Ch.949Better to Have Good Weapons Than Not.

“I think that’s the place. Everyone get ready.”

Guardian Liberatia and four artificial guardians crossed the street under cover of darkness, reaching their target—Ophelia’s residence.

‘For a grand mage’s home, it’s surprisingly modest. I heard it doubles as a research facility… but it certainly doesn’t look like one.’

The brick house was too simple and plain to be the dwelling of a grand mage who had transcended the wall. It was even more rustic and smaller than a minor noble’s mansion.

Small enough that one person could easily maintain it without hiring a single servant.

‘Perhaps there’s something underground?’

In Liberatia’s judgment, a building this size couldn’t possibly house research facilities unless they extended below ground.

Her assessment wasn’t wrong.

In reality, the portion of the residence above ground was merely everyday space for receiving and entertaining visitors. Ophelia’s research laboratory and bedroom were all located underground.

“Hmm…”

How should they attack? Liberatia pondered briefly.

Should they crush from above with a flashy, powerful assault, or sneak in quietly like assassins and stab the mage to death while she slept, unaware?

“Let’s go in quietly. Everyone, suppress your presence.”

Liberatia chose the latter.

The reason was simple. Summoning high-level spirits here would create massive mana fluctuations.

She was certain that someone of grand mage caliber would detect this and respond immediately the moment spirits were summoned.

‘They say she consumed a dragon’s inner core. If a woman like that prepares a response, things could get troublesome. Best to kill her before she notices us.’

While mass-produced guardians might be somewhat inferior to formal guardians, they were still guardians nonetheless.

Even if she had consumed a dragon’s inner core, she couldn’t possibly defeat this much combat power alone, but there was no reason to make things difficult.

“Move in. Let’s finish this before Jeirfalos’s group begins their operation.”

Thus, Liberatia and her four subordinates swiftly launched themselves into Ophelia’s residence, infiltrating stealthily.

“Yes, they’re coming in, Lady Ophelia. Five of them. All guardians.”

Little did they know what kind of magical realm they were entering.

—-

After examining the two-story residence and finding no living beings, Liberatia and the guardians immediately headed for the building’s basement.

Finding the entrance to the basement wasn’t difficult.

A fairy’s keen senses could detect the unusual gap between floor materials even in darkness.

“We’re going in. Number 17. You take point.”

“Yes.”

Liberatia took a shallow breath, then called one of the mass-produced guardians to take the lead.

They had no names. All they had were the numbers assigned to them during experiments.

It was the Council of Elders’ decision. They claimed there was no reason to grant fairy-like rights to tools created through experiments that absolutely obeyed orders.

Liberatia initially disliked this decision, but after actually meeting the mass-produced guardians, she accepted it without complaint.

The mass-produced guardians she encountered in person were, just as the elders described, tools that were hard to believe were the same species as herself.

They would jump into fire without hesitation if ordered to die, or immediately smash their own heads if commanded to commit suicide.

The behavior of these subjects, seemingly stripped of survival instinct and self-awareness, was eerie enough to make even someone as experienced as her shudder.

Therefore, Liberatia now treated the mass-produced guardians not as subordinates or comrades, but literally as tools.

Like canaries in a coal mine, like swords and shields in their master’s hands. Tools that sacrifice their own lives to protect their master.

That was Liberatia’s perception. That’s why she deployed a mass-produced guardian at the front without hesitation.

And so they headed underground. Into a dark, damp, sinister magical den with a strangely sweet, fishy smell.

‘What is this smell?’

Liberatia wondered about the sweet scent permeating the musty air, but she couldn’t ultimately identify it.

This was natural. How would a fairy guardian have had any opportunity to mingle with human women?

The scent of Ophelia and Claire’s intermingled bodily fragrances was literally an unknown aroma to Liberatia.

—-

How far had they advanced through the basement corridor?

About 30 seconds? Not much time had passed as they were moving at full speed while keeping their footsteps silent.

It was around then.

Clank.

A strange metallic sound echoed from the far end of the corridor.

Clank. Clank. Creak. Screech. Hiss.

The metallic sound of metal against metal, gears grinding against gears. Added to that was the distinctive exhaust sound of pressure cylinders.

