Chapter 98

Otilie has been chasing after Anriette all her life, but she is not entirely without pride as a soldier.

The soldiers who are used in war are not those who have trained hard every day, but the chimeras created by Echidna.

It may sound good to hear that there will be no human casualties and costs will be minimized, but the morale of the army is plummeting.

"Who would have thought that the fate of the kingdom would be entrusted to such monsters..."

Otilie muttered.

A group of chimeras lined up in front of the royal castle.

The people were watching the scene from a distance.

"The residents of the capital seem to share Otilie's thoughts."

Anriette, standing beside her, said.

The faces of the onlookers looked somewhat uneasy.

The escape of the heroes has brought great confusion to the capital.

Satuki, who was previously trusted unconditionally, is now being met with increasing skepticism.

At the same time, doubts about the chimeras he brought are growing.

Taking advantage of this, Vercy, who has not yet been captured, has begun to distribute more newspapers.

Although they were previously ignored, it seems that more people are now picking them up.

However, the recent activities are too flashy for an individual.

There are rumors that his brother, Leach, is helping him, but it is unclear whether this is true.

If Satuki wanted to, revealing the truth would be easy.

But he has no such luxury now.

"Anyone can see that he is in a panic. No matter how much he is Satuki, he can't hide it."

The launch was moved up from the original schedule.

It had only been five days since Flamm and the others escaped from the capital.

The development of a portable large-scale control device was completed, but mass production could not keep up, and only two were currently usable.

The plan was to set up multiple devices as insurance in case one was destroyed, but Satuki could not wait that long.

He probably wants credit.

A great achievement to make the people forget their suspicions before he is cornered.

"I wish I didn't have to go along with it."

Anriette grumbled.

Otilie looked at her in surprise.

"It's unusual for you to say such a thing, Onee-sama."

"I still believe that humans should dominate the continent. But—moving up the launch is purely a personal issue for Satuki, isn't it? It's true that deploying over a thousand chimeras in a surprise attack seems like a sure victory. However, the demons will not just sit there. Especially if the heroes are on their side."

Anriette herself cannot imagine a way to bridge such a disparity in strength.

But if something were to happen—

"If they have a way to turn the tide, it would be to destroy the control devices. And they don't know about their existence. Even if they do, breaking through the chimeras that fill the ground and air is almost impossible. Even if they miraculously break through, they would have to face the chimera units assigned as guards."

The humans going out are only a small part to protect the control devices.

From the army, Anriette, Otilie, Herman, and Werner.

From the Church Knights, Hugo and Bart.

A total of six, with all other roles assigned to chimeras.

In fact, if other soldiers were to go to the battlefield, they would only be a hindrance.

The chimeras are so absolute.

However, despite understanding the power of the chimeras, Anriette cannot fully trust them.

"Otilie, have you heard of a girl named Ink?"

"She is the former Child who acted with Flamm and the others, I've heard."

"She gained the power of Origin by embedding an Origin Core as a substitute for her heart, but for some reason, she became just a human."

"I heard she had a third party's heart transplanted. What a reckless thing to do."

Anriette laughed, "Indeed."

And she continued.

"When Mother enveloped the capital, Flamm used the power of 'reversal' to fly in the air, and plunged into the place where the Origin Core was located to destroy it."

"What's the point of that, Onee-sama?"

Otilie, a bit irritated.

She didn't like that her Onee-sama was talking about another woman.

Anriette noticed and smiled wryly.

"It's not about Flamm Apricot. It's just that, seeing her methods... I can't help but feel that this time, they will use absurd and reckless means again."

"In other words, you think the early launch could be a fatal weakness, Onee-sama?"

"Yes. I hope nothing happens, but—considering that those people are on the enemy side, something is bound to happen."

Anriette was certain.

But she had no authority to delay the launch now.

Satuki concentrated all power in his hands to take the kingdom from the Origin and return it to human hands.

She agreed with his idea and lent her strength.

Then she should follow the strategy he devised.

But—can the current kingdom still be called human?

Looking at the chimeras lined up in front of her, she thought about it.

When the preparations were complete, the cart carrying the transfer device, and the three people—Otilie, Werner, and Bart—riding it, along with a few chimeras assigned to guard them, gathered in one place.

They were surrounded by the mages of the army.

Jean was nowhere to be seen; apparently, he still hasn't left his room.

But even without his help, the transfer magic can be activated.

"Asport"

As they declared the activation of the magic simultaneously, Otilie and the others were enveloped in a semi-transparent blue dome—Pash, it rapidly contracted, and the objects inside disappeared completely.

◇◇◇

The next moment, the cart Otilie was riding was transported to the middle of a barren wasteland where no grass grew.

Not only her, but Werner and Bart also stared at the outside scenery in a daze for a moment.

"…We really have been transferred, haven't we?"

"Actually, experiencing it myself, I can only be surprised."

The transfer magic is no longer a privilege of the heroes alone.

If this technology continues to develop, people's lives will become much more convenient, and the kingdom's hegemony will be unshakable.

