I see. Are the Iron Guard stored in the castle's underground hangars?
''Yes, sir. I didn't infiltrate the castle, but there are nearly a thousand of them.
There's that much...

　I was a bit surprised to receive a phone call from Tsubaki-san, nearly 1,000 of them is quite a few. Even our frame gears are only about 400 at most.
　Is this a difference in the amount of materials, or is it a difference in production capacity? Or is there another reason? Perhaps there is a facility like a "workshop".
　If the materials were brought to the castle, then there should be a production plant there. On the other hand, if they shut down that place, the Iron Armor would no longer be easy to make.
　Should we destroy the entire factory as a way to end the worry of hindsight?

''Also, the castle seems to have a strong ward on it. I heard that all magic-related matters will be cancelled out.''
That's a pain in the ass...

　So that means that the transference magic won't work in order to get the Iron Machine Soldier. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.
　It's probably a type of ward where magic is hindered rather than counteracted.
　There are many different types of wards.

　An avoidance ward that avoids becoming a target of magic.
　A blocking ward that prevents the activation of magic.
　Granting Wards, which provide some kind of effect.
　A protective ward that prevents entry, a protective ward.
　Sealing wards that prevent escape.

　These are just the ones I know about. There seems to be many others, but among them, protective wards, such as amulets and talismans, are avoidance wards, and wards that prevent the appearance of flames and are put up in the world are probably protective wards.
　Of course, wards also have their own strength, and it takes a certain amount of magic and time to create a strong one.
　The quickest way is to destroy the magic tool or artifact that creates the wards, but there is a high possibility that the wards are also put in place on the wards themselves. You wouldn't fall for search magic, would you?
　No, a simpler one would be "annihilate the entire city" though. Yeah, well, that's dismissed. And the Iron Armor that you're stealing is gone too.
　Anyway, I've decided to meet up with Tsubaki-san.
　Now all that's left is Sonia-san and the others...

If you're going to infiltrate the castle, could you take me there? We can't leave Jaofa alone any longer.
Please, please!

　I was bowled over not only by Sonia, but also by Jesty. ''Well, I don't mind taking you with me.

''Is it safe to return to the capital? Did he see your face or anything?
He saw me, I guess. Even Jesty came forward.
It's my father's revenge, and that's just the way it is.
Ugh....

　So there's a good chance that a description of the person is out there by now. On top of that, my companion is a dragon tribe woman and a skin-headed man. It's very conspicuous.

I don't blame them. We'll use magic to change our appearance.

　Well, if you infiltrate the castle, it might be disarmed.
　An inhibiting ward is a ward that interferes with the activation of magic. If you go in there, the persistence effect of magic is also interrupted.
　Well, it's only in the city, so it's not a problem.
　All three of us changed into ordinary townspeople men and women with the 'Mirage' and returned to the original bamboo forest with the 'Gate'.
　On the way to the meeting place with Tsubaki-san, there were many soldiers wandering around the city. Thanks to the "Mirage," no one noticed the three of them, but the masks made me get questioned about my duties more than once. Why?





　Then night fell and it was completely dark.
　We take a deserted road to the castle to make our move. It's a tall wall.

Well, how are we going to get in?

　I moved closer to the castle walls and used the "light" to try it out, but it glowed for a moment, but then quickly disappeared. Apparently it was already within the range of the wards.

''It looks like you can't use magic.''
The front gates are heavily guarded, and I don't know what to do...

　Rengetsu and Sonia, who are thinking about it, and Jesty's "Mirage" have already been solved.
　I can't use magic. I thought about turning invisible and sneaking in around 'Invisible', but........

Hmmm. It's too much trouble. Shall we just go through it head on?
""What?"

　We can't use magic over there either, and we have guns over here. I'm afraid of bows and arrows, but it's not impossible to dodge them. I'm sure I can handle it on my own.

It's a good idea to have a good time. If you are too loud, Jaofa might run away. We don't want that.

　Mr. Jesty rushes in to stop her. Oh, right. I forgot about it. Even if you can't use magic, I have a feeling I can control this castle on my own. Hmm, if that's the case........
　Suddenly, Ember jerked her ears and stared at the darkness.

''Lord. Someone is coming towards us. Probably on patrol.''
This isn't good. Everyone hide in the nearby bushes!

　Everyone reacted to my voice and quickly jumped into the bushes.
　As I stare into the darkness, two soldiers pass by the spot I was in earlier. Apparently, they didn't notice us.
　When the two soldiers are out of sight and out of harm's way, we step out of the bushes and again try to figure out how to get over the wall.
　We couldn't really jump over the wall, since it was about 10 meters high. It's about 10 meters high. It's supposed to be able to jump over 5 or 6 meters without magic, but it's not.

''Lord. I'm sure I'd be able to jump over it with ease.
Is it safe to put me on my back?
No problem.

