Chapter 166: Report

Chapter 166: Report

Really sorry that I haven’t gotten the advance chapters up and running yet for my Kofi and Patreon members! Please bear with me as I want to make sure that Jay has enough time to familiarize and can send me the scripts consistently before I initiate the rewards.

Editor: Tseirp

‘Cologne Pastries’ was located on a back street in the closed city of Yeast.

It was a popular bakery that made fresh cream bread, jam bread, and other pastries that require a little extra effort.

Cohn was in the basement of the bakery.

“Cohn, your report.”

The man in front of him was a man who appeared to be way past his prime and advanced in years, and was considered by the store’s regulars to be the owner of the store.

However, he had been ill recently, and it was said that his second son, Cohn, was filling in his shoes.

And so, Cohn commenced his report.

“I succeeded in infiltrating the ‘Fifth Area’ as per our objective. In the back, I caught an actual glimpse of what I believe to be the ‘new weapon’...however...”

Then Cohn faltered.

“What is it? Understand that the fate of our country is riding on your report.”

He did not raise his voice, but there was an inexpressible pressure in the ‘shop owner’s’ voice, perhaps confidence that came from the fact that he had been on this mission for so long and reported to the country without incident.

“I know, but...I mean we’re talking about a ‘new’ weapon, correct. So basically, something that’s yet to be seen, right?”

“Hmm, I see your point.”

The owner nodded in agreement to Cohn’s defensive words.

“But from what I’ve heard and from my experience, the new weapon of the Union ... is a golem.”

Even after Cohn went silent, the shop owner said nothing.

It stayed that way for a while, and eventually, Cohn got tired and broke the silence.

“Hey, are you with me?”

The shop owner jumped up at those words.

“Ah, sorry. Did you say...golem?”

“Yeah, golem. It is two and a half meters long, about the size of an ogre, and has four legs. It had a human-like upper body with two hands and a head.”

The shop owner snorted at Cohn’s report.

No Central Nation had succeeded in producing an artificial golem.

Still, there were ‘wild’ golems.

They were rarely encountered, and they came in all shapes and sizes.

Once, when Ryo and Abel were on their way back from Rondo Forest, they met golems that looked like rocks.

There were wild golems like that, and some of them, although extremely rare, were said to resemble living creatures at first glance.

Furthermore, while there were no mention of artificial golems being created in the Central Nations, there was an army of golems, also known as the ‘Golem Corps’, in the Western Countries.

The tale had been circulated by bards and the like, and Cohn was aware of it.

But this in particular, although it had four legs, its upper body was so human-like, and was close to an artificial golem that Cohn had envisioned.

That was why he reported, ‘The new weapon is a golem’.

“So, what’s this golem made of and their numbers?”

“The material is unknown. The surface looked like metal from a distance. There were about 20 of them. However, there may be more.”

“At least twenty metal golems...”

The shop owner’s voice faded and became quiet.

A golems of the Western Countries were reportedly equivalent to the fighting strength of five B-rank adventurers.

If comparable, then twenty golems would be the equivalent of a hundred B-rank adventurers....

“Which superpower could...”

He couldn’t even imagine how it would look, but he had to at least inform his home country.

However, a half-baked alchemist couldn’t accomplish the manufacture of an artificial golem...which had been impossible for any of the Central Nations until now.

Considering that the level of alchemy in the Union was pretty mediocre....Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com

“Who was the leading alchemist? You saw that too, did you not?”

It was still better than the alternatives.

Then, a knock sounded.

“Your Excellency, Mr. Gecko is here.”

“Send him in.”

Gecko, the great representative merchant of the Inbury Duchy, was a man who is even unofficially rumored to be the Trade Minister of the Duchy’s government.

He was also one of Loris’ most trusted men.

“You asked to see me, Your Excellency.”

“Yeah, Gecko, we pretty much have an idea of the Union’s new weaponry. To put it bluntly, we have no means to defend the capital. As soon as Fionn is ready, you must flee.”

Simple and short.

Even Gecko, who was one of the fastest thinkers in the Duchy, took a few moments to understand the implication.

“You mean we have no choice but to resist with a scorched-earth strategy?”

Draw the enemy as deep into the country as possible, destroy the towns and villages along the way, make provisions for the people to escape, and thoroughly extend the enemy’s supply lines.

Thereafter, the extended supply lines will be repeatedly cut off in local skirmishes to prevent supplies from reaching the front lines, and when the enemy reaches its limits, they counterattack to grasp victory.

Even if the enemy could be defeated, the cities and villages would be in shambles and the lives of the citizens would become extremely difficult.

Postwar reconstruction will be a horrendously difficult process.

It’s one of the least popular strategies any policymaker would want to adopt, but it was the only way.

Loris decided that it was the only way.

Of all the strategies proposed by the military, this was the most difficult to adopt. But the Union’s new weapon left practically no other option save this strategy.

Loris Baggio, being a duke, head of state, and the ruler of a country with an excellent intelligence bureau, had more detailed information about the Golem Corps of the Western Countries than was generally known.

If the creator of this artificial golem had been some random nobody, he would have decided that they wouldn’t be as powerful as the Golem Corps in the West....

But the creator was Frank de Verde.

Until ten years ago, the term 『Genius Alchemist』 was reserved for him.

Later, a young genius named Kenneth Hayward came along, but even so, Frank de Verde’s name never faded.

Rather, Frank and Kenneth were said to have even accelerated the alchemy development of the Kingdom by 20 years through their friendly rivalry with each other.

So if it was made by one of these geniuses...it will be no less powerful than the golems of the Western Countries.

Loris had already made up his mind that it would not be possible to prevent the Union’s advance to the capital.

For this reason, he called Gecko and instructed him to flee.

“Yeah, a scorched-earth strategy, using the whole country. No doubt I’ll be branded a failure as a policymaker.”

Loris said self-deprecatingly, then let out a sarcastic laugh.

Loris then stopped laughing and continued.

“Gecko, if I win this battle, you and your fellow merchants will be the ones most needed for reconstruction. Domestic supplies will be no more and the people will starve. You will need to bring in supplies from other countries as soon as possible. To that end, I need you out of harm’s way.”

It is natural for any nation to accurately predict the outcome of a battle and take action before the battle even begins.

While this is a natural course of action for any nation, it is also a matter of course to consider the possibility of desertion or betrayal.

However, Loris trusted Gecko and his trading company.

Young men would probably flee to other countries, but they would still help in rebuilding after the war.

“All right. Fortunately, we have a strong connection with the Kingdom, which is a major agricultural power. You can leave all the reconstruction work to us.”

Gecko assured him firmly.

He knew that was what Loris wanted to hear the most at that moment.

“I’m counting on you.”

Gecko left the room, leaving Loris alone.

In front of him was a map displaying the Inbury Duchy and the Handal Union.

Looking at the map, Loris said in a small but strong voice.

“We will never go back to being slaves.”