"Is this the territory of the demons? As expected, it's a desolate land."

A gray land with only a few withered trees scattered here and there.

Next to the cart, the transfer stone that Kiril and the others set up during their journey was embedded.

This is the end point of their journey.

The distance to their destination, Sereid, has been significantly shortened, but from here on, they must move on foot.

According to the pre-meeting instructions, it would take two days to reach the designated location, even if the chimeras pulled the cart.

"By the way, why am I with you? I can't stand this stuffy space."

"Because when Anriette and Otilie are together, who knows what might happen. I think it's the right decision."

"That's a misunderstanding. I can work a hundred times harder if Onee-sama is here."

"There's no need for us to work hard, is there?"

Bart's logical statement made Otilie frown.

In fact, most of the fighting is left to the chimeras.

Their role is to control the chimeras' movements and protect the device.

"By the way, you… the new deputy leader, Bart, right?"

"Bart Caron."

"I don't care about your full name. You look better than usual, don't you?"

Bart usually looked pale and sick, which was Otilie's impression of him.

It seems that Werner had a similar impression, as he agreed, "I thought so too."

Under the gaze of the two, he looked away and said in a small voice.

"It's because the leader isn't here."

Indeed, that madman Hugo Pagnan is not here.

Just that alone is a great relief for Bart.

The previous deputy leader, Jack, was killed by his own "punishment."

There were also stories of him killing innocent civilians during the battle with the heroes.

In short, he was beyond the understanding of Bart—no, all the knights.

"…I see, that's how it is."

It was a miserable situation that even Otilie felt sympathy for.

No matter how outstanding his abilities, having "that guy" as the leader of the Church Knights is a disgrace, Bart always thought.

When Hugo first became the leader, he was still normal, just a man with a strong sense of justice.

But he probably couldn't "hold back" anymore.

He is a person who cannot control his desires.

That's why he repeatedly committed sexual assaults and didn't even repent until he met the chastity belt.

But even if he was forcibly corrected with a device, the root didn't change.

The desire to destroy others was matured and grew over the years under the restraints.

As a result, when he reached his limit during the battle, he attacked civilians—returning to the capital would result in his dismissal and the loss of his position as leader.

"But he is reliable, isn't he? I heard he fought on equal terms with Gadio Laskart."

"I'm worried about Onee-sama being with such a man."

"You always say that."

Hugo, who was mentioned, was supposed to act with Anriette and Herman.

The two control devices were to be set up in separate locations to control the chimeras attacking Sereid.

In other words, Otilie would not see Anriette's face until the battle was over.

This was a considerable stress for her, who believed (or thought) that their feelings were mutual.

Separating the two was Satuki's judgment that it was better than acting together and going out of control.

"We must quickly end the battle to have a touching reunion."

"Tch, I don't care. Well, it's fine, my goal is the same. I want to end this boring battle and return to the capital as soon as possible."

The task of attacking using the chimeras, not their own strength, was very boring for everyone except Bart, who wanted to be away from Hugo.

The cart carrying Anriette and the others was also transferred a little later, and more chimeras were sent in.

In no time, the surroundings were filled with patchwork creatures.

Otilie and the others, who had been idle until the transfer was complete and the advance began,

"Can you hear me, Otilie?"

The moment she heard Onee-sama's voice, she clung to the cloth bag and fumbled inside to take out a palm-sized crystal.

If it was possible to control the chimeras remotely, it should also be possible to transmit voices remotely—this was a communication device created by Echidna's idea.

The range of conversation is limited, but it is sufficient for the two units to communicate.

"Y-Yes, I can hear you, Onee-sama! Oh, how pleasant your voice is, even from a distance!"

"Indeed. I'm glad you made it safely. The transfer of all chimeras will be completed soon, and then the advance will begin. Don't let your guard down."

"I understand, for the bright future of Onee-sama and me!"

Just before the connection was cut, Anriette's laughter could be heard, which was probably not a hallucination.

It was unclear whether it was a wry smile or a fond one.

"That was a pointless conversation."

"Onee-sama was just checking if the communication device was working properly. The content is not a big issue."

"Still, I think it's inappropriate to use it for personal matters."

"Then tell Onee-sama to call Hugo."

"Don't involve me in this."

Bart's face turned pale.

Seeing this, Otilie laughed.

But inside, she was surprised by the convenience of this communication device.

Echidna said it was a side project of the control device, but it was far from that.

Rather, this was the main project.

Compared to the chimeras, which were incomprehensible creatures, this was a much more revolutionary invention.

It was said that mass production was difficult in terms of cost, but—

"What a waste."

"Is it your head?"

"My feelings for Onee-sama are not a waste of brain resources. I mean Echidna. If she had worked as a proper researcher, she would have been a great person, I think."

"That's impossible."

"Why not?"

Otilie asked.

Werner grinned, seemingly enjoying it.

"What she seeks is 'power.' Without the Origin Core, she wouldn't have achieved the current results."

"…That's right."

The premise of "proper researcher" was wrong.

Echidna became a researcher precisely because she was not proper.

To be