[It’s no good; I can hardly see anything through the scope.]
Ridelberdy, taking a prone position, had readied a sniper rifle equipped with bipods on top of Dicotmus-4. Through the dark night, he saw a figure trudging slowly toward the horizon and clicked his tongue in frustration.
If I use the scope attached to my headwear, which looks like a VR headset goggles, I can see the plain without a doubt, with no traces of anything unusual.
“A pure optical surveillance device would probably work. It seems the magic is affecting the machines heavily.”
Beside him, I was spotting with a primitive optical telescope, scanning 5 kilometers ahead to the horizon. Far in the distance, a lone figure bathed in moonlight stood slumped, evidently looking downcast.
“The latest equipment is as good as useless in this situation.”
“I can’t even imagine it. I’ve never seen magic so blatantly magical before, not like this.”
“It’s something tied to the ‘Great Mother’ as I know it. I didn’t expect there to be something out there wielding magic this unreasonable.”
The Tech Gob warrior, seemingly as frustrated with the erratic nature of magic as I am, yanked off the scope as if it were useless and picked up an older model of a revolving rifle that lay nearby.
Though hastily made, it had an optical scope mounted on it, modified to function properly. Thanks to Selene, who pulled an all-nighter after getting enraged at how effortlessly our surveillance had been evaded, the rifle had undergone a modernization upgrade.
“This thing might only be effective within 800 meters. It’s quite unreliable.”
“That’s because there’s no shooting software correction. Still, it’s impressive how Ridelberdy managed to hit a target 800 meters away with only half a day of preparation. I worked hard without any kind of correction and yet, I still got mocked by allies as ‘crap slug’ or ‘You NOOB’ back then.”
[Should we test it out?]
“No, we’re just confirming whether we’re being followed.”
“I know, Chief. Just joking.”
Still, Ridelberdy chuckled, thinking he should have brought a bow, but the laughter gradually faded as the outline became clearer through the optical equipment.
[Hey, that…]
“Yeah, her right arm is torn off.”
[Is her face messed up too?]
“Seems like her faceplate’s busted…”
Hyunf appeared in a dreadful condition. Her right arm was missing from the elbow down, with hardened white blood clotted over like a lid. Her faceplate was twisted, revealing that she was heavily battered, as parts of her armor were warped.
Upon closer inspection, her abdomen was visibly caved in at several points through her clothes.
She must’ve been subjected to a whipping.
“…Looks like it was a failure.”
“Seems that way.”
Ah, well. It wasn’t like I hadn’t anticipated it, but I guess just bringing back proof of accomplishment wasn’t enough, huh? Maybe I shouldn’t have had her carry the letter.
It must’ve taken some serious flogging to damage a grade-C prosthetic. They must’ve been furious.
“Poor thing.”
“Even letting her go knowing this, the Chief is questionable. At home, we’d probably be praising her to no end, so I thought it would be fine.”
Independent decisions are the beauty of battle. It’s important to follow military rules, but if there’s a solid reason and you return with merits, you’re generally pardoned. Our army might be strict about discipline, but it’s not a collective that demands rigid observance of rules, so I hadn’t really considered this.
I didn’t expect her to be beaten this badly.
“Nozomu!”
“Are you all right, Hyunf?!”
Upon spotting our formation, Hyunf, who had appeared so downtrodden until now, raced over at an incredible speed — though merely a brisk pace, she was traveling at about 40 km/h — with a carefree smile.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been yelled at so much!”
“Indeed… I’m sorry…”
“It’s been a week since my face was last beaten to the point it warped, and about half a month since my arm got yanked out!”
What… did she just say?
“They praised me for helping Meer but scolded me when they read the letter I brought back! It was all for nothing!”
“To the point of getting your arm yanked out in a beating just because it was all for nothing…?”
“Huh? That kinda happens where I’m from.”
Even as her face armor was warped, the elf-like creature laughed normally, and we couldn’t help but be stunned.
Even if I could die thousands of times in a virtual space and be fine with it, nobody would do that much — damaging hardware that needs repair this much and that often. That’s scary! Isn’t there a limit to this “athletic mindset”? Aren’t all the elves here like that?
‘Meer was beaten more. The verdict: She’s not trained enough, a disgrace to the clan. She’s gonna be hung upside down for a while!’
“Ah… I see.”
“Still, since I was treated as a lesson for this, it was surprisingly easy to escape!”
At her cheery “ahahah,” I felt compelled to take a small step back. Damn, there’s a serious disconnect in mentality. Our styles of life are different.
Of course, it may be easy to remove limbs if they’re that replaceable, but we are educated to treat prosthetics with care during our compulsory education. The thinking gap with her is too wide. Normally, unless you’re in an accident — an astronomically rare one at that — or in battle, such damage is improbable.
Yet she speaks of being scolded and slapped by her mother as casually as if it were something trivial.
Ah, O Mother who resides far beyond the stars, thou wert truly gentle indeed.
“There is also an elder interested in Nozomu’s letter!”
“Really?”
“Yesterday, they said it was good that we didn’t kill everyone!”
So, they’re through and through this athletic mindset… No, are these guys even barbarians? This group of elf-like creatures actually considered massacring everyone instead of just rescuing captives. Are they serious?
We wouldn’t go that far even against foes we can’t distinguish from allies. Our special ops teams at most go behind enemy lines cloaked in thermal optics camouflage, capturing a couple of bigwigs for detailed interrogations, nothing more gentlemanly.
That’s scary. These mechanical elves on the planet are scary.
“So, what did the elder say?”
“Apparently, there’s been a nuisance coming from the north lately. The elder said they’d welcome our presence if it lessens the intrusion!”
