Chapter 89: It’s best to end this pointless internal squabble quickly
[space_man][space_man]Everyone has their own perspective depending on their position, so it might be selfish, but… if the fox hunt had been successful, military conflict could have been avoided.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]The image of the black and silver Clawsolas that caused the failure flashed in his mind, but according to what he had heard beforehand from his lord, Margrave Heisel, his Knight King wouldn’t be coming all the way to the Empire.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’Can’t I get my revenge quickly…’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Leonardo, who was looking over the forty-odd giant knights defending the encampment and the roughly 3,400 accompanying soldiers with a slightly gloomy expression, suddenly felt his cheek grabbed and mercilessly pulled and squeezed by a small hand.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]The culprit was, of course, none other than Elnea, who was beside him.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”What are you thinking so hard about, Leonardo?”
[space_man][space_man]”I was just thinking about difficult things again…”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Although he felt like his freedom of thought was being violated, she declared in all seriousness, “Don’t be so arrogant as to think you can change the whole situation by yourself.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]After all, they could only do their best within the scope of the authority given to them, he thought as he looked up at the four-armed Nightshade Rasetsu Clawsolas kneeling nearby.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]With the state-of-the-art giant knight, which they had spent a great deal of time getting used to in order to freely operate the extra arms that don’t exist on the human body, it might be possible to save many lives that would otherwise be lost on the battlefield.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”You’re right, let’s do what little we can.”
[space_man][space_man]”Yes, please do so.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Responding to the familiar voice, Leonardo lowered his gaze from the Clawsolas, which he had been looking at with his partner mage, and greeted Knight Captain Valph, who had been working out the details of cooperation with the Aidos Territory’s Knight Commander, with a brief salute.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]His superior officer, who returned the salute in a lighthearted manner, gave a wry smile at his stiff demeanor before continuing.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I want to end this pointless internal squabble quickly and keep the damage to both sides to a minimum. After we take Zephyrus Domain, we plan to move into the three western territories… We should be pointing our blades at those Aberrations that belong to the “Hour of Ruin”.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”That’s why we’ve prepared our secret weapon Clawsolas.”
[space_man][space_man]”Yes, battles are decided by firepower.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Elnea muttered as she looked at the two heavy Clawsolas units that lacked mobility. However, when they transitioned into artillery mode, the large shields on their shoulders split vertically to become two cannons, becoming armaments capable of high-powered, long-range shooting.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]According to Lady Fau Zaumel, who was in charge of the design and development, although they couldn’t fire continuously due to problems with the cooling mechanism, they were still powerful enough to disrupt the enemy’s initial attack.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”It’s ironic that the first time we’re pointing our cannons is not at the Aberrations, but at our own people,” she had said with a somewhat mocking smile, which was etched in the memories of the three of them.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”…I’m grateful to Lady Fau for bringing technological innovation to our Rigsia Territory, but I can’t bring myself to like her. Even if her research results are bait to get the Aidos people to join us.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I understand. She seems to be carefree, but in reality, I get the impression that she’s just looking down on us.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Leonardo agreed with his superior officer, thinking that if you disregarded the fact that she was the head of development for their territory, she seemed to have more personality problems than the White Fox of Zephyrus Domain.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Even though there were no problems because engineers involved in the manufacturing and maintenance of Clawsolas were not judged based on their personalities as long as they had the skills, the knights and mages who interacted directly with her had a dislike for her.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Even Margrave Heisel keeps his distance from her…”
[space_man][space_man]”Well, it’s a good thing he’s not swayed by her bewitching charm.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Since their lord was a pure-blooded aristocratic supremacist, he tended to pursue the ideal way of life for a noble, and from that perspective, indulging in lust would be foolish.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]If he listened to the opinions of the common people and improved the discriminatory aspects of his rule, he might not be a bad ruler.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”It’s a shame that the White Fox became a powerful lord despite being a Rare Human.”
[space_man][space_man]”I’m sure that’s what he can’t forgive.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Other nobles of the Imperial Faction were wary of Nina Valer’s excessive military power as a single lord and the western lords who agreed with her ideology, so they summoned her to the Inquisition to accuse her of crimes…
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]But more than those reasons, Margrave Heisel was disgusted by the fact that a lowly Rare Human from another world, an outsider, was ruling the people and territory of the Aius Empire.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”The intentions of the Imperial Faction that controls national politics, the personal ideology of our lord, and the current situation where military power is needed due to the Aberration invasion, all these factors are intertwined in the invasion of Zephyrus Domain. Don’t worry too much about the previous assassination failure.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I’ll do my best not to get carried away.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]After patting his subordinate’s shoulder as he answered curtly with a straight face and exchanging glances with the worried Elnea, Knight Captain Valph went back to his Clawsolas, the Gladius Mk-II.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]The second-generation custom Clawsolas, with its newly redesigned knight frame and light, hardened, alchemically made external armor, was equipped with a crushing spear as its main armament and a saber as its auxiliary armament. At its waist were two crackers that used precious gunpowder.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Coupled with the small buckler that incorporated cushioning and springs inside without hindering movement, the Clawsolas, dyed in the colors of the setting sun, was kneeling with a refined appearance.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Before long, the quiet night before the tense battle, hidden in darkness, dawned. The brigade-sized mixed force, mainly from Rigsia Territory, slowly advanced through the dim light towards the outskirts of the small city where the battle was predicted to take place, matching the slow speed of the supply train.