Chapter 97

Day 2 of Return: Discovery
Marylia traveled from the coast of Fractalia to the royal capital using the Island Golem.

… As she moved, she made sure to press down firmly with each step, compacting the ground. By doing so, she was able to establish a proper road connecting the sea to the royal capital!

As always, her movement was nearly a shuffle, but by repeatedly stepping down—thud, thud, thud, thud—she gradually built a road while minimizing the damage to Fractalia’s land. After all, the Island Golem, due to its massive size, could cause immense destruction just by moving!

The thought of her homeland being destroyed just because she returned was unacceptable. With extreme caution, Marylia continued moving the Island Golem in small, deliberate steps—thud, thud, thud, thud…

As she approached the royal capital…

"Oh my, it’s awfully noisy, isn’t it?"

From atop the Island Golem, Marylia looked toward Fractalia’s castle and sighed, “Oh dear…”

"I suppose I’ll have to prioritize my greetings to His Majesty the King. I can’t very well take my time baking Terracotta Golems at a time like this."

The royal castle was completely surrounded by the masses—and they were striking it. Physically striking it. Some were even trying to break down the castle gates with logs or something similar.

And thanks to the Island Golem’s towering height, she could also see inside the castle walls… The state of the royal castle was—

"Oh, they really just seem utterly helpless… This is so frustrating."

Inside the castle, servants and nobles were running around in a panic. However, there were no soldiers in sight. That only added to their confusion.

… The soldiers stationed at the royal castle had likely been the undead troops sent by Baltoria. These living corpses, created through advanced necromancy, had all turned to dust after Marylia incinerated the King of Baltoria, cutting off their supply of mana.

Since all the soldiers had suddenly vanished, it was only natural that the royal family and the nobles were at a loss. Well, it was their own fault, but watching them flail about so desperately made Marylia let out a long, deep sigh.

"… Well, let’s go pay our respects. I’ll need them to let me through."

And so, Marylia laid the Island Golem down in an area where it wouldn’t be in the way. From there, she set foot on Fractalia’s soil, accompanied by two hundred Iron Golems!

Marylia and the two hundred Iron Golems headed straight for the royal capital.

It looked like the triumphant return of a hero… Or perhaps, the invasion of the most powerful enemy nation.

Either way, the people of Fractalia welcomed Marylia. Oh, how they welcomed her. So much so that Marylia found herself muttering, “Oh my…” in bewilderment.

As soon as she entered the capital, she was greeted by a wave of cheers.

“Lady Marylia! Lady Marylia!” Voices called her name from every direction. Some even shouted things like, “Ah, the Salvation Saintess has arrived!” “This country is saved!” “Our prayers have been answered!”

… Marylia considered a few things.

But ultimately, she realized thinking about it was pointless, so she stopped. Instead, she simply smiled and waved at everyone, saying, “I’m home~”—which made the crowd erupt in even greater excitement.

… And so, Marylia decided once again to stop thinking about it!

Thus, the procession of Marylia and her two hundred Iron Golems was embraced by the people. The masses had been crowding around the royal castle, but the moment they realized Marylia had arrived, they immediately cleared a path, allowing her to reach the castle gates without issue.

"Lady Marylia! Please look! As you can see, the castle gates are shut tight…"

"They’re made of solid steel, so forcing them open is proving difficult. Right now, we’re testing whether we can break through the walls!"

… There, Marylia’s knight companions—who had even become pirates at one point—were busy at work. Marylia once again felt the urge to stop thinking, but instead, she concluded, “Well, this is fine too.”

"Now then, what should I do…? Hmmm…"

She hadn’t brought the Island Golem, so kicking the gate down wasn’t an option. However, walls could generally be bypassed by breaking them, climbing over them, phasing through them… There were plenty of ways to render them meaningless.

"You all should step back. Please handle guiding the people. The walls might become unstable for a while, so make sure they stay clear."

"Understood! As you command!"

Upon receiving Marylia’s instructions, the knights promptly began directing the people.

“It’s Lady Marylia’s order! Everyone, step away from the castle walls!”

“Lady Marylia is about to enter the castle! Make sure you do not obstruct her path!”

“Lady Marylia is concerned for your safety! Do not go against her wishes!”

With that, the crowd was swiftly guided away from the walls.

"… Well then."

As the people cleared out from around the castle walls, Marylia—

"Make some stairs for me. And let's have Jade and the four Guards lead the way."

