“Wow, I’m glad it worked properly… I’m so relieved…”
A gigantic ancient weapon, the Ancient Golem army, which even seasoned Crusader soldiers find astonishing. However, it is controlled by just one woman.
She is not praised for her supposed resemblance to a war goddess of the divine age and lacks power; she has an ordinary appearance, and her magical power is just average. With messy hair and a freckled, pale face, she reflects only a sense of relief for having completed her task. It certainly doesn’t seem like the expression of a soldier challenging the towering castle walls.
In fact, she is not a Crusader soldier. She is neither a hired adventurer nor a mercenary.
Her name is Dorothy. She holds the title of the head of the Ancient Weapon Research Department at the Fourth Laboratory of the ‘White Relic.’ In other words, she is merely a researcher.
“Hey, why are you only activating ten units? I commanded you to deploy all units,”
Dorothy barely has time to breathe a sigh of relief for her meager chest when a sharp reprimand comes from just behind her.
“I-I’m so sorry, Count Bergunt…”
Turning around cautiously, she sees the figure of His Excellency, wrapped in magnificent armor like an exemplary officer of the Sinclair Army. Though his nervous, fine features show no hint of anger, his deep green eyes, reflecting the primary magic of the wind, are directed sharply at her.
The general leading the Third Army of the Crusaders is Count Biento Dominic Helvetia Bergunt. Although his name is long and includes four parts, Dorothy, a graduate of the Elysion Magical Academy, vaguely remembers its meaning.
A noble in the Sinclair Republic has a name consisting of four parts: forename, holy name, territory name, and family name. In decoding the Count’s name, it refers to Dominic, a believer of the Cross Religion, who governs the Bergunt family of the Helvetia region, Biento.
However, that is only basic knowledge, and Dorothy has no clue about the proper language or etiquette one should use when addressing nobility. She never learned that in school, and even if she had, she doubts she could remember it.
Nonetheless, since she was addressed, she must answer whether she wants to or not; that is the hard part of her job.
“W-well, this is because… um, the hangar’s design was changed to a mobile one, so the conductivity from the power source can’t clear the specified thresholds—”
“Enough with your irrelevant excuses. Can you deploy them or not? Or are you just withholding them?”
Despite her believing she explained the current situation as appropriately as possible, this is the reaction she gets. People are always like this, blaming how she put it instead of acknowledging their own ignorance.
However, Dorothy feels neither exasperation nor sadness. She has already come to terms with how others are. In fact, the fact that this seemingly gentlemanly Count does not shout or hit her is a relief.
“Um… well, there’s a need to optimize the main body and brain—”
“…Enough, you need to stop.”
A visible vein begins to bulge on Bergunt’s forehead.
“Even though Bishop Judas has entrusted you with command over the Golem squad, you are still under my military’s command. It is troublesome if you act too freely.”
The one who is troubled is quite obviously Dorothy herself right now.
She must continuously control the ten ancient golems she has activated. The golems have already begun to walk on the snowy ground, but if she does not continue to execute the command magic for their walking support, those massive bodies will soon sink into the earth.
That operation, of course, is not as simple as stamping a document. She must adjust commands or write them from scratch in an instant, with utmost care and based on data that changes by the moment.
There is no room for dealing with complaints from ignorant people.
“Listen, you have a duty to provide proper explanations and reports to me, your commander—”
“Basically, I’m saying I can’t move them because there’s not enough magical power! Hurry up and go back, old man, so you don’t get in Dorothy-chan’s way.”
Interrupting with a casual gesture as if shooing away a stray dog was a girl.
With golden twin tails and cute, bright blue eyes, she is small and delicate, yet she wears only a thick, cheap coat. The fluffy brown fur on her oversized hood and neck gives off a somewhat warm feeling, but overall, she looks oddly worn, evoking the image of a second-hand item.
Her winter garb consists solely of that coat. From under her short skirt, her legs are wrapped in black tights, reminiscent of a schoolgirl determined to maintain fashion even in the cold winter.
Still, the shabby wooden bow on her back and a homemade quiver strapped to her waist reveal that she is not a student of Elysion but rather an adventurer. Of course, her appearance suggests she has barely reached adulthood, and her low-grade equipment gives no impression of a seasoned veteran.
Such a girl, who could only be seen as a fledgling adventurer, spoke to the general commanding an army of over ten thousand in a shockingly disrespectful manner.
