Research Facility (1)
This is absolutely unacceptable. My very first artificial satellite and Kazuhito’s launch ended up being replaced with Kazuhito and the Yamata no Orochi being launched instead. There isn’t even space to load the satellite.
“It’s fine. We’ve already completed like twenty rockets.”
“We’ve also completed twenty satellites, you know?”
One of my clones said something stupid. Now one will be left over! These things are hard to make, you know (for the clones).
“Come on, Alice, calm down. I’ll buy you cake as an apology.”
“Well, I guess having one extra isn’t really a problem. It’s not urgent work anyway.”
(((So easy.)))
Well, if I get to eat cake I’ve never had before, I guess I can endure it. I have a sweet tooth.
And so, the decision for the Yamata no Orochi was made. Yes—planetary exile. With this, the Empire won’t be able to use the Yamata no Orochi. There’s no way they have a method to retrieve it all the way from the sun. Me? It’s not like I can’t do it. If I get serious, I can fly straight into the sun alone. (I’m not saying I’d survive.)
“Heh, heh, heh. Empire, you never expected we had such a hidden trump card—but now you can’t use it anymore.”
Mm-hm. Let’s scrap their evil plans.
“It’s not like we know for sure that it was the Empire’s hidden trump card, Alice.”
“Big Brother, the only country nasty enough to hide a monster like this in another country is the Empire. Even if it revived on its own, they arranged it so that their own nation wouldn’t suffer any damage. That kind of maliciousness makes it obvious.”
“When you put it that way, I can’t really deny it…”
They’re villains who spent years raiding the borders and exhausting Arland. It wouldn’t be strange if they thought something like this up. Even if they couldn’t control it, their own country wouldn’t be harmed. What vile people.
My righteous anger flared, and I swore I would absolutely launch the Yamata no Orochi into space. And while I’m at it, I’ll send Kazuhito into the atmosphere too!
By the way, the Yamata no Orochi’s core still has mana, yet it isn’t regenerating. It must have realized that if it regenerated, we’d harvest it. Regenerating would be pointless.
I wrapped the core tightly with bandages that have sealing effects. That alone should preserve it for about three years. After that, I’ll leave it to the clones. They’ll forcefully extract the mana from the core and integrate it into the rocket’s fuel system.
“How long will it take?”
“The device itself is already finished, so as planned, we’ll launch it in one month.”
I asked a clone, but it seems there are no issues.
“Sorry to interrupt your meeting.”
“Hm?”
While we were discussing the schedule, one of the knights entered.
“The disassembly of the Yamata no Orochi is complete. All processed materials have been handed to the Princess’s clones and stored in the Treasury, but…”
“Did something happen?”
Big Brother asked, and the knight nodded. Was there something that could have caused trouble?
“During the withdrawal of the tanks and other equipment, part of a cliff collapsed, revealing a wall that appears to be artificial. It likely isn’t something from the present era.”
“Ancient ruins, huh…”
Ancient ruins. Depending on the period, if it’s from the ancient Magic Dynasty, we might gain a lot.
“Alice, you’re planning to excavate it, aren’t you? Fine, I’ll go negotiate.”
Muttering “I bet the workload’s piling up again…” Big Brother left the tent.
While he was gone, I thought.
The Yamata no Orochi… Earlier I said it was the Empire’s doing, but that’s only one possibility. Maybe the Empire only had a control device. They might not know anything else.
And this island. I already know through the spirits that it’s clearly artificial.
(Could this be a Sky Island?)
It was one of the crystallizations of wisdom from the ancient Magic Dynasty. Back then, most suitable land had already been granted to nobles, and they lacked rewards for those who achieved great merits. So the ancient Magic Dynasty created a magical tool called a Sky Island—an island floating in the sky. They gave those islands to those who achieved great accomplishments.
The Sky Islands themselves didn’t hold much practical value. Compared to the vast territories held by major nobles, the land was limited. It was more of an honorary reward. Even in that era, only a limited number existed, created with cutting-edge technology.
The Sky Islands are remembered in the Spirit King’s memories, but in this continent’s history they’re considered dubious legends. None remain, and modern magical technology can’t reproduce them—or even understand their theory.
If this island really is a Sky Island… then its value is… nonexistent. Because no magician today could reproduce it. They wouldn’t even understand it. It would be like handing a smartphone to a caveman and telling them to build one from the sample.
“Negotiations are done.”
While I was thinking, Big Brother returned easily.
“That was fast.”
“They don’t seem that interested. However, this is only speculation, but they might already know about Sky Islands. We can’t let our guard down.”
Apparently Big Brother brought up Sky Islands during negotiations. Since he’s also contracted with spirits, he noticed the island wasn’t natural.
But when he mentioned Sky Islands, the foreign minister of the Land of Tranquility showed no reaction. Normally that would be impossible. They would either laugh it off as fantasy or react to a historic discovery. But no reaction.
The Land of Tranquility… This country doesn’t appear in the Spirit King’s memories. Actually, the Spirit King’s memories don’t match the geography here. But the Spirit King lived tens of thousands of years ago, so of course the landscape changed.
And during the Evil God War, the ancient Magic Dynasty unleashed strategic-class magic repeatedly, reshaping the continent, so maps are unreliable anyway.
Still, it’s suspicious. At least they don’t seem hostile toward Arland. If they were, we’d crush them.
“What are you thinking?”
“The possibility that the Land of Tranquility is descended from the ancient Magic Dynasty.”
They might know because they’re descendants.
“Hahaha. If you say that, then every nation on the continent is their descendant.”
