"By the way, Mr. Bafrosk."
Following instructions from Laojun, Anne spoke up.
"Hm? What is it?"
"I apologize, but could you please gather the remaining members of your clan?"
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Well, actually..."
Laojun had instructed her to investigate whether anyone among the Jest clan might be carrying a teleportation marker.
"Absurd! Are you suggesting there is a traitor among us?"
Predictably, Bafrosk flew into a rage. However, Anne remained composed as she addressed him.
"No, that is not it. We believe someone may be being used without their knowledge. Negadolls are notoriously cunning."
"Mm..."
Faced with that reasoning, Bafrosk could no longer argue. He summoned the surviving members of the clan—eighteen in total.
"Is this everyone?"
"Hm?...Wait. Where is Doneicia?"
"What? She was right there a moment ago..."
"Search for her!"
At Bafrosk's command, the eighteen scattered in all directions to find the clan member named Doneicia.
"...Mmm..."
Bafrosk wore a grim expression. Anne's words seemed to be weighing heavily on him.
Meanwhile, Jin (specifically his Double) had finished analyzing the gargoyle.
"This seems to be the magic core used to trigger an Ether Stampede."
It was half-collapsed after having discharged all its free ether, but there was little doubt about its purpose.
"And this must be the operational core. With this, we should be able to track No. 13's location."
Bafrosk reacted instantly to the murmur.
"Jin! No, Jin-dono! Is that true? Just where is that bastard hiding?"
He spoke with a ferocity that suggested he might snap at Jin at any moment.
"I'm searching for that now... but so far, I can only tell you it's somewhere to the north."
"I see..."
Just then, one of the clan members returned.
"Clan Chief! I found Doneicia! She's running toward the north!"
"What?"
Bafrosk's eyes gleamed darkly.
"Pursue her! But do not capture her yet. We must find out where she is going."
His reasoning was simple: if Doneicia was being manipulated by No. 13, then No. 13 must be at her destination.
Doneicia could not use Teleportation Magic. She appeared to be running using only physical reinforcement, so three members who were capable of teleportation were assigned to track her.
(I wonder how far she intends to go...)
(Yeah. She's been sprinting for nearly an hour now.)
Doneicia's speed was roughly forty kilometers per hour, meaning she had already covered a distance of forty kilometers.
After she had run for about another ten kilometers, she came to a Stand Still.
(Oh, she stopped.)
(In a wasteland like this?)
The surrounding area was a featureless plain as far as the eye could see—a flat, grayish-brown wilderness where only withered grass and sparse shrubs provided any accent to the landscape.
Doneicia turned around.
"...Did you really think you were following me?"
The words were directed at the three trackers.
On such a barren plain, there was nowhere to hide. Naturally, the three pursuers were in plain sight.
"...Are you idiots?"
Doneicia was ninety-two years old. By the standards of the demon race, she appeared to be about eighteen.
With long black hair, golden eyes, and a fine figure, she was popular within the clan. Even Raldus had once taken an interest in her.
But the expression currently on the woman's face was a wicked, twisted smile.
"Are they not back yet?"
Three hours had passed since the trackers were sent out. With no word from them, Bafrosk was growing increasingly irritable.
If, by some chance, those three trackers and Doneicia did not return, the clan would be reduced to a mere sixteen members—a tragic fall for the Jest clan, which had once numbered a hundred.
Meanwhile, Laojun had finished pinpointing No. 13's likely hiding place.
He considered whether or not to share the information with Bafrosk. Ultimately, Jin decided to tell them, fearing they would hold a grudge later if he remained silent.
"We've identified a location that appears to be No. 13's base. It is about a hundred kilometers north-northwest of here, underground, near a riverbank."
When the Double announced this, Bafrosk stood up exactly as expected.
"What do you intend to do?"
When Jalardos spoke up, Bafrosk turned his bloodshot eyes toward him.
"It is obvious. We are going there."
Jalardos had wanted to ask "To do what?", but seeing the look in Bafrosk's eyes, the words died in his throat.
"Remaining members of the clan! Gather!"
Fifteen demons assembled before Bafrosk.
"From this moment, we shall invade the enemy's headquarters to avenge our fallen kin!"
A roar went up from the group. Their resentment had clearly reached a boiling point.
Ten minutes later, every member of the Jest clan had departed.
Furthermore, several members from the Frenzy and Ash clans had joined them.
"...Laojun, is this really okay?"
Back on Hourai Island, Jin was discussing the situation with Laojun.
"Yes. Given their temperaments, their perspective likely won't change unless they experience a bitter defeat firsthand."
"But they're not exactly facing an opponent they can handle, right?"
"Of course not. If the situation turns dire, I will support them from the air using Magic Cancellers and other measures."
"Hmm... so you're going to reform their mindsets?"
"Yes. After making them pay an appropriate tuition fee for the lesson."
Laojun was being rather radical, but he intended to provide enough support to ensure there were no fatalities, as Jin hated unnecessary death.
He wanted to make the meritocratic radicals realize exactly how insignificant their power was so they would remain quiet for the time being.
"We shall also complete our preparations and depart."
The Land units were returned to Hourai Island via the Capricorn 1's transporter to be rotated out, then sent back through the transporter again. It was more effort, but it would ultimately allow them to reach the destination faster.
This time, twenty units—Land 11 through 30—were deployed.
"Laojun, No. 13's location is unrelated to No. 001's base, isn't it?"
"Yes. The place where Laozi defeated No. 001 was merely a frontline base. The main objective was about three hundred kilometers further north."
Jin crossed his arms, his expression troubled.
"Then No. 13's location is something else entirely."
"Correct. It likely remained inactive until recently. I can think of no other reason why it would have evaded our search network."
"Which means we have no idea what kind of facility it is."
"That is the case. No. 13 utilized gargoyles, but I do not believe those were its only assets."
"True."
At that moment, Reiko appeared. She had come because she wanted to see Jin before heading back to No. 13's base via the transporter.
"Father."
"Oh, Reiko. I'm putting a lot on your shoulders."
"No, not at all."
Reiko narrowed her eyes happily as Jin stroked her head.
"Work hard for a little longer."
"Yes, please leave it to me."
"I'm counting on you."
Jin then refilled the ethenol in the Transporter Gun she had used, bringing its usage count back up to two.
He realized now that he should have designed it with a cartridge system, but there was no time for modifications.
"Well then, I am off."
After receiving the Transporter Gun, Reiko gave Jin a polite bow and left the command room.
While finding Reiko to be incredibly reliable, Jin turned his thoughts toward how to bring this chaos to a conclusion as quickly as possible.