“Ugh, you…”
However, Count Bergunt did not immediately dismiss her disrespect as he rather wore a grim expression, as if biting into a bitter insect.
“Amateurs should refrain from unnecessary interruptions and remain quiet. If the golems stumble, it will be your fault!”
Pointing decisively, the adventurer girl retorted, and in response, Count Bergunt spoke with a heavy voice as if making a difficult decision.
“…Understood, I will leave the operation of the golems entirely to you. However, remember that I have contracted with Bishop Judas to ensure they operate according to our strategy. Do not forget that. Also, I am not ‘old man.’ You shall call me General.”
“Yeah, yeah, got it, now go away. Bye-bye, don’t come back, old man.”
After glaring at him with contempt in his green eyes, General Bergunt turned on his heel, billowing his white cloak, followed by subordinates who had been anxiously watching the situation unfold.
“Um, A-i-san… I’m sorry…”
“What? No problem at all! Protecting Dorothy-chan is my quest, you know!”
Dorothy, bowing her head obsequiously and apologizing to someone who was undoubtedly younger than her, was met with a cheerful smile from the adventurer girl named Ai.
“More importantly, you should probably focus on the operation, right? Must be pretty tough.”
“Oh, yes… well…”
While giving a vague reply, Dorothy feels grateful for this considerate offer. She bears a hint of self-loathing for not being able to say “thank you” reflexively in moments like this.
Thinking of herself as quite introverted, even severely so, Dorothy finds it difficult to interact with lively characters like Ai, who practically embodies cheerfulness. However, it could be said that the fact Ai comes on strongly without regard for her feelings is why they’re able to communicate like ordinary people.
Perhaps Bishop Judas foresaw this aspect and chose Ai, a rookie adventurer, as her guardian.
“Wow! But, being in the command center is boring, right? Right, Tsumiki-chan?”
Glancing sideways, Ai is engrossed in one-sided chatter while holding what appears to be a young winged beast. The griffon’s head, named Tsumiki, seems to wear a somewhat inconvenienced expression.
Dorothy thinks again. She feels an intense anxiety regarding her capabilities. Is Bishop Judas already telling her to go die on this battlefield?
However, if Bishop Judas is saying he doesn’t need her anymore and that she should die, she could easily accept that. If she has been discarded by that great man, then she has no reason to live at all.
Thus, for now, she will faithfully carry out the orders given to her. Dorothy begins to focus once again on operating the ancient tablet she has in her hands, commonly known as the “Magic Motion Computer.”
“—All right, Unit Three is stable now… Unit Seven is still okay… Oh no, Unit Five’s left leg actuator is already showing wear…”
Dorothy tends to mumble to herself a lot. Moreover, she now taps the dark tablet lightly, akin to playing a piano, while occasionally tracing or grasping at the empty void with her fingertips.
With a serious yet desperate expression, sweat rolling down her modest face, her actions may appear as those of a madwoman from an outsider’s perspective. However, the operation she is performing requires more knowledge, skill, and talent than anyone else here; it is a mental labor that only a genius can accomplish.
The place where Dorothy currently finds herself is the battlefield command center in front of Galahad Fortress, as Ai had lamented to Tsumiki.
Outdoors, aside from tents and large cargo wagons pulled by dragons, there is nothing particularly notable. Yet, under the clear blue sky, resembling divine blessings for the holy war, the Crusader flag adorned with a golden cross on pure white and countless white troops lined up create an undeniably heroic and mighty scene. It is a spectacle befitting the Crusaders, imbued with the glory of the White God.
Particularly, surrounding the command center are heavy cavalry clad in dazzling silver armor and magic cavalry, a large battalion of mages dressed in pure white robes woven from holy silver fibers, further emphasizing their glimmering majesty.
In the command center protected by this reliable elite legion of the Crusaders, a special area has been designated for Dorothy to operate the Ancient Golem. This is right beside the commander of the Third Army, Count Bergunt. She holds special status due to her possession of the skills and rights to operate all twenty-four units of the enormous secret weapon. Because of this, the Count himself can come and offer scoldings.
Dorothy, who is an awkwardly ordinary woman well below average, is not looked down upon by the Crusader soldiers primarily because the “device” she operates, meant for controlling the Ancient Golem, is far too special.
In one word, it could be best described as an “altar.”
