"Father! Father!"
Despite Cesar’s desperate cries, Richard’s frenzy showed no sign of subsiding.
Blood streamed from the king's nose as he continued to rave, his eyes wild with madness. "Hahahaha! Wake up all the Lyon units! Go on a rampage! Destroy everything!!"
"Father!"
Richard had issued an unthinkable command.
"Father, forgive me!" Cesar delivered a precise, heavy strike to Richard's solar plexus.
"Gufuubuh!" Richard wheezed as he collapsed.
However, the command already issued could not be rescinded. Only Richard possessed the command rights for the large-scale Lyon golems. If all ten of those four-meter giants began to rampage, there was no telling how long the sturdy Guillaume Detached Palace could hold out.
The audio of the king's breakdown was broadcasting throughout the entire palace, and the reaction was instantaneous.
"W-What did he say!?" "Has the King lost his mind!?" "What on earth happened to His Majesty!?"
Agitation rippled through the royal guards, while the dignitaries in the Great Hall were seized by a mounting terror that bordered on total panic.
"What is the King of Celuroa doing!?" "Ordering those golems to destroy everything... has he lost his senses!?" "What will happen to us if we stay here?"
"Calm yourselves!"
A dignified voice rang through the Great Hall, cutting through the rising clamor. It was the Empress of the Shouro Empire, Gerhardt Hilde von Rubis Shouro.
"Panicking will not improve our situation. First, we must grasp the current state of affairs!"
The Empress pointed toward a magi-screen projecting the scene outside. On the display, they saw the small figure of an automaton single-handedly taking on the rampaging Lyon units.
Though Jin could not give direct instructions, Laojun had accurately assessed the situation using data from the New Shinobi Squad and relayed tactical orders to Reiko.
(The King has gone mad... that means these things have become threats to Father,) Reiko thought.
Standing four meters tall—the maximum size designed to balance power and agility for a golem—the Lyon units possessed considerable strength. However, against an out-of-specification automaton like Reiko, their size was irrelevant.
Reiko delivered a lightning-fast roundhouse kick to a Lyon’s leg. Against her overwhelming power, the golem's thick leg offered no more resistance than a withered branch. With their limbs shattered, two units, then a third, were instantly brought crashing to the ground.
However, the ten Lyon units were scattered across the palace grounds, and it became clear she could not destroy them all in a short amount of time.
"In that case, I will prioritize those closest to Father...!"
Without a moment’s hesitation, Reiko sped toward the Lyon units nearest to the palace.
"...A-Amazing...!" "With her out there, perhaps...!"
Seeing Reiko’s performance, the attendees regained a measure of composure. It was unclear whether they had fled or left to try and settle the situation, but the Celuroa Kingdom soldiers who had been stationed in the hall were gone.
"Everyone, please evacuate to the roof immediately!" Jin shouted.
"Jin-kun, why the roof?" the Empress asked.
"I’m bringing Konron 2 there. If we escape into the sky, we’ll be safe for the time being."
"I see....But can we all fit?"
"It will be fine," Jin assured her.
The personnel currently in the hall, excluding Jin and Elsa, numbered sixteen. There were seven escort golems present; Schwarzritter, Count Guarana’s golden golem, and the Klein Kingdom’s general-purpose golem were currently elsewhere. Konron 2 was designed to hold five Hourai Island staff plus thirty passengers. It could easily accommodate everyone.
"Everyone! Did you hear?" the Empress’s voice carried through the room. "The Lord of Kunlun is bringing an airship to the roof. Let us hurry!"
The dignitaries felt a sense of security from her tone. Most of them knew of Jin’s capabilities, and they followed his instructions without question.
Jin ran toward the roof with Elsa, using the chaos as cover to contact Laojun. Laojun immediately relayed Jin’s instructions to the SP units Lily and Rose, who were waiting elsewhere. Their orders were to bring the moored Konron 2 to the roof of the Guillaume Detached Palace.
The two SP units had been waiting in the Guest House. Upon receiving Laojun’s orders, they sprang into action.
"Let’s go, Rose." "Right behind you, Lily."
The two leapt from the room's window, sprinted across the courtyard at full speed, and reached the landing floor where the balloons and airships were moored. News of the disturbance at the palace had not yet reached the airfield.
The guards attempted to challenge them, but Lily and Rose ignored them entirely. Unlike hot air balloons, Konron 2 required no preheating. They untied the mooring lines, boarded, and launched the ship.
"A-Aah! Stop them!" The guards rushed to intercept them, but they were too late. Konron 2 rose into the vast sky before their eyes.
Using its force generators for propulsion, Konron 2 made a beeline for the Guillaume Detached Palace.
The lead group of frantic delegates reached the roof just as Konron 2 was descending.
"Lord Jin, you have my thanks!" Gloria called out. As an active-duty soldier, she had been the first to dash up the stairs alongside Cynthia.
The second prince, Arthur, arrived shortly after, protected by Jessica and Cynthia and accompanied by his attendant Liones. Gloria’s father, Boulton, arrived a few moments later.
"Everyone, please get on!"
Using physical reinforcement magic, Jin had reached the roof first. Elsa arrived right after him, carried by Edgar. Following Jin’s directions, the arrivals boarded Konron 2 one by one. The ship was perfectly stabilized by its force generators, remaining completely still as they boarded.
"Jin, you're a lifesaver!" Reinhard arrived next. Marquis Gehren followed, looking somewhat undignified as he was carried by his automaton, Lisa.
"Jin-kun, thank you!" the Empress arrived, breathless, protected by Lieutenant Colonel Fritz. Magic Technology Minister Degauss followed, assisted by Mattheus.
Other participants reached the roof soon after, protected by their respective escort golems.
"Lord Jin, I am in your debt," Marchioness Firenziano said as she boarded.
"Lord of Kunlun, my thanks!" Duke Blue followed with his golem.
The last of the delegates to board were Count Guarana and Marquis Orange. Finally, Reiko and Schwarzritter appeared.
Reiko was carrying the Klein Kingdom’s general-purpose golem. She had refused to leave behind the unit Jin had created—a golem she viewed as a younger brother.
"Reiko, good work."
"Yes, Father. However, I was only able to neutralize seven of the Lyon units."
"It’s alright. You did well." Jin gently patted the head of the apologetic Reiko.
Reinhard remained with Jin for a moment to praise his own golem. "Noir, well done."
"Jawohl," the black knight responded.
Having confirmed that all the national representatives were safely on board, Jin entered the ship with Reinhard and Elsa and headed to the cockpit. Elsa sat to his right, Reiko to his left, and Edgar behind them. Reinhard took a seat in the cabin with the other guests.
Lily retracted the gangway and secured the hatch, while Rose stood guard between the cabin and the cockpit.
"Here we go!"
With so many people on board, the buoyancy of the helium alone was not enough to lift the ship. Jin engaged the force generators to assist the ascent.
The moment the passengers felt the light, airy sensation of floating, Konron 2 left the roof of the Detached Palace.
"Oh!" "It’s... it’s actually flying..."
Many were riding an airship for the first time. Even in the midst of an emergency, the rare experience of flight sparked a moment of excitement. At the same time, the fear some had felt toward Jin earlier had receded, replaced by a profound sense of relief.
But as they looked down, they saw a landscape of utter chaos stretching out beneath them.