With that, she gave instructions to the Iron Golems.

The Iron Golems lined up in front of the castle walls, forming a staircase.

One Iron Golem stepped onto another as a foothold, and one by one, they climbed over the walls. First, Jade and the four Guard Golems crossed over—immediately, human screams rang out from the other side.

"Looking good. Now, everyone, follow along."

Marylia smiled cheerfully and continued sending more Golems over. Once a considerable number had crossed, she herself ascended to the top of the wall.

With most of the Golems moved over, the remaining Iron Golems that had formed the staircase were reassigned to guiding the civilians. If they left the stairs unattended, the civilians might climb up as well, which could lead to unnecessary danger!

—And so, Marylia did not open the castle gates. If the civilians or knights entered, there would undoubtedly be casualties. That much was certain.

And more importantly—

"… I’d like to have a nice, long chat with His Majesty."

Smiling sweetly, Marylia climbed the stairs leading to the throne room, accompanied by the Iron Golems.

The throne room was empty.

"Oh my… does that mean he’s already fled?"

Marylia looked around the chamber with a disappointed pout.

It was largely the same as when she had visited for the honors ceremony before. The red carpet, the silk-covered throne, the beautifully crafted glass windows… But everything now had a somewhat neglected feel.

Dust had accumulated on the window frames, the carpet had dulled, and cobwebs stretched into the corners of the floor and walls. All these signs suggested that "this place has been left unattended."

For the past year and a half, it seemed, the throne room had been abandoned. At the very least, the king had not been granting audiences here recently. If he had entertained guests, he would have used the throne room unless they were exceptionally close confidants.

Or perhaps… for secret meetings, he might have used his private chambers instead.

"It’s no wonder the citizens are getting angry."

In other words, it was unlikely that governance had been functioning properly. With a sigh, Marylia furrowed her brows.

"So then, where should I go to pay my respects to His Majesty…?"

She strolled gracefully across the carpet, advancing further into the throne room.

"… Ohh?"

That’s when she noticed something peculiar.

"… Only the armrests of the throne aren’t dusty."

The window frames and carpet were covered in dust, yet the throne itself had been kept clean.

Or rather… someone had touched it. Looking more closely, she could see that only the carpet in this area was heavily trodden upon. Tilting her head, Marylia murmured, "Hmm?"

"… Like this, perhaps?"

She placed her hand on the armrest of the throne and pressed a part of its carved ornamentation. With a clunk, the section of carving sank inward.

Then—

"Found it! Ehehe."

… A lever appeared behind the throne. When she pulled it, a stone slab in the floor shifted aside, revealing a passageway that seemed to lead to a hidden chamber.

"I figured the king would have some kind of escape route prepared. Ahaha."

Beaming, Marylia stepped into the hidden passageway. In front of her, Jade and four Guard Golems led the way, while about fifty Iron Golems followed behind.

Their footsteps echoed against the stone floor. "Exploring secret passages is quite thrilling, don’t you think?" Marylia hummed to herself in high spirits. But as her merry footsteps resounded, a faint gasp, a sharp intake of breath, reached her ears from the depths of the corridor.

—That was when Marylia realized.

(Perhaps… hearing laughter and approaching footsteps must be terrifying for the current king.)

But that didn’t mean she was going to change anything. Letting her heels click against the stone, she even hummed a little tune as she walked on.

Then—

"It has been a while, Your Majesty. I trust you’ve been—oh my~"

As soon as the Iron Golem opened the door at the end of the passage, a spear lunged forward.

However, the Iron Golem's body was tough. A mere spear strike was hardly an issue. If it had been aimed at Marylia, it might have been a fatal blow—but she wasn’t one to make such careless mistakes.

The Iron Golem grabbed the spear and snapped it in two. From behind it, Marylia peered into the room and murmured, "Oh my~…"

"… It seems you have changed, after all."

Inside were the king's royal guards, several high-ranking officials, and finally—the king himself.

But the king was clearly not in his right mind. His vacant gaze drifted as he muttered incomprehensibly to himself.

The officials were no better. Even the royal guards, who had raised their spears, were unsteady. That was why they had so easily lost their weapons.

"Oh dear~… the air in here is dreadful."

Marylia wrinkled her nose and assessed the situation.

At the back of the room was an object resembling an incense burner. But the substance burning inside it was likely not ordinary incense.

"… Drugs, I suppose. Most likely."

What do you think about this chapter?