　Then let's go with that. We can't just linger.
　When the amber returned to its original size, the three of us, except for Tsubaki, froze in surprise again, but let it go.
　I tried to get the rope out of the "storage," but it opened for a moment, then closed quickly. Was it the effect of the warding?
　Once I got a reasonable distance from the castle walls, it opened up, so I took out a long rope from inside.
　Right, I might not be able to use magic once I'm inside. I'll take all the steps I can while I still can.
　Having a little insurance in case of an emergency, I go back to the others, leave the end of the rope I brought with me to Tsubaki-san and get on Amber's back.
　Ember, who has lowered her stance quickly, jumps up at once. She jumped up more than ten meters and landed soundlessly inside the castle walls.
　Fortunately, there was no one in the area. It was a garden-like area, planted with shrubs and trees. He immediately tied a rope to a nearby tree and pulled it to signal to Tsubaki-san.
　I'll be aware of my surroundings and make sure I can exit Brunhild at any time.
　Speaking of which........I had some doubts, so let's try it out.

'Blade Mode.'

　Brunhild's sword blade elongates a bit. I see. So it's not like it doesn't work at all?

"Blade Mode.
"Blade Mode.
"Blade Mode.
"Blade Mode.

　After repeating the process several times, the sword blade finally extended fully. If it's instantaneous magic, can't it be used?
　Less than a second would be enough for "Slip" and "Boost" and "Axel" seem to be fine if you're using them instantaneously. Apports will probably work too. Then reloading in gun mode would be fine too, since it's only a split second.
　Fireball or something like that would probably disappear at close range, but if you activate it at that distance anyway, it'll blow us up as collateral damage.
　It hurts that "Multiple" disappears so quickly that you can't use the target lock on your phone at all. You can't even use "Paralyze" if you make contact with it, right?
　Ah! Maybe if you teleported for a second, you wouldn't have to go over the wall! I thought there might be no fear of being inhibited for a moment, so I tried it and it didn't move to the position I thought it would. I tried it, but it didn't move to the position I expected. It's too dangerous to use.
　While I was trying that, Sonia-san appeared on top of the city wall. Sonia-san and Rengetsu-san were used to it since they were light, but Jesty-san seemed to have some difficulty in climbing the castle wall.
　Once everyone had climbed up, they pulled up the rope they had climbed up, and this time they hooked it on the ledge of the wall and lowered it down into the opposite castle. And with that, everyone came down as quickly as they could.
　After everyone landed inside the castle wall, Tsubaki-san pulled on one end to retrieve the rope.
　Even if I took the Iron Armor, would I still be able to control it? I assumed it was somewhat similar to Frame Gear and could be moved, but I wonder how it would work?

I guess we'll just have to break these cumbersome wards first.
"Lord. Another patrol.

　Ember, who was already in a small tiger state, calls for attention.
　Apparently, this place hits the backyard of the castle. Peeking out from behind the trees, I saw two soldiers holding Kantera and seemingly having come around the patrol route.

''Alright, let's get some information about this castle from those guys.
What do you want to do? Do you want me to do it?
No, I'll go. I'll disable one of them and we'll hear from the other one.

　Declining Rengetsu-san's offer, I stepped forward. When the lights of Kantera were approaching, I activated the 'Axel' for a moment and jumped out at once. The "Axel" was immediately fogged out, but it was enough to get behind the two soldiers.
　As it was, he put his hand on the back of one of them, activating 'Paralyze' and paralyzing it. Then the other one, the remaining one, held Brunhild's blade against its throat.

''Don't scream.''
Hi...!

　The soldier who was held to the blade quickly grew quiet as he thought his fallen colleague had been killed.
　Sonia-san and the others emerged from behind the trees and put out the cantera fire that the fallen soldier was holding.

''How do I get rid of the wards that are being put up in the castle here?''
'Shh, I don't know. I don't know, as the wards are set up by Master Gad.
Gad? Who is that guy?
He's one of His Majesty's aides. You and Master Sol are the ones who always work together.

　When I got a detailed description of the person, I heard that the swordsman named Sol was the one that Sonia and the others fought and slashed Rengetsu, and his partner, the wizard, was called Gado.
　Apparently, this wizard named Gado is the one who set up this ward. Without a doubt, these two men, Gad and Sol, are the members of the 'Golden Binding Society [Gordian]'.
　It seems that they are using some kind of magic tool for the ward, but this soldier doesn't seem to know that much either.
　Since he doesn't seem to know anything more, I'm going to have this guy get stuck in 'Paralyze' too.
　Rengetsu dragged the two paralyzed people and hid them behind the bushes.
　For now, let's catch that Gad or some other wizard and get him to release the wards. He's said to be a close associate of the Heavenly Emperor, and we have to avenge Jesty's death. We'll have to deal with the Iron Armor later.
　I guess we'll be aiming for the Celestial Emperor's place. I'm sure the soldiers will be able to help you get there, just like they did before.

Then shall we go?

　We began to break into the castle.