Around three meters tall, white columns stand at each corner, and from these four points, a pale blue magic circle radiates above the snow. The magic circle has the basic circular form of modern magic, but the text continues…
The chaotic geometric patterns, composed of ancient characters that are largely considered undecipherable to this day, are inscribed here. Additionally, the magic circle that emerges within the square formed by the columns changes rapidly, not maintaining the same shape for even a second. It resembles a river of flowing light characters.
Even the top-tier mages present here cannot decipher this mysterious ancient magic circle, yet what lies above it is something any citizen of the republic, nay, any member of the Cross Religion, has encountered. It is the altar that can be found in any rundown small church. Standing at a rectangular table resembling a dining table, Dorothy is positioned like a priest preaching to believers.
However, what is in her hands is not a thick Bible, but a single pitch-black stone tablet. There are no cross symbol objects or decorative candlesticks. Instead, a pale blue light magic circle runs across the entire altar, similar to the ground.
“No way, the pseudo-neural circuits of Unit Two have burned out!? Bypass with Numbers 121 and 309… Please, just hold on a little longer!”
Ten Ancient Golems advance in perfect unison, appearing steadily. Crusader soldiers and Spada soldiers would only see it as such.
Who would realize that this mechanically controlled movement is sustained by just one woman, precariously maintaining it? Even Count Bergunt, who has received a full explanation, and the Crusader officers will not understand her desperation.
Dorothy’s eyes reflect the operational information of the golems, which are on the verge of breaking down. This is information that others cannot grasp—meaning both its contents are incomprehensible and that the screen displaying the information itself is invisible to others.
This black stone tablet, referred to as the “Magical Motion Processor,” is famous in the Sinclair Republic for displaying text written in ancient characters on its surface.
According to rumors, even in Spada, which is currently under siege, tablets depicting the legend of the evil Demon King are conspicuously displayed in town squares. While Sinclair depicts sacred miracles of God, Pandora apparently showcases ancient tablets filled with content reminiscent of the Demon Race.
However, those who know that the text displayed on this “Magical Motion Processor” is not all that reflects on its pitch-black surface are few.
In Dorothy’s view, there are ten panels depicting the overall design of the golem like blueprints, ancient character texts densely displayed next to them, and circular or rod-like graphs fluctuating rapidly. These visuals appear to float in empty air rather than on the surface of the “Magical Motion Processor.” While they resemble projections of images or videos using light magic, the information regarding this golem is invisible to anyone else.
This is not a hallucination; it exists only in her vision. More precisely, a special light magic ray is emitted onto her retina from the “Magical Motion Processor,” projecting various information in text, shapes, and images into her own line of sight.
Even if this screen was visible to everyone, only she and Bishop Judas could accurately decipher and operate it.
It is precisely because of Dorothy that the input operation for the information unfurling before her can flow smoothly. In truth, everything displayed on the “Magical Motion Processor” is an operational panel, and furthermore, in addition to that, two more simulation operation tables are projected. Indeed, was there anyone even in ancient times capable of simultaneously operating three consoles with such speed and accuracy?
“Wait, now there’s a danger warning for Unit One’s brain!? The sub-neural needles of the thought control device are activating… Ah, so Number 374 was no good after all… but the others seem risky too, why are they so fragile… If it were Number 49, it wouldn’t have suffered ego collapse no matter how reckless…?”
The operation of these Ancient Golems originally required only one operator for them to function without issues. However, it was necessary to make an ancient weapon recently unearthed operational right away, all while not knowing the detailed operating procedures and having to prepare the person to pilot it.
Everyone who has had even the slightest encounter with ancient relics would unanimously say: it’s impossible. Just to activate it would be difficult, let alone deploy it in real combat, unless God might work a miracle to control it.
However, it was Bishop Judas who turned that impossibility into possibility without miracles. He is a brilliant researcher, proud of the church for having succeeded in artificially creating an apostle.
Yet, no matter how genius he may be, it seems there were limits.
Indeed, the Ancient Golems are advancing to smash the Great Wall of Galahad now. But their movement cannot be sustained without Dorothy’s support, making it more unstable than a marionette.
There are endless uncertainties. The interior machinery is not completely repaired, and there are several black boxes whose operating principles are unclear. Should any of those structurally ambiguous parts malfunction, Dorothy would have no recourse left.
Yet, the most unstable part of all is the operator.
Dorothy, or rather, Bishop Judas, does not refer to the operator in the golem as a pilot. In the case of this ancient weapon, the pilot refers to the very brain itself.
Originally, it is assumed that this Ancient Golem had a relatively simple control form operated by a control stick and thought control panel.
