Ch.105Chimera – Epilogue (5)

After receiving a communication from his son and hearing a somewhat awkward but well-articulated explanation of the core issue.

“I see, so that’s what happened.”

[····That’s what I’ve been saying.]

While listening to his son’s complaints and grumbling laments, the Baron was secretly very proud of how smoothly his son had handled this major incident.

No matter how dangerous governing a frontier village might be, and despite frontier territories being practically synonymous with incidents and accidents, that place was exceptionally unusual.

Despite undoubtedly selecting and granting a region with few incidents, problems occurred there with unusual frequency, and events that would normally be rare—happening perhaps once a month—were occurring one after another.

With an incident rate that made him wonder if his son was actually cursed, now came what his son described as a disturbing attack—a confrontation so suspicious that it would be strange not to question it.

‘····Could it be cultists?’

As a result, when such bizarre accidents occurred, the Baron assumed cultists were behind this incident as well, and he was looking at his son, who had unfortunately become entangled with such cultists, with sympathetic eyes.

From the beginning, it’s best not to get involved with cultists at all.

Baron Alzar, who had learned this lesson painfully through years of governance and adventuring experience, was looking at his son—who, once entangled, could no longer easily escape—with eyes full of sympathy.

Ah, of course, separately from this, Hugo de Alzar…. Baron Alzar could somewhat predict the motives behind such persistent cultist activities.

In the past, when the Baron was traveling extensively on his journeys, he had frequently experienced such incidents, and in most cases, the cause of these events was the intention of demons or outer gods behind the cultists.

There are many demons and outer gods who try to corrupt promising humans to make them their minions, and in short, such repeated actions are likely part of some grand plan they’ve devised.

‘How dare they, targeting my son…!!’

Therefore, while the Baron was inwardly making a vow to his deceased wife, he couldn’t help but pay attention to what his son had just told him about the spoils obtained from this attack.

This was because the value of the spoils his son had acquired was beyond anything he could easily calculate.

One completely subdued “mid-tier prisoner.” About 80 “prisoners with combat capabilities.”

In addition, over 100 sets of armor looted from them, various plate armor parts, and large quantities of shields and cold weapons.

Honestly, even this much would be no exaggeration to say was beyond the reach of ordinary military achievements, but the spoils that his son Camille had obtained went even further.

About several dozen outdated muskets classified as hunting weapons, along with enough gunpowder and bullets to fire hundreds of shots and still have some left over.

No matter how outdated they might be, these were firearms that had been usefully employed throughout the Western Continent until just a few years ago, and despite being called “hunting weapons,” they were actually just old military muskets that had been diverted and sold off.

But the “real” prize was something else entirely. The protagonist was the latest model of rifled direct-fire cannon used by the artillery corps directly under the Imperial Army of the Holy Empire, currently the most powerful hegemonic state on the Western Continent.

This large-caliber gunpowder weapon, praised for destroying the conventional wisdom that lower-tier cannot defeat mid-tier, was a powerful weapon that allowed even ordinary humans to display enough firepower to take down large mid-tier creatures.

‘….Should I try to replicate it?’

And among them, the cannons used by the Holy Empire’s artillery corps were considered the finest on the Western Continent, so Baron Alzar was inwardly thinking about paying a price to bring them back and attempt to replicate them in his territory’s armory.

But what truly left the Baron unable to contain his surprise was something else entirely—the four new mid-tier forces his son had reported acquiring while repelling this expedition.

First were two magical beast chimeras. These were artificial military mid-tier magical beasts made with the magic technology of the old Empire, worthy of being considered far superior to the crude synthetic life forms created by tower mages.

As they were created using ancient technology said to wield godlike power, their combat ability and stability were top-notch even among mid-tier beings.

Excellent close combat abilities derived from well-balanced physical capabilities, flight ability, medium-range flame attacks, long-range sonic projectiles for suppression, along with the goat head’s sonic special abilities or maddening magical eyes, and the independent movement of the snake head that moved freely.

A truly hexagonal excellent specimen with no particular weaknesses. It was literally a perfect example of the expression “versatile” life form.

In particular, this mid-tier had a body large enough to be ridden while also possessing flight capabilities—a rare specimen.

In other words, it was an extraordinary mid-tier mount, and moreover, one with flying capabilities.

From the advantage of occupying high ground as passed down from old classic films, to the overwhelming benefit of completely blocking attacks except for long-range ones.

Thanks to this, while the Baron smiled contentedly at his son’s splendid achievement, knowing full well these advantages, he simultaneously harbored complex feelings about the second mid-tier force his son had acquired.

Namely, the capture of no less than two sets of golem armor.

Golem armor. This legacy of the ancient Empire and product of ancient magical engineering technology was literally a wearable golem, a high-grade weapon that the wearer “pilots” and operates.

In particular, such golem armor was highly valued advanced equipment in the ancient Empire, and the biggest reason for this trend was that regardless of who the wearer was, they would possess mid-tier strength.

“Mid-tier” is commonly likened to tactical weapons. Even in this era, despite some countermeasures having emerged, mid-tiers are still the protagonists of the battlefield, powerful beings who can change the tide of battle with just one of them.

And golem armor makes the wearer a mid-tier regardless of who they are.

Despite being such precious equipment, it’s impossible to manufacture because the technology for the drive system that detects signals for wearing actions and makes the golem move is lost.

At best, people use parts excavated from the “Desert of Death” without even knowing how to use them, just cobbling them together somehow, or when such parts aren’t available, they reluctantly replace simple components with crude modern golems.

But even such patchwork creations are each worth at least the value of a properly built castle, and the golem armor that Camille had captured was… surprisingly a high-quality item that completely preserved the old style.

If one were to seriously try to assess its pure value, it would be impossible to properly measure because such items simply aren’t available on the market.

….In some country in the southern Western Continent, they keep such an intact golem armor as a national treasure.

However, in the process of capturing this from the enemy who was operating it, damage and destruction to the golem armor was virtually unavoidable.

[Father, so I was thinking… how about we make a deal?]

“A deal…. Well, go ahead and tell me.”

Therefore, the Baron’s son Camille proposed something for the repair of the golem armor that had been damaged in the capture process.

[Yes. I’ll send you these slaves from our side, so please hire a mage who can repair the golem armor.]

“….A mage?”

[Yes. Preferably someone competent.]

It was a “deal” to hand over the 80 troops currently detained in the frontier village and one mid-tier in exchange for hiring a mage capable of repairing the golem armor.

“You’re not just trying to get rid of troublesome people, are you?”

[….Haha, I can’t deny that. But… you do need them, right?]

“That’s right. You know well.”

Eighty infantry and one mid-tier warrior who could be handled at will—who, to put it extremely, would cause no loss even if they died.

Considering the tactical advantage of having troops whose deaths wouldn’t matter, such a deal was certainly fair to both sides.

In particular, the Baron, despite appearances, had considerable experience handling death row criminals in penal battalions, and he well understood the advantage of having troops who could be sent on suicide charges if necessary.

No matter how low the morale of slave soldiers might be, when pushed into a situation where they must fight to survive, they could still relay battles to each other and sort out situations adequately.

“Very well. I’ll look for a capable expert.”

[Great! When will the personnel be transferred?]

“I’ll send escort forces along with the mage who will handle the repairs. That should be fine, right?”

[Of course! Thank you, Father!]

Thus, as a father and as a lord, Baron Alzar, realizing that this matter was certainly not a loss for him… didn’t even try to hide his upturned lips as he heard his son’s voice expressing gratitude.

In the end, even the Baron, known for his merciless governance and ruthlessness, couldn’t help but be a father before being a lord.