“North?”
We’re approaching from the south, but apparently Hyunf’s region controls the whole forest, and they also have a defensive perimeter in the north.
Upon further discussion, it came out that humans were being sent in relatively frequently, and they were being driven off every time. Then their skins were peeled and hung as deterrents — it was almost like scarecrows — but the elf-like creatures were frustrated as it didn’t have much effect.
Still, I’m glad there’s someone willing to hear us out. Although they let us handle our own troubles, it’s reassuring that we aren’t entirely cut off from communication.
This means we need to consider an appropriate name for them. Even if I mistakenly assumed they were elves, it’s rude to keep calling them as such indefinitely.
“By the way, Hyunf, what do you call yourselves?”
“Huh? I’m Hyunf, don’t you remember?”
“No, no, I mean, the name for your entire species.”
“Tupiarius! We’re also called Tupi sometimes!”
Latin again… So there definitely was someone obsessed with Old Earth culture or stuck at the eternal age of fourteen.
“Land caretakers,” huh? Another “apt” name.
Anyway, it appears the Tupiarius, formerly known as the elf-like creatures, had judged the most straightforward way to protect the forest was by rejecting all contact with humans, and thus they’d been hunting them down without exception.
However, recently, as more entities intruded into the previously quiet forest, one of the elders realized it might be faster to let the humans handle the issue themselves.
These athletes, unexpectedly, are plotting some sinister thoughts. Still, I suddenly notice something troubling.
The North, she kept saying North. The intruders were appearing from the North.
This northern forbidden zone lies between the domain of the Canopy Holy Capital and the northern territories, precisely where the northern part of the Canopy Holy Capital has turned into a hotspot, refusing to answer any questions.
People are entering the forest, which has been declared off-limits for a long time. There’s already a distinct whiff of conspiracy in that alone.
Could it be that Virgil, perhaps having some chance of success, has fled home and is hiding while biding his time? And from an unknown source of information, there could be an incredible treasure lying in the forbidden zone.
No, hold on. When the dragons attacked, that was a serious and genuine threat of the Canopy Holy Capital being destroyed. The fact that they were still engaged in political schemes during such a crisis shows that Virgil isn’t just a thoughtless fool but likely has “ace cards” hidden away.
For example, a hidden card capable of reviving the fallen Holy Capital or facilities that could establish a new holy city in the north.
It’s not entirely inconceivable. Even if it wasn’t settled as perfectly as Holy Capital “Inanna 12,” the factory ships accompanying the seeding fleet were many. Finding a fallen ship of the “Tiamat 25” class within the territory could be more than sufficient to concoct malevolent plans.
I’m starting to get a very bad feeling.
“What’s the matter? Nozomu?”
“Ah, no, nothing.”
They say to estimate your enemies as powerful as possible, but surely I’m overthinking this. I hope I am. Please, let it be overthinking.
After praying to the Three Holy Ones, I decided to write another letter to be delivered to the elder who was in favor of cooperating. If we grow closer, we might obtain a random code, allowing us to communicate properly, and perhaps they might even let us into the forest.
And if we can explore the secrets of the planet’s gardeners, our planetary exploration might also proceed positively.
“Hey, hey, does this huge box move?”
“Huh? Yes, it does. Machines are made to move.”
“Then let me ride it! As a replacement for delivering the letter!”
Ah, so that’s the plan. Indeed, she is an oddball who broke her clan’s rules due to curiosity about the outside world. If she’s our courier, we should offer an appropriate thank-you.
“Understood, you can ride it. You can enter here.”
“Ooooh… it’s so cramped inside!!”
Of course, it’s not an APC built to transport someone with a large 250cm frame. Since common soldiers rarely exceed 190cm even when fully armed, it’d naturally feel cramped for her.
[…Hey, Chief.]
[What’s wrong?]
[I’m starting to feel uneasy entrusting work to this big kid-like thing.]
[Don’t say that. This is the only friendly and communicable contact we have right now.]
The Tech Gob began to worry as Tupi, with machine gun-like questions about everything, became relentless.
‘This machine also agrees. Although we’ve managed to establish some form of contact with the Tupiarius race, it’s questionable whether we can truly communicate with them.’
“Are you saying that too, Selene?”
‘How are we supposed to align our thinking with a savage race that rips limbs off during punishment?’
I considered the same but, let my communication skills handle it.
Look, I’ve got this, right? I gather the admiration of the Sylvanians, became the leader of the Tech Gobs, and reign as the steel protector in the Canopy Holy Capital — a multi-talented person… no, something’s off. Nonetheless, I’ve proven effective in multiple roles, so I’ll figure this out.
‘The Sylvanian stuff was entirely due to Tisy, and both with the Tech Gobs and in the Canopy Holy Capital, it was all brute force.’
“Still, brute force worked out, so isn’t that okay?”
‘Coming from someone who tried to force-fit model parts as a kid and broke them, cried about it, and now speaks…’
Hey, why are you digging up old embarrassing stories now? I was a child back then; let it go, please! You must’ve also forcibly fit some word into a crossword puzzle and defended it with “this is right!”
For a while, we discussed quietly whether it was fine to rely on the overly innocent Hyunf, but in the end, since we really had no other reliable rope to hold onto, compromising was hardly a challenge….
[Supplementary Notes on Planetary Exploration] The Tupiarius, sometimes called Tupis. Despite their appearance resembling mechanical elves, they turned out to be entirely different from what was expected.
Moreover, given their insatiable ‘thirst for knowledge,’ which no mere humanoid drone should possess, they are likely more than simply pseudo-intelligent entities.
Updates are planned for around 18:00 on August 29, 2024.