Though ancient times had a magic civilization more advanced than the present day, it is inconceivable that human brains and magical power were superior. Humans are, and have always been, merely human. Once God created them, they were already a perfect existence, incapable of change.
In any case, since humans were piloting, the way to operate it must have been understandable with a typical human brain. And for piloting this giant mechanical doll easily, a mechanism to assist its movements automatically was required.
However, regarding the Ancient Golem unearthed in the Media Ruins, the part that should be called its controlling brain was completely destroyed.
Thus, Bishop Judas made preparations for both the golem’s operator and the brain conducting its motion control.
That was the humanoid brain utilizing a divine soldier. By using the “Thought Control Device” as a relay, the brain and nerves of the divine soldier are directly connected to the golem’s magical motion control center, creating a literally unified operation method where person and machine are one. It is no longer a pilot, but an inseparable component.
And this was also horrifically unstable. Since it was not in the state a human should normally be in, no matter how much memories and emotions were sealed, a “distortion” would inevitably arise. The human heart is inherently that fragile and delicate.
“It’s okay… it’s okay… It will somehow hold until the wall… Ah, but next time I need to adjust it a bit more… What will I do if I’m told to produce it immediately…?”
Despite harboring great anxiety towards the makeshift brain system, Dorothy somehow continues to move the golem.
To faithfully execute Bishop Judas’s command to “You operate that.” To meet his expectations. And above all, to avoid being abandoned.
“Alright, just a little more… just a little more…”
Without showing even a slight tremor and perfectly operating, Dorothy finally succeeds in advancing the ten golems right up to the gigantic castle wall of the enemy fortress, which is the destination.
From above the wall, arrows and attack magic, somewhat organized by martial arts, are flying in confusion, but each is merely deflected off the solid steel body. Even if they are a bit dirty, they remain unharmed. Even if some armor cracks, as long as the legs remain and the control of the brain and Dorothy are intact, the golem’s march cannot be stopped.
At that moment, when she confirmed the success of her mandated operation—
“?!”
A streak of light burst forth.
Dorothy, who had been glued to the retinal projection screen, instinctively raised her face to gaze at the battlefield, overwhelmed by the intense brilliance.
“Ah… Unit Eight, silence.”
Such a thing would be understood at a glance without needing the “Magical Motion Processor” to inform her, upon seeing the spectacle before her.
What kind of attack had been received that caused the upper body of the Ancient Golem to vanish?
The tower-like steel torso, symbolizing absolute defense, was crushed, melted, and bore grotesque scars. Dark smoke was billowing from the severed section of the lower body, reminiscent of the smoke billowing from the smokestack of the magically operated battleship Gargantua, which she had worked on before.
A great commotion erupted from the Crusaders at the miserable sight of the utterly destroyed massive weapon.
“Hey, what the hell happened!? The Ancient Golem has been severely damaged!”
Count Bergunt rushed out, changing his expression, but Dorothy had no time to respond to his shout.
“Whoa, with one less, it became a bit easier… As long as two remain, we can break the Galahad wall… Right, Master Judas?”
A distorted smile emerged on Dorothy’s pale face, now drained from fatigue.
It was amusing to see the Crusader soldiers and the nobles of Sinclair panicking clumsily.
The Spada Army celebrating the destruction of the big target on the wall looked ridiculous.
No one understood. It was strangely amusing to see everyone foolishly refer to this as a massive weapon, calling it the “Ancient Golem.”
“Hahaha… this is just a work machine, it’s obvious that it will break in battle.”
Bishop Judas had said. The night before he departed from the Fourth Laboratory to accompany the Crusaders. He had brought her into his bed, pleading to do so.
“That is not a weapon.”
He spoke, seemingly on a whim.
It was not a clever pillow talk, yet for a woman like her, whose mind was filled only with equations and magical theory, his words were the most wonderful kind of unknown information.
“What do you think ancient humans created with this humanoid heavy machinery?”
She has yet to hear the answer.
If she returns alive from this battle, she intends to ask him.
With this humanoid heavy machinery, which in modern times boasts overwhelming power, how powerful a true ancient weapon did ancient humans create? That answer.
“Ha, haha… It’s okay, if I do as Master Judas says, it will be fine… Everything will go well…”
As the operation reached its climax, Dorothy, filled with a certain exhilaration, commanded the remaining nine units.
“Humanoid heavy machinery ‘Taurus,’ activate right arm ‘Excavator.’ Commencing operation name ‘Pile Bunker.'”