"Hmph, the Partisans, I see. Have they come to capture me, Duke Orange?"
Former Duke Lufort de Orange peered down from an embrasure—a narrow slit of a window—on the top floor of Fort Crow.
Since he had not been officially stripped of his rank, he shamelessly continued to style himself a duke.
"Regardless, we haven't fully grasped the inner workings of this fortress yet. For now, we shall simply observe."
Orange’s strategy mirrored that of the Partisans: a cautious wait-and-see approach.
Before long, two golems emerged from the Partisan lines, each wielding a massive hammer.
"Hmm, do they truly expect to shatter the gate with those? I wonder if they have it in them."
Over the past few days, Orange had grown considerably familiar with the fortress.
"This outer wall was supposedly reinforced to a significant degree in anticipation of an invasion by the demon race. This should be a spectacle."
Orange muttered to no one in particular, his voice trailing off into a monologue.
Far below, the two golems swung their hammers with mechanical precision.
Every time a hammer struck the gate, a thunderous boom resonated through the structure, yet the entrance refused to budge so much as an inch.
"It is indeed built sturdily."
Eventually, the heads of the golems' hammers shattered under the force of their own blows. The two units promptly withdrew.
Following their lead, the rest of the Partisan force began to fall back.
"Hmph, they aren't complete fools."
Attacking blindly without first gauging an opponent's strength was the height of stupidity. Orange appraised that whoever was leading this Partisan unit possessed at least a modicum of common sense.
"However, night is approaching. I must remain vigilant."
Calculating that they might abandon brute force in favor of a covert infiltration under the cover of darkness, Orange decided to play what cards he currently held.
He moved to activate the defense mechanisms of Fort Crow.
"Oh, Lord Orange, what brings you here?"
As Orange descended to the lower levels to initialize the defenses, he crossed paths with Bocker Ove, who was busy with his duties.
"Is that you, Bocker? Perfect timing. What is the status of Refa's repairs?"
Refa was the automata they had discovered in the depths of the fortress. She had apparently functioned as a staff officer or an adjutant, making her an invaluable source of information regarding the facility.
However, three hundred years of dormancy had left her in a state of severe disrepair. Orange had tasked the team of technicians led by Bocker with her restoration.
In fact, the ancient knowledge Orange possessed—which was far beyond the scope of the current era—had been provided by Refa.
"Yes, my lord. Her movements are still somewhat stiff, but we have repaired her to the point where her conversational functions are flawless."
Orange nodded with satisfaction.
"Umu, that is sufficient."
He stepped into the room where Refa was stationed—the command room.
"Welcome, Lord Orange. Do you have a request?"
Refa was a female-type automata with blue hair. She was the same model as Anne and Tia, as well as Loll, the unit employed by Dajure. However, as she was designed to serve as an adjutant, she had been heavily customized. She possessed no domestic or sexual functions; instead, her specifications allowed her to utilize several types of attack magic.
That said, since the repairs to her motor systems were incomplete, her utility was currently limited to providing tactical advice.
"Umu, I suspect there may be intruders tonight. I wish to prepare countermeasures. Do we have any suitable defense mechanisms?"
"In that case, you should activate the barrier on the outer walls."
The answer came as swiftly as an echo.
"A barrier?"
"Yes. A barrier that strikes intruders with lightning-attribute magic to stun or kill them."
To modern ears, it sounded much like a security fence surging with high-voltage current.
"Such a thing exists? Splendid. Let us activate it immediately. What must I do?"
"It can be operated directly from this command room."
"I see... However, the Brain has not yet been restarted. Is that not a problem?"
Refa offered her firm assurance.
"Yes. This function is independent of the Brain, so please rest easy."
"Understood."
Following Refa's instructions, Orange performed a series of operations.
"It is done. Now, anyone attempting to scale the outer wall will be showered with lightning strikes."
"Excellent. This fortress truly is magnificent."
"Indeed. It is a magifortress built specifically to withstand an invasion by the demon race."
"Heh... and now I am its master."
"Yes, Lord Orange."
Later that night, as the moon reached its zenith and the date was about to change.
(Listen, stay sharp. Go.)
(Understood.)
Two scouts slipped away from the Partisan camp.
Draped in charcoal-black cloth and moving with practiced, silent steps, they were nearly invisible to the untrained eye.
Soon, the pair reached the base of the wall.
(Alright, no sign of sentries.)
(Orange shouldn't have many men left under his command, anyway.)
After a brief exchange, they hurled a rope tipped with a hooked claw toward the top of the wall.
It snagged firmly on the third attempt. After testing it with their full weight to ensure it held, the first man began his ascent.
The second scout remained below, scanning the perimeter.
The first man climbed steadily until he stood atop the outer wall. In that moment—
"Agyah!"
There was a sudden flash of violet light. The man’s body went limp instantly, and he tumbled from the wall, falling into the interior of the fortress.
"H-Hey!"
The second scout cried out despite himself. But...
(Guh... a trap... I have to turn back.)
Even if he wanted to save his comrade, trying to scale the wall would only lead to the same fate.
Biting his lip in frustration, the remaining scout retreated to the Partisan camp.
"I see..."
The branch manager’s face darkened as he listened to the scout's report.
"So, there were traps. It means we cannot approach carelessly. It seems my judgment was correct; this is more than a single branch can handle. No further action is to be taken until reinforcements arrive. We will limit ourselves to surveillance."
"Ha! Understood!"
And so, the Partisans settled into a state of watchful waiting.
Orange was fast asleep by the time the outer wall's barrier was triggered.
It was Refa who confirmed the results in his stead.
"It appears there was an intruder, just as my master feared....He fell inside the perimeter. We shall recover him; if he lives, we will see what information can be extracted."
She deployed a golem under her command—a low-grade unit by the fortress's standards that operated via remote control.
When the golem brought the intruder in, he was still breathing. He was fortunate not to have snapped his neck during the fall.
"I must see that he receives Behandeln immediately."
Since Refa herself was unable to use healing magic, she had the golem carry him to the fortress's medical treatment facility.
"He should be capable of speech in a day or two."
Refa calculated that they would be able to extract intelligence on the enemy forces once he recovered.
"It would have been ideal if we could use Trans Info... It is a pity."
There was not a single person within the fortress capable of using that magic.
During the Great Magic War, healing mages were in high demand on the front lines, far from the rear-guard fortresses. The healing-type golems and automata designed to assist them were sent to the front as well.
Compared to combat models, healing-type golems were rare, which was why none remained within the walls of Fort Crow.
The struggle for Fort Crow had only just begun.