CHAPTER 618: THE ROYAL RESIDENCE DEFENSE (2)

Editor: Tseirp

“Alright. We’ll conduct a magic bombardment in coordination with Duke Rondo’s golem unit’s charge.”

Captain Lu Yao gave the order.

“So that really is Duke Rondo’s…?”

“The yellow scarf around its neck—it’s the same thing the captain was tinkering with before…”

“I’ve seen her pat its head happily a few times…”

Such conversations rippled through the magic artillery unit.

“I’ll intercept the enemy bombardment. The entire magic artillery unit will fire on the enemy assault team!”

“Understood!”

At Captain Lu Yao’s further command, every member of the magic artillery unit nodded.

Up ahead, the Golem Oniwaban Second Unit had launched its charge.

Of course, they were not originally designed for combat.

Considering that their base model was a paddy-field management golem, that was only natural.

Thus, they were incapable of typical combat movements… bending knees, lowering the hips to stabilize, rotating the waist, and thrusting a spear forward in sync.

All they could do was brace the spear at their waist and charge forward.

And, at the right moment, thrust their arms out to strike with the spear.

Only those two movements.

However, they possessed a trait that none others did.

Hardness.

They were made of ice created by Ryo.

Naturally, that ice was unbelievably hard.

Equivalent to about twenty layers of stacked together.

Ryo had originally thought they would simply serve as shields with that hardness… yet there they were, charging forward under Token No. 2-kun’s lead.

And the power of their charge was astonishingly strong.

“All our spells are being deflected!”

“Even side thrusts with spears won’t penetrate!”

“Their spears pierce through everything!”

The assault troops were thrown into confusion under the Second Unit’s charge.

From the rear command post, the turmoil among the front-line magicians was visible.

“What are those things?”

“Likely golems…”

“They must be from the Rondo Manor.”

“But Duke Rondo shouldn’t even be there!”

In this operation, it had been strictly ordered that the Rondo Manor not be attacked.

Even if its master, Duke Rondo, was absent, no one knew what kind of defenses might remain there.

It was fairly well known that a magician sung of by bards manipulated golems in that residence’s garden.

Many from the Censorate had entered the Rondo Manor at some point and had seen them there.

Of course, none of those Censorate officials had gone out of their way to spread tales of what they had witnessed inside.

Still, perhaps some had told their families.

Or perhaps, while discussing the popular topic of Duke Rondo with a companion, they had let slip a word or two.

Or perhaps another overheard Censorate officials talking among themselves about the golems of the Rondo Manor.

No door can shut every mouth.

Through various channels, the story of the Rondo Manor golems had become known to many.

Ryo himself had never intended to keep them a secret, so their notoriety was of no concern to him…

Nevertheless, for those present, the sudden appearance of the Rondo Manor’s golems here was utterly unexpected.

They hadn’t touched the Rondo Manor.

And yet, the golems had come on their own to attack.

“What on earth is Duke Rondo thinking?!”

Anyone, not just Lin Sui, would have shouted the same.

Though Ryo would likely say it was not something he cared to hear from those attacking a Royal Residence.

Because of the golems’ incredible hardness, the enemy’s front-line magicians had sustained heavy injuries and could no longer perform the synchronized bombardments they had earlier. ṙäŊＯＢΕŞ

Not only the magicians but also swordsmen and halberdiers wielding spear-like weapons were unable to stop the golems’ charge.

And then…

“Enemy bombardment incoming!”

“Raise a !”

“No, deal with the golems first—!”

Even from the command post, the chaos was clear.

“I had planned to wait until the main gate fell, but so be it.”

Lin Sui issued an order to the staff beside him.

“Unleash those adventurers. Have them coordinate with the assassins we planted inside the Royal Residence and kill Princess Shio Fen!”

This assault was a race against time.

If only the patrol troops guarding the capital showed up, they could be handled easily.

So long as they bore the insignia of Prince Bin Royal Residence, no one would dare interfere.

But if the Emperor’s Forbidden Army appeared, that would be another story.

Their strength was on another level.

Everything about them was different.

Prince Bin was already under the Emperor’s suspicion.

In such a situation, the Forbidden Army might easily be dispatched under direct orders to eliminate them.

Reports had already reached Lin Sui: the assassins smuggled into the Royal Residence via concealed cargo had begun their attack on Princess Shio Fen.

They were preventing her from reaching the shelter.

However, due to her strong escort, killing her outright was proving difficult.

Originally, the plan had been for the assassins to hold her off until the main gate was breached, at which point the Second-Rank Adventurers would strike and assassinate her.

But the main gate still held…

They had known that Captain Lu Yao’s Prince Ryun Imperial Guard was elite.

But believing its strength had been reduced after sending forces to the expeditionary army, they had attacked under careful calculation.

“Dealing with Lu Yao alone is troublesome enough—but Duke Rondo’s golems too? If this assault fails, I’ll surely be purged.”

Those words were whispered so faintly that none around him could hear.

Inside the Royal Residence. Fifty meters from the shelter.

