Ugh, I guess we're just gonna have to do it that way.

　Nia smiles with satisfaction. In front of her are ten heavy knights 《Chevalier》, painted in red and with cat markings on their shoulders.
　Nia asked me to repaint the base color of the aircraft while the mutants appeared.
　Originally I was going to rent it for the "Red Cat", so I don't mind if you do. However, it's very handy to mark cats, isn't it?
　It seems that there is a pilot who is good at such things among the pilots of the "BENIKO", and he painted the cat's markings with only a patterned paper and tape.
　The rest of the places were painted with a big brush I improvised, and we painted each other's frame gears with dexterity. I got used to it.
　Incidentally, there was no paint in storage, so we hopped over to Babylon to bring it over.

"I didn't want to turn it all red, but.... It's easy to see because it's so obvious.

　It's the same as Else's Gerhilde, but the color is a little different from the one over there. It's a bit different in color from the other one. Well, I can tell by the shape of the aircraft.
　When I checked the clock on my phone, the time was already around 4pm. If it's going to appear, it's about time, but........

''I hope it doesn't turn into a night battle........''
You do have a night vision device built into the Chevalier, right?

　Looking up at me, Yumina asks me. In the past, when we got into a midnight battle with Fraise and the others, we attached something like an external visor to the heavy knight "Chevalier" to fight.
　Based on the reflection of that time, this time the heavy knight "Chevalier" has a night vision device built into it, just like Yumina and the other exclusive machines "Valkyria". I'm sure that even in the darkness, they should be able to fight without problems.

"It's built in, but there's no guarantee that the camera won't be destroyed. If that happens, we won't be able to move easily in total darkness. A friendly firefight would be the worst thing that could happen. I'd like to get out of here while it's still light.

　Well, there's still plenty of time for the sun to set.
　If you're coming, there's another reason to hope you'll come soon.

Well, we're not that far from town, and we expected to find you.

　A suspicious group of huge golems controlling a giant golem set up on the plains near the town. It must look like that to them.
　They may think they're hiding, but the eyes of the red jade that keep watch in the sky can't be fooled. There are a few of them peeking out from behind the rocks towards the plains over here.

''I turned back to the town by myself. Perhaps they ran to contact us.
Well, I don't think the town guards and such can do anything about it, but just keep an eye out. It wouldn't do to run out in the middle of a battle.
I will.

　It seems that some people have sensed the emergency and have come from the town to spy on us. By now, the town may have mistaken us for the attackers and are in a panic. There's no way to convince them of this, even if I explain it to them.
　We are in the country of Isengard, but unfortunately we don't have any contacts in this country. It doesn't mean they won't be treated as invaders and attacked, but it will take some time for the army and knights to come to a place this far from the capital. Of course, I'm going to end it before then.
　As the name suggests, this country seems to be an industrialized country where magic engineering technology has developed, and it's also a military state on par with the 'Galdio Empire' of the east. If it's done poorly, it might have at least a golem tank. It would be a shame if such a thing were taken out.
　As I was thinking about that, Lean appeared from inside the tent pitched on the plains with a sensing plate, a tablet.

''I've confirmed the signs of its appearance. There should be a crack in the space in about ten minutes.
There you are.

　Apparently, we won't have to fight at night. I connect my phone to the speaker in the cockpit of the heavy knight Chevalier's cockpit.

Signs of mutant are confirmed. All hands to prepare for battle. Battle begins in approximately ten minutes.

　Hearing this, the red cat people closed the cockpit hatch of the heavy knight "Chevalier" respectively.
　Low activation sounds leaked out from each aircraft, and one after another the red heavy knights "Chevalier" stood up.

It's finally time. The arm rings!
"Nia. Don't get too carried away.
"I'm nervous.

　Despite the words, a voice that doesn't sound too nervous comes through the speaker on my phone. Well, it's better than being weirdly stiff.

''Leanne and Yumina, you're going to be in support. I'm going to let Nia and the others handle the intermediate types as well, but if it looks like it's going to be bad, you can step in.
I understand.
Yes, sir.

　Yumina and the others are also boarding the special machine 《Valkyria》. And, Paula is getting on it too........ Don't interrupt Leanne, okay?
　A few minutes later, bakin!　There was a sound of "I don't know what to do" and a crack appeared in the air. The cracks that were created in front of the "red cat" and the others unfolded directly in front of them, the range of the cracks widened like an egg before the chicks hatched.

''Whoa, a crack has appeared!
''It's here.''
"Oh, my God, I'm so nervous!