It was a noise she had heard before. At least Liberatia had.

‘Mechanical sounds…?’

The dwarves’ war machines. They made exactly these kinds of noises.

‘Why mechanical sounds? This was supposed to be a human mage’s dwelling…’

Since it wasn’t a sound that should be heard in such a place, Liberatia hesitated in bewilderment, momentarily unable to recall the appropriate response.

And then.

– BANG!

The distinctive explosive sound of gunpowder echoed throughout the basement corridor. A flash of fire bloomed from the darkness at the far end of the corridor.

Gunfire.

The metal bullet that flew at lightning speed toward Number 17’s head—

– CRUNCH!

—stopped just before penetration. Thanks to the lesser earth spirit that Number 17 quickly summoned and thrust forward.

The lesser spirit crumbled like sand and vanished from the impact, but thanks to it, Number 17 avoided being killed instantly before even taking action.

“A gun?!”

Liberatia shouted urgently while summoning a spirit and nocking it to her bowstring.

‘Is it dwarves after all? But why here?’

An incomprehensible situation.

She had heard that human nations had been getting closer with dwarves lately… but even so.

For Liberatia, finding dwarves lurking in the basement of a human kingdom was truly baffling.

“No, anyway, everyone prepare for battle! Charge forward with defenses up!”

Of course, the circumstances could be confirmed later.

Liberatia fired a fire spirit arrow toward the direction of the gunshot while issuing attack orders.

– WHOOSH!

The spirit arrow, leaving a comet-like trail of flames and illuminating the surroundings with bright light.

Ten paces before its arrowhead could reach what appeared to be a dwarf machine silhouette,

– SCREECH!

With a bizarre and chilling mechanical cry, something resembling a spirit arrow filled with mana was fired from the opposite side.

“What is that!?”

It was an attack that even Liberatia had never seen before.

– BOOM!

The next moment, the two arrows collided like lightning, canceling each other out and causing a fiery explosion.

The flames that expanded several times in size clearly revealed the attacker standing on the opposite side.

“…What?”

Liberatia’s jaw nearly dropped. It was an unavoidable reaction to such a sight.

“I remember that face. Your name was… Liberatia, wasn’t it?”

The form of the attacker standing opposite her.

“It’s been a while. Not that I’m happy to see you.”

“It can’t be…”

Liberatia uttered the attacker’s name with a trembling voice.

“Perneisia…!?”

Perneisia Mercellius Epiraxus.

A former member of the reform faction who had opposed the Council of Elders by calling for reforms in the fairy nation, and who had been sent to the Empire as the Council’s pawn after defeat.

Before Liberatia’s eyes stood a fairy who had been cut off from blessing remotely, presumed to have either betrayed the Council or been caught spying for humans.

That alone would have been surprising, but Liberatia was shocked not just because Perne, whom she thought had died or disappeared, was alive and well.

“What in the world… what happened to you…?!”

“This? It’s quite useful once you get used to it.”

Perne smiled as she slid across the floor, dodging a spirit arrow fired by a mass-produced guardian.

Then, she lightly raised her right hand, showing it off with a slight wiggle.

With each and every movement, there came the mechanical sound of metal grinding against metal. A sound that should only come from dwarf machines.

“A fairy guardian using dwarf items…? No, did dwarves actually make mechanical armor for a fairy? What nonsense…!”

It was a situation impossible to imagine in Liberatia’s worldview.

Indeed. Perne’s entire body was covered in mechanical armor with the distinctive dark luster of black iron. Almost every part except her face.

A metal exoskeleton powered by mana stones. A machine armor specially made for Perne by Asha after much deliberation at Haschal’s earnest request.

“There’s no need to be so surprised. This is all because of the elders anyway.”

A product of dwarf technology that reinforced her strength and agility, which had plummeted after losing her blessing, with the added bonus of black iron’s distinctive defensive capabilities.

The revolver clutched in her right hand was an extra gift.

Perhaps due to the symbolism of a proud fairy guardian submitting to dwarf technology, there was surprisingly little opposition even from Himmel proper, she explained.

An existence without precedent in history.

A fairy wearing dwarf armor pointed her gun at her former comrade and smiled.