Princess Shio Fen’s group was being held back.

“Where did these assassins come from?”

“They must have been hiding inside the Residence beforehand.”

“They slipped past Captain Lu Yao’s alchemy barriers? Incredible.”

Even as they spoke, Attendant Mifa and Guard Captain Bijis never stopped their blades.

They had managed to wound the enemy, but not fatally.

Because the assassins kept their distance.

Their intent was clear…

“A delaying tactic?”

“Waiting for the main force to break the gate?”

Both Mifa and Bijis fought calmly, analyzing as they did.

The two of them, supported by several maids and members of Prince Ryun’s Imperial Guard, surrounded and protected Princess Shio Fen.

They were being stalled, but since the assassins weren’t rushing in, none of them had taken fatal wounds.

At that moment, Mifa noticed the moonlight dim.

Instinctively, she looked up.

Something was floating in the sky some distance away…

“What’s that?”

“What is it?”

At Mifa’s words, Bijis also looked up.

There, dozens of shapes gleamed in the moonlight…

“Enemy reinforcements?”

“From the sky?”

Neither Bijis nor Mifa had anticipated that.

The number of shadows increased rapidly—until they finally blotted out the moon.

“About a hundred?”

“Yes. They seem to be using kite-like devices—their physical abilities are high.”

It wasn’t a flight assault using Flight Rings, but rather an attack using glider-like contraptions.

“That’s quite a number.”

Princess Shio Fen too looked up and murmured.

“However…”

“Yes, there’s no problem.”

Mifa’s words were smoothly continued by Princess Shio Fen.

They were certain.

An aerial assault would not succeed.

“The Royal Residence is a small fortress. And this one was designed by Captain Lu Yao, who is also an alchemist. She even accounted for assaults from the sky using Flight Rings.”

Princess Shio Fen murmured softly.

Since the time when Ryun had been merely a prince, he had been disliked by the Three Princes.

Even directly attacked.

Now that he was an imperial prince, the threat to his life was greater than ever.

Knowing that, his residence naturally had to be equipped with defensive systems.

It would be one thing if it were technically difficult… but Captain Lu Yao was the designer.

She was the beloved disciple of Lord Rowon, said to be the greatest water-attribute magician and alchemist in all Darwei.

Though only nineteen, there was not a single alchemist in Darwei who did not know her name.

This Royal Residence, designed by her to protect her master, Prince Ryun,

possessed defensive strength far beyond the attackers’ expectations, its main gate still holding firm.

As Darwei’s ‘Chuo Chuang’ region possessed Flight Rings, aerial assaults and infiltration were always anticipated…

Boom. Boom. Boom.

A deep, resonant sound echoed every second.

From the turrets built on the corners of the Residence, fireballs shot skyward with each thundering pulse.

Each blazing orb struck its target unerringly among the shadows blotting out the sky.

Each hit ignited another figure,

Their dying screams faintly audible but not clear from the ground.

“Automated alchemical interception?”

Guard Captain Bijis asked aloud.

“It was integrated into the Residence from the design stage—to defend itself even when Captain Lu Yao was away.”

Princess Shio Fen replied with a faint smile.

Truly, it was a spectacular sight.

Even for Princess Shio Fen, who as a princess of Bosuntar had grown up surrounded by top-level national alchemists and alchemical devices, she had never seen a mechanism on this scale.

“Rather than saying ‘as expected of Darwei’, it should be ‘as expected of Captain Lu Yao’.”

“You are absolutely right.”

At Princess Shio Fen’s words, Mifa nodded.

Most of the figures hit by fireballs were incinerated midair, but a few barely evaded and had their kites set aflame instead.

Naturally, they plummeted from the sky—and where they fell…

“They’re falling into the Rondo Manor…”

“Some appear to be freezing solid mid-fall, before hitting the ground.”

“…It seems the Rondo Manor’s defenses rival this Royal Residence’s.”

Bijis and Mifa spoke in astonishment, while Princess Shio Fen gently shook her head.

“Duke Rondo shouldn’t be there, though…”

“Captain Lu Yao said so— Duke Rondo is an incredible alchemist.”

“Yes. She said that while examining the golem wearing Duke Rondo’s scarf. That there were many parts even she couldn’t understand.”

Guard Captain Bijis stated the fact, Princess Shio Fen recalled, and Lady Mifa added the detail.

They had once witnessed Captain Lu Yao examining Friendship Token No. 2-kun, from the inside.

At that time, Captain Lu Yao’s eyes had sparkled as she admitted there were aspects she could not comprehend.

And she had looked absolutely delighted.

“Both of them are extraordinary alchemists. Having such people standing with Lord Ryun is truly a blessing.”

At those words from Princess Shio Fen, Mifa and Bijis both nodded deeply.

As for the frozen ones who had fallen into the Rondo Manor— it remained a secret that they were quietly gathered in one corner of the garden by the golems of the Rondo Manor Oniwaban First Unit, led by Advance-Notice Officer No. 1-kun.

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