　Soon, with a loud destructive sound, dark gold-colored mutant species crept out of the cracks in the shattered space.
　Most of them were lower-class species, and their shapes varied from snake-like to beetle-like.
　However, among them, three large mutant species could be seen. Intermediate species.
　If we take the size of the frame gear as an average adult male, the lower level species is a small dog, and that intermediate species is about the size of a small bus.
　I used [Long Sense] and skipped the field of view to check it. That's bigger than a normal intermediate breed........ I mean, even the lower class breeds have different sizes, and even the intermediate breeds are big breeds?
　The more problematic thing is that out of the three intermediate species, one of them is a flight type. That's a........sunfish type?
　It moves just as slowly as a mamba... don't think it's going to be as slow as a mamba.... It might be surprisingly quick. It doesn't have eyes or a mouth, it's just that its shape is similar to that of an angelfish. If the shape was a bit sharper, it would be an angelfish shape.
　I mean, the ones in the air are impossible for Nia and the others. They can't fly, and they don't have any ranged or throwing weapons.

'Yumina. "Yumina, go after that flying mutant. That's not something Nia and her friends can do.
Yes, sir.

The silver Brünnhilde standing behind me held a gun that looked like a sniper rifle. Unlike Frase, I can't see the location of the nuke through it, but I know the approximate location from experience.
　The mambo type is thin when it's pointed squarely at us. It's thin, but it's probably several meters long in reality.
　Bishie to that sunfish!　And a spider's web-like crack. Youmina's sniper hit the target.
　When I was impressed with how well she hit it, the mumbo-jumbo went bang from the inside!　And then it blasted off with a flourish. Wow, that was a surprise!
　Is it a crystal bullet that has been granted 【Explosion】? It seems that while most of the magic that hits the surface of the body is absorbed by the flames, it can't absorb much of the magic that is generated inside the body. It's a good idea.
　It seems that the nuclear weapon was destroyed internally by the current blow. The manboots scatter fragments in the area and fall directly to the ground. With an eerie black smoke, the dark golden body began to dissolve.
　On cue, the battle began. Ten red heavy knights, the Chevalier, rushed into the crowd of lower class species and reamed them down one after another with their respective weapons such as swords, spears and maces.
　The manboots have fallen, but the remaining two intermediate species are still alive and well. I can see a long-legged ostrich-like one and a dinosaur ... an Iguanodon-like one. Of course their sizes would be different.
　Following the "red cats" and the others, Lean also jumps into the crowd of mutant species. The Grimgelde is an annihilation warfare artillery type, a large firepower aircraft, but I couldn't possibly fire simultaneously in this situation. It is only support, so it fires into places that the "red cats" can't get around and keeps the mutants in check.
　In the meantime, Yumina's longshot saved the heavy knight 《Chevalier》 who was about to be attacked by the mutant species.
　A single heavy knight 《Chevalier》 jumped out of the crowd of lower-grade species in front of the ostrich intermediate species. Judging from the number written on the back, that's Nia.

''Uryah!

　Nia's fuselage flies up and swings her sword down at the neck. The slender golden head, severed with all the strength of the sword, falls to the ground in a spectacular fashion.
　But the neck that was cut off immediately begins to regenerate from the base of the severed head, and the head has been restored to its original state.

"Nier. Didn't I tell you that they will regenerate if you don't crush the nuke?
'Wow, I know!　I was just checking!

　You're lying. You forgot. You didn't even bother with the lower class, you just went straight for the middle class.
　Everybody else is squashing the underclasses for sure. There didn't seem to be any problems at the moment. Nearly half of them had already disappeared.
　It seems that Est-san's heavy knights have also reached Nia's place where they are dealing with the ostrich intermediate species. Oh, he went to crush them from the legs first. Probably the nucleus is the torso, and it seems they'll take away its mobility first.
　The other Iguanodon type is fighting with another heavy knight. Judging by the number on his back, is he that one-eyed old man?
　Frame gear shows the individual's combat skills. Based on that movement, he must be quite good in the flesh. He manipulated the spear in his hand at will, blocking Iguanodon's movements.
　Two new heavy knights also joined them. Is it the brown beauty and the young man with the one-eyed old man, and the young man with the threaded eye? I saw that this one is also quite good. Is it safe to leave the other side to those three people?
　Turning my gaze back to Nia, I saw that Est-san was followed by Yuni, who had joined her.
　A group of three people each pertained to the intermediate species, while the remaining four were destroying the lower species. That was nicely broken up.
　Light gathered in front of Iguanodon's head. Mu, they're going to release a laser beam. I've properly explained that to the red cats, so all three planes spread out and moved without stopping so that they don't get stuck in one place.
　The single ray of light that was emitted went through the air without hitting anyone.

''Oh, shit.''

　There is a town at the end of the missed beam. A high level charged particle cannonball would have obliterated the town, but an intermediate level would be enough to blow up a house.
　But of course, that doesn't mean we can leave it alone.

''[Reflection]

　Deploy the reflective magic wall at an angle of 45 degrees, reflecting the laser into the sky and blowing it away. It's still troublesome when you're so close to town.

''Nah!''

