CH 78

Chapter 78 – Ring Wandering

“…It was hard. When I was first brought to this world, I saw my status and was suddenly told that I was no use to anyone. I almost became a test subject.”

“That sounds familiar to me, I suppose?”

“I’m not kidding. So, what’s going on? The fact that you’re safe now means that you’ve taken it in good, right?”

“Well, that’s it. To survive an all-girls high school with a mission system, you have to be able to stand up well to your shady friends and old fools.”

“Mission… I don’t know what that is… but I think she is a lot more mature than Yoshua.”

Yeah. I know what that is, so don’t tell me.

In the end, that’s how I met Myrill and got to where I am today, so I don’t regret it. But, well, I almost died an astonishing number of times.

Even now, I’m still like that.

“Wait, you guys!”

We’re in the middle of an escape.

A group of cavalrymen wielding swords and spears are chasing us at full speed from behind. I took out a motorcycle with a sidecar from storage, Rinko sitting on the sidecar, and Myrril-san on the passenger seat.

Yadar and Heimann-jiisan, riding a Honda off-roader, were speeding along at a slight distance from us. They were driving in a zigzag, snaking motion, driving close to the cavalry, and then moving away from them, making gas pedal turns and jumping on the undulations, taunting the cavalry.

If she had been born in Japan, she would definitely be a country biker.

“Yadar, be on the lookout for any attack from the rear units. In the meantime, no attacks from us.”

“That’s all well and good, but how long do I have to keep spinning in circles? Well, I’m having fun, so I don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind either, you know?”

“…No, I’ll take care of it. Sorry, just a little more.”

We go farther off the road and into an area of bushes and shrubs.

Surprisingly, the cavalryman following us slowed down. In my former world, one would think this would be a minefield, but judging from the way they handled the reins, it seems that bush roots and bushes are a cautionary tale for horse legs. Or maybe they are used to well-maintained roads, and their riding ability is low.

This way, we force over the roots and bushes, leap over them, and in some cases, stow them and throw them to the rear. After a while, the cavalrymen gave up the chase and returned to the flat surface.

They seemed to have switched to a strategy of keeping their distance, being on the lookout for encirclement, and intercepting them as they came out. I don’t think it would make much sense, though, since there is too much of a speed difference.

“All right, halt. Keep the engine running.”

I tell Yadar and turn the wheel in the direction of the watchtower once we have escaped. That’s the only way. Any further away from the main Imperial Army forces and we are likely to have a tricky situation.

Of course, it would be easy to leave the horses behind if I accelerated on my motorcycle, and with the skill of the noja loli-sensei, it would be easy to kill any pursuers other than the golem. However, the presence of Rinko, who has tentatively and unceremoniously agreed to accompany us, makes the situation somewhat troublesome.

“Yoshua, why don’t you kill them? You can’t keep running away from it all!”

“That’s it.”

In response to Heiman-jiisan’s question, I point to the choker-like object worn around Rinko’s neck.

A slave collar. It is similar to the ones worn by the Beastman in the kingdom, but this one is a genuine magic tool.

When the wearer is more than 10 miles (16 km) away from the wielder, it explodes and kills the wearer. It also kills the wearer even if the practitioner dies. Even if it receives a signal from the practitioner, it still kills the wearer when they try to remove the collar… or something like that.

This is a very elaborate and bad characterization, but as far as I know, this type is more common in the fictional world. On the other hand, I felt uncomfortable in the kingdom where only “a simple collar that is hard to cut off” was used.

However, the fact that expensive and highly functional collars can be attached to slaves and summoned people shows the technological and economic gap between the kingdoms and the other countries.

Incidentally, I heard that the strangely long-distance setting was a measure to avoid having to drag out the practitioners (high-ranking mages, usually nobles) to work in the field with the slaves.

“Wait a minute. High-ranking mages? Of the nobility?”

“Yes, that’s right. They wear white coats just like me.”

“What? Let’s get to work on that!”

The possibility that there is a magician among the cavalrymen has disappeared, so noja loli-sensei shoots down the cavalrymen with a single swoop of her gun muzzle.

It took less than five seconds for about ten cavalrymen to be shot through the eyeballs and wiped out. There was no point in going to all the trouble to distance himself from them.

“We wasted a lot of time, didn’t we?”

“Sorry, I should have asked first.”

After confirming that there is nothing wrong with Rinko’s collar, I look at the watchtower through binoculars.

“Where is the mage? What’s in there?”

I can’t see if there is a person in a white coat in the group of mages forming up in front of the watchtower. I can’t tell if they are trying to shoot offensive magic in a group or not because they are moving around in groups.

“I don’t know without seeing their faces… I think they are probably the Transportation Corps wagons that fell down the hole. They were the same unit I was accompanying.” said Rinko

The archers and mage troops, unable to follow our movements, are confused because their formation is disorganized, and they cannot take the angle of fire, as we are far off the city road and moving northward at a distance.

As for the archers, they seem to be unable to aim because we are moving too fast. It is possible that they were holding back their attack, thinking they might misfire on the cavalrymen who were chasing us, but that is no longer the case. If we stop for too long, we might become a target.

“Yoshua, those guys are on the move.”

“I see they recovered more quickly than I expected. Maybe they are better soldiers than I thought.”

We went around a bit so we could see the back of the watchtower from here.

The Imperial Army, which seems to have recovered from the shock of the collapse, is about to start marching again. Fallen soldiers and wagons are being carried up to the ground by large golems, and wagons and other vehicles that need medical treatment, burial, or repair are being retreated to the side of the road.

The fact that Rinko is not dead at the moment suggests that the practitioner is still alive.

Naturally, the following forces had completely caught up with us as we were chasing each other on the road with a good view. The fact that no bows and arrows or attack magic flew at us was probably due to the fact that we were not yet in range.

A mortar gun, which seems to have been brought out as a spare, is set up a short distance away from the soldiers, pointing toward us. Two clay golems are substituting for the gun turrets. The other one has begun to load.

We must decide on a plan before that one fire.

“Hey, Rinko. Do you know the practitioner?”

“I was just a documented administrator, so I didn’t have much direct contact with him. They were nobles, and I was a commoner, or rather a slave.”

Once again, we may need to go into the midst of the imperial army.

And this time, completely exposed to the enemy.

“Sorry, Yadar. Please take the tank chief Heimann back to Casemaian. After this place is cleared, we’ll have to intercept the whole golem horde. We need to be ready for that.”

“…Oh, leave it to me.”

Although she looked like she wanted to say something, Yadar nodded and started the bike.

I can’t help but wonder if I made a mistake leaving the T-55 in Casemaian. I never expected a situation where I would collide with a golem in a place like this. I decided to forget about it, thinking that the situation had not gotten any better when I had only brought the tanks with me since the Dwarves were the only ones who had already mastered riding the tanks.

“Now, let’s go.”

At my words, Rinko gets a little frightened. I guess she understood the situation, but she was hoping for something a little less offensive. No, there isn’t.”

“…Eh, what’s over there? Only three people?”

“Is that the only way for you to survive? For all this hard work and danger, there will be plenty to recompense later.”