Chapter 53: The Start of Summer (1)

Margrave Doldran casted a puzzled glance at the guest in front of him.

They were at the Margrave’s office. The guest present was sent from Marlan to aid him in defeating the monsters.

A few days ago, the Scarlet Shield, one of the top adventuring parties in the western region, left for a quest by the Adventurer's Guild to investigate the dungeon in Marlan. However, they were now not in a state where they could be returned. The priestess might be returned once business with her was done, but it seemed that she was probably incapable of fighting now. In other words, Margrave Doldran had lost his greatest strength against demons.

The guest present with him currently was the replacement that Tullius dispatched to make it up for him. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it was the troops that she was leading.

"My name is Fem, Opus 05, and I am in charge of supervising the reinforcements to the west under the command of Lord Tullius Oubeniel. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Margrave."

The one who bowed her head politely was a woman with platinum hair, wearing a strange armour that exposed a large portion of her stomach. In fact, from the details he heard, she simply looked like a woman and was not human.

A golem, created by a mad man skilled in alchemy. Although it resembled a delicate, soft-looking female body, it was actually a steel fighting machine that deflected arrows, swords, and spears.

Although he had been informed in advance, he had never imagined that such a fairy tale like being would be sent to him. It was completely beyond any of the Margrave’s expectations.

However, the Margrave was known for his boldness. He pushed aside all of his inner confusion and gave a composed affirmation.

"......Mmm, I see. I'm sorry you had to travel this far. In any case, I’m told you are here to act as a military observer?"

As he said this, Margrave Doldran paused...... trying to get a read of the person in front of him.

After all, it was a golem. Was it even possible for her to show human expressions? This might have been a foolhardy attempt to read the guts of the other party.

Fem nodded with an iron-masked expression on her face.

"My answer. Yes. Those who will act as reinforcements are currently on stand-by at the front of the house and—"

And that's when the sound of footsteps echoed from behind the door. Somebody was approaching the room. It was not the kind of noise that would be made by a Margrave’s family member, no matter how vulgar that family member might be.

"—Pardon me."

As if she had averse to the incoming person, Fem leapt to the ceiling with a light movement.

Then, with her arms and legs propped up against the beam, she stuck herself to the ceiling while looking down. It was a scene that left a strong impression on the Margrave once again, that she was inhuman.

I guess she was trying to hide. Fem's visit was completely in secret and unofficial. She wanted to stay out of sight from the people in the house.

Immediately afterwards, a retainer of mine knocked heavily on the door and entered.

"E—excuse me, sir!"

"What's with the fuss? As my vassal—"

Please, for God's sake, don't look up.

He tried to get his retainer to leave quickly, but he clung to his desk.

"It is an emergency! Look at the front! The front!"

The retainer pointed out repeatedly, as if he was very bothered. Doldran rubbed his brow with one hand and said in a firm voice.

"So, what is it, I am asking. What's wrong with the front? Did a dragon come attacking the front of the mansion?"

"Ah, no, no. It's not that, sir, but it's a serious situation, and ......"

"Speak clearly!"

Having received a sharp rebuke for being unable to bring his point across, he finally straightened his back and regained his composure.

"Yes, sir! I'm sorry, I must have been too confused...... There is a group of unknowns gathered at the front of the mansion, and I thought it might be an emergency, so I came to inform you."

"A group of unknowns?"

The Margrave inadvertently turned his gaze towards the ceiling. The golem, attached to the ceiling like an insect, nodded her head.

Margrave Doldran wanted to look up into the sky and sigh in exasperation. Putting the facts together, the group that appeared outside were arranged by Tullius.

"There are twenty of them. All of them are armed. We think they are adventurers or mercenaries, but the atmosphere coming from them is very strange."

"......I understand. From the looks of it, they are not likely to attack the mansion now. For the time being, leave someone behind to keep watch on them. I'll be sending out another message shortly, so tell everyone in the house to refrain from any rash actions."

"As you wish, sir."

The retainer bowed and quickly left the room. He was probably rushing to bring instructions from Margrave Doldran back to the scene. Fortunately, the foreign object in the ceiling seemed to have gone unnoticed.

As soon as the footsteps were far enough, Fem landed silently on the floor.

"It seems that our Lord has sent me a very large gift." With a blank expression and full of bitterness, he said.

"Not at all, I humbly reply."

That was no compliment at all.

On the contrary, the Margrave wished that there was some correspondence between them before being given such an arrangement.

However, Margrave Doldran was already a loyal pawn of Tullius. From Tullius' point of view, there was no need to hold back since there was no worry that the Margrave would defy him. As a person who retained some level of free will, it was frustrating.

"Then I can confirm that the initial batch of 20 units of the new S-series products have indeed been transferred. From now on, the rights to command them are yours. Please use them to your heart's content. I'll simply be collecting battle data." Fem said nonchalantly.

While they were all slaves, 20 of them was a large number. It would be very difficult to find an excuse for such a sudden large purchase.

"I will have to use these gladiatorial slaves...? It's going to be difficult."

Gladiator slaves as in slaves that are used for fights in arenas as a spectacle. They are often involved in dangerous acts that would lead to serious injuries rather than normal gladiatorial combat. They are preferred because, unlike professional gladiators, they do not require medical attention, and if they die, they could be easily replaced.

It was rare for a noble to buy them, but it was not completely unheard of. Though, it was not common to keep gladiatorial slaves, even for military people. Margrave Doldran was well known for his military exploits and as a warrior. It was not impossible that he might choose to buy gladiatorial slaves.

"Even so, twenty slaves at once is unheard of. The world might think I’ve lost my mind."

"Don't worry, I'm sure when the combat results are made known, people will start praising your ability to discern talent."

"You seem quite confident, don't you? ......Well, good. I will happily use them then. It's not like I can go against the orders."

Then, Margrave Doldran left the room to inspect the conspicuous gift from Tullius.

The lethargy and sighs from him as he walked showed signs of mental exhaustion.

Fem's confidence was definitely not just a bluff.

Before the eyes of Margrave Doldran was an astonishing sight. The knights of the house were among the most powerful in the kingdom of Arquell, as they ruled over a harsh land with a strong monster presence. They may be inferior to the most elite of the Imperial Guards, but there was no way they would fall behind any random half-baked opponent.

One of the knights, who was renowned for his strength, was crouching on the ground, holding his aching body with his hands. And looking down on them was one of the slaves known as the S series.

"End of simulation battle......"

"R-ridiculous......! That I would! To a mere slave...!"

The knight, face on the sandy ground, let out a gasp of humiliation. He was considered one of the best among his vassals. But he was helpless against the slaves and had to taste defeat like this.

Even though they were slaves for gladiatorial combat, they were still just slaves. This was the end result of his bravado, thinking that the slaves could not compete with the honourable knights.

It all started when a retainer took issue with the Margrave suddenly gaining twenty gladiatorial slaves. As Margrave Doldran had feared, many people in the house began to suspect that he was hit by a spell of insanity. Perhaps he had decided to obtain the slaves because of the loss of the Scarlet Shield, but even for a house of warriors, a gladiatorial slave was too vulgar. Even now, the retainer was trying to persuade the Margrave to reconsider.