"First, shall we begin by determining Orange's location, the number of humans within the fort, the security status, and the internal layout?"
Obtaining information was the top priority. The twenty-five super-miniature golems that had sneaked in—or rather, been teleported in—scattered throughout the fort.
Sam 1 through 10 took charge of the basement. These units had been specifically tuned for intelligence gathering.
(First, let's investigate this floor.)
(Understood.)
All of them were able to communicate without speaking by using their built-in manacams. Furthermore, by acting while hidden with Invisible, combined with their height of only five centimeters, it was impossible for an ordinary human to find them.
The golems that had carried Cougar and the others were no longer there.
First, they decided to search for monitoring devices, including magical ones.
(It looks fine.)
(Mm. There are things similar to magic eyes embedded here and there, but they all seