutes.

It was nothing short of a miracle that they had arrived in time to save Fritz-dono.

To secure their extraction, they had dispatched Pelican 1—which was outfitted with a portable Warp Gate—to a discreet location nearby, allowing them to slip back to Hourai Island unnoticed.

“Laokun, Anne—did we manage to glean any concrete data regarding that entity?”

“Yes, My Lord. It is undeniably a relic of the Magi War… and an absolute failure of an experiment at that.”

“A degenerate offshoot of the Gigas lineage, then,” Anne-san added, echoing Jin-sama’s quiet hypothesis.

“I am inclined to agree, Jin-sama. Much like the Gigas, the ancient mages likely engineered it only to realize its practical applications were far too volatile. Yet, finding it too valuable to outright destroy, they sealed it away in a frontier vault until a proper use could be found. That seems the most logical background.”

After cross-referencing the baseline parameters, the analytical team had universally arrived at that conclusion.

The gray stones they discovered were almost certainly specialized magi-cores engineered to anchor the fluid.

Jin-sama nodded, finding the deduction highly plausible.

“Still, you completely vaporized the thing. Not a trace left.”

“Yes, My Lord. Given the circumstances, it was the only logical course of action.”

While the spell had been masked to resemble the low-tier engineering magic ‘Heat,’ its true nature was ‘Overheat’—the absolute polar opposite of ‘Absolute Zero.’ It was a destructive spell that elevated the target’s thermal energy to the point of atomic plasma.

Regardless of the composition of the anomaly, such extreme thermal output guaranteed the total, sterile eradication of the threat.

“…It is highly probable that similar bioweapons still slumber within the unmapped sectors of the ancient Leonard Kingdom,” Anne-san noted grimly.

“You’re right. Laokun, there might still be lingering biological signatures or secondary vaults at those coordinates. Conduct a comprehensive post-incident sweep of the ruins.”

“Understood, My Lord. Factoring in today’s anomalies, I shall recalibrate our parameters to cross-examine all known historical sites as well.”

Up until now, Laokun had been utilizing the Quinta network to systematically catalog the ancient ruins of the Leonard Kingdom. However, to avoid drawing local attention, he had prioritized unmapped wilderness sectors over sites recognized by the local populace.

Today’s near-catastrophe had exposed the flaws in that passive approach, prompting a swift overhaul of their operational strategy.

“I leave it in your hands,” Jin-sama nodded approval.

Anne-san then offered another piece of strategic counsel.

“Furthermore, Jin-sama, I highly recommend we intensify our surveillance on the Celuroa Kingdom. Their territory sits upon a massive wealth of ancient magi-tech relics. Given their current research trajectories, there is no guarantee they won’t trigger a catastrophic accident of their own.”

“Understood. Laokun, relay the directive to our Quinta units embedded within Celuroa. If our current numbers are insufficient to monitor their research facilities, authorize an immediate increase in personnel.”

“Acknowledged, My Lord.”

With the broader strategic directives settled, Jin-sama turned his thoughts to a lingering concern.

“Oh, right. What’s the status on Gloria-san?”

“Regarding Gloria-san, our active tracking ceased once the local units administered basic first aid and loaded her onto the hot-air balloon bound for the nearest settlement. Would you like me to re-establish a trace?”

“Let’s see… as long as she’s out of immediate danger, there’s no need to panic. Her injuries weren’t life-threatening, right?”

Laokun’s vocal matrix carried a reassuring tone.

“Correct, My Lord. The trauma is consistent with severe chemical burns induced by a highly corrosive agent. A high-tier recovery spell should be more than capable of restoring her tissue without permanent complications.”

“Good to hear. Keep tabs on her destination so we know exactly where she is in case we need to pay her a visit.”

“I shall see to it immediately.”

—

Following a tense, sleepless night, the joint task force prepared to divide their forces at the designated crossroads as originally planned.

The Klein Kingdom’s contingent would journey south toward the borders of the Egeria Kingdom.

Meanwhile, the Egeria Kingdom’s investigation squad would chart a course north, pushing deeper into the heart of the Klein Kingdom.

Each group was scheduled to return to their respective capitals to deliver their formal briefings before their sovereigns.

“Fritz-dono, we owe you our lives. I truly hope our paths cross again someday.”

“Thanks to your leadership, the road to the Klein Kingdom has been opened to us. You have our deepest gratitude.”

“Stay safe out there. Until we meet again.”

With the formal goodbyes exchanged, the Egeria squad began their northward journey without further incident.

Two days later, on January 18th, the Klein Kingdom’s contingent successfully crossed the frontier, traversing the rugged paths of the Yorkjam Mirror Mine before finally arriving at Laiton Village.

“So this marks the end of our assignment…” Fritz-dono muttered to himself, staring out over the settlement.

His temporary attachment to the Klein Kingdom’s investigation task force had drawn to a close. It could hardly be called a resounding success, but they had survived.

“…Fritz-sama, you have done an exemplary job. Thank you for everything.”

“Ah, Cynthia-san. It must have been incredibly taxing for your unit as well, enduring such an unseasonal deployment.”

“…Yes, it certainly was. Prior to this, our operations were strictly limited to single-night patrols. None of us possessed the field experience of Vice-Captain Gloria-san.”

At the mention of Gloria-san’s name, a brief frown creased Fritz-dono’s brow.

“Gloria-san… Come to think of it, I still need to return this to her.”

Fritz-dono reached down, touching the two shortswords hanging from his waist belt. One was his personal sidearm; the other belonged to Gloria-san.

“I wonder which municipal facility she was taken to for her treatment?”

“…Are you worried about her?” Cynthia-san asked, her voice tinged with a faint, unreadable melancholy.

“Yes, naturally. It’s difficult not to be.”

“…I see…”

Cynthia-san cast her gaze downward toward the dirt. Noticing the sudden drop in her demeanor, Fritz-dono tilted his head in confusion.

“Hm? Is something wrong? You seem exceptionally downcast.”

A bittersweet smile touched Cynthia-san’s lips as she shook her head.

“…Honestly, Fritz-sama, I genuinely cannot tell if you are incredibly perceptive or entirely oblivious.”

“What?”

“No, it’s nothing. Regarding the Vice-Captain, given the severity of her burns, she was almost certainly flown to the medical facilities in Glowry Town first. From there, she will likely be transferred to the capital city of Asunto for long-term recovery.”

“I see. Well, since our final briefings require us to journey to the capital regardless, it works out perfectly. I can return her blade and check on her recovery at the same time.”

“…In that case, it seems we’ll be traveling companions for just a little while longer.”

As she spoke those words, a genuine warmth returned to Cynthia-san’s expression.

“Yeah, that we will. Though our official tenure as an ‘investigation force’ has concluded, I look forward to your company on the road to Asunto.”

“The feeling is entirely mutual.”

For a few more leagues, the remnants of the binational task force would continue to walk the same path, side by side.

The calendar read January, and the bitter winter chill showed no signs of relenting.

One cannot help but wonder: will spring ever truly bloom for Fritz-dono?

End of 730