　As Nia's heavy knight plunged his sword into the fallen ostrich-shaped torso, the mutant sloppily disintegrated its shape, releasing black smoke. You did it.
　The Iguanodon type also seemed to have been pierced by the spear of the ship-eyed old man's spear through the nucleus, and it had begun to dissolve.
　With the last of its strength, the ostrich type suddenly stabbed its long bill into the ground. It kept stabbing many times in single-mindedness, but eventually it dissolved into a sludge. What is it?
　I would later regret that I hadn't observed them more carefully.
　In the meantime, most of the lower class species have been defeated, and the eradication is almost complete.

''Is it all clear?''
I'm afraid so.

　Yumina's voice flows from Brunhilde. Well, if it's ten frame gears for a hundred lower class species, this is how it should be. It seems that no one is injured, so this is a good performance.
　If it's a fight against the Fraise, I'll be gathering crystalized material after this. The fight against the mutants is fruitless, so I'll just pull out of it.
　Normally, this should be handled by the country of Isengard, so it may be out of line for us to butt in. However, if left unchecked, the damage is sure to spread. We need to let other countries know more about this.
　 I'm going to ask Silhouette-san of the "Black Cat" to spread such gossip in the inns and brothels of each country.
　When I was lost in thought by myself, the red heavy knights, Chevalier, who had been scattered around, came back this way.
　The cockpit hatch was opened and Nia landed on the ground with the lightness of a cat.

''What's it like, dude!
'No, you're wasting a lot of time with your movements. You haven't seen Est-san or Uni's moves, have you?　You're not the type of guy who's good in a group fight.
Is that clear?

　When I chided Nia who was proud of her for some reason, Est-san, who was beside me, nodded her head as if she was right.
　Well, in the original battle between the red cats (Akaneko) and the others, Nia's power accompanied by Rouge is so great. It's no wonder that's the case.
　Nia is going to be transferred to the plane for Golem, and I think it's safe to leave that to Est-san.
　Since we're all here, I'm going to store the frame gear in [Storage]. Red ball, which was being monitored from above 《upper》, also flapped its wings with a rustle and came down.

I'm going to have to ask you to keep an eye on the area with some of your family members, Red ball, can you keep an eye on it? I need to know the situation later.
"Will.

　The red ball beeped, and two or three little birds began to dance in the sky.

''I hope this is all right.''
Thank you.
You talkin', bird...

　Nia looks at us in conversation and rolls her eyes. Now? The rouge at your place will talk, too.
　Alright, let's pull up then.
　We pass through the open [Gate] and return to the abandoned fort from which we left. Naturally, we were greeted by a landscape that was no different from when we left.

It's a good thing that we're not going to have to worry about this.

　With that, the uni leaned against the wall of the fort. The other members of the group rejoiced in the safety of their returning comrades and began to arrange the drinks and food they had prepared on the tables they had placed in the open air. A feast, eh?
　As I chuckle, the three guys as an example come in front of us from among them. They are a one-eyed old man, a brown beauty, and a young man with a string of eyes.
　Nia, noticing this, stands between the three of them and me.

'Oh, yeah, that's right. It's getting late, but I'll introduce you to them. These guys are members from the previous generation, the old man is the 'Colonel', the sister is the 'Lieutenant' and the flirtatious one is the 'Sergeant'.
Colonel?
It's a pseudonym. We won't be using our real names until we achieve our ambitions.

　The Colonel laughs, his vicious face contorted. It's even scarier when he laughs. It's true that all three of them seem to be somewhat military in nature.

'Yumina,'
Yes, sir.

　I asked Yumina to use her magic eye to confirm that there was no problem with these three people. Youmina's "Magic Eye of Surveillance" can detect even the smallest stagnation in the soul, such as "a little bit of a bad guy, but not a bad guy to the core". I don't believe that there is anyone with strange ambitions in the Red Cat of the bandits, but just in case.
　Yumina smiled and nodded at me with a smile. It seems to be okay.

''I heard you wanted me to look for someone, but...''

　The colonel pulled out a leather-bound notebook from his inside pocket and handed me a black-and-white photograph tucked inside.
　The photo showed a woman sitting in an elegant chair, holding a baby. She was in her early twenties. She was wearing an expensive-looking dress and had a large jewel on her necklace. She might be a nobleman.

'Are you looking for this person?'

　Like the Colonel's wife?　I compare it to the stern old man in front of me. ...you're an ill-fitting couple. It's just not there.

Unfortunately, that man is already dead. What you need to find is the person in his arms.
'What?　This way?

　I look down again at the picture and stare at the baby sleeping in the woman's arms. No, I don't want you to find this baby.... I mean, all babies look the same to me.
　I mean, if you search for "baby" or something, you'll get a map full of pins with hits.

When was this picture taken in the first place?
Ten years ago. So now I'm a ten-year-old kid.

　Ten years ago!　I don't know how the kid in this picture grew up and became a ten year old!　I mean, is it a boy?　Are you a boy?

It's a boy. That boy is Prince Lufreddin, the last child of His Majesty the King of Levee, who was destroyed by the Galdio Empire and the mages of Isengard.