“That’s true.”
They unified the continent, after all. Everyone is a descendant.
We laughed and left the tent. Outside were fully armed kingdom knights, along with equally armed Takuto and Alicia.
“Why are you all so fired up?”
“An ancient facility… and a deadly battle with its security system… my blood is boiling!”
Yes. The kingdom knights want to fight security golems. Since the Yamata no Orochi was defeated instantly, their battle instinct wasn’t satisfied. Their eyes burned with fighting spirit. Muscle-brains.
The people from the Land of Tranquility were recoiling in horror, but Arlandians live by their battle instincts, so this is normal. If you don’t fight, you don’t survive here. Every citizen is basically like a samurai from the Shimazu clan. Though we don’t train by killing allies. That clan was absolutely insane.
“What about you, Takuto?”
“We don’t know what might be inside.”
True. It’s an ancient ruin. Father has explored some before, and he said the security golems were absurdly strong. Hmph, Mana Lloyd is stronger and cooler.
We headed toward the exposed wall, which was right next to the Yamata no Orochi.
“It’s definitely artificial. Alice, can you analyze it?”
I placed my hand on the wall and activated Analysis. After a moment, I frowned.
“I think the main material is concrete… but the dark matter alloy mixed in makes it difficult to analyze.
I can get a rough idea of the facility’s size, but it’s pretty large.”
And it’s a hidden facility. Entrance? No clue. Probably sealed.
“Can you tell if the facility is active?”
“Based on the mana levels, the power source is definitely dead. But the Preservation magic is still active, so the interior should be intact. The security system might still be functional.”
I don’t know if the power source was a magic furnace. When I said that, Big Brother frowned.
He wasn’t the only one reacting. The knights behind us overflowed with fighting spirit. They cracked their fingers and necks, preparing for battle.
“Can you find the entrance? I’d prefer going through it.”
“Impossible. I have no idea where it is. We’ll have to enter here.”
Probably the same logic as those who blew up pyramids to get inside.
“So do it, Takuto.”
“Why me…? This isn’t how you’re supposed to use a holy sword. Fine, I’ll do it.”
Takuto raised his mental sword. The concrete-looking wall was extremely sturdy. And because the concrete was mixed with dark matter alloy, displacement magic didn’t work. So that’s another use for dark matter alloy.
There’s more. The entire facility has Enhancement magic layered on top of Preservation. And based on analysis, the wall is incredibly thick. Possibly nuclear shelter level.
Honestly, breaking through this wall would normally be extremely difficult. Explosives likely wouldn’t work due to the Enhancement magic.
But Takuto’s mental sword, the pinnacle of holy-named weapons, could break through Enhancement-protected walls. The sword’s durability is excellent too. Maybe I should modify it into a pickaxe?
“Fuuu… haaaaaaaah!”
Takuto swung the sword. Each strike shattered more wall. It really was thick. He kept striking, gradually breaking through.
Eventually, the wall collapsed.
“Tch!”
The moment it broke, a golem fell toward Takuto. He dodged with a backstep. Everyone drew their swords. I drew my dragon staff, but…
“It’s not moving?”
Big Brother approached cautiously, poking the golem with his sword.
“It seems its functions have stopped. Alice.”
“Leave it to me.”
The knights tied ropes around the golem and dragged it to safety. They surrounded the opening and stood guard.
I examined the motionless golem.
I see, it looks almost like a robot like me. No rust or corrosion. They cheaped out on materials. The important parts used dark matter alloy, but the rest was mithril and similar.
The magic used was still intact, so I analyzed it. With this little dark matter alloy, Analysis was possible.
“As expected, it’s from the ancient Magic Dynasty. A lot of its spell formulas resemble the ones we obtained from the magical battleship. It’s not from any other era.”
“Do you know why it stopped functioning?”
“It just doesn’t have mana.”
If it had mana, it would move.
“So the facility’s golems might not function.”
“Your Highness, after scouting inside, we confirmed that the room is a storage area for security golems. Several dozen are lined up, but none are active.”
A knight reported with a disappointed face. They must have really wanted to fight.
“Hm, it’s fortunate the golems are silent.”
“In exchange, the knights’ motivation is gone.”
They looked like they were about to die. If they don’t fight something soon, they’ll break.
But satisfying their bloodlust comes later. First I must satisfy my curiosity. I will walk in front and make the discoveries!
“Princess, please step back.”
“We will secure the area first.”
“We don’t know what traps may be present.”
Grr, Big Brother grabbed me by the sides and carried me back.
“Leading the charge is the honor of royalty.”
“Yes, and that applies to the battlefield. Also, we’ve recently been told not to lead charges. You know, because the number of royal deaths is becoming impossible to ignore.”
“Ridiculous.”
I will stand at the front lines.
“Why are you such a muscle-brain…”
“We will discuss this in court, Big Brother.”
Calling me a muscle-brain! Unforgivable.
I tried to push forward angrily, but Big Brother refused to let go. And in front of me, knights were packed tightly to block me. If we get ambushed, there’s no room to move! I oppose using human meat walls!
Teleportation doesn’t work inside the facility, and yet they do this to me. Trembling with fury, I advanced into the facility.
“Oh, I found the facility map.”
When a knight kicked down the storage room door and we entered the hallway, a map of the facility was just casually posted on the wall.
Mm-hm. I’m losing motivation. This is too easy. I was expecting a deadly exploration with hordes of murderous golems, or a self-destruct system activating and us escaping while the facility explodes…
What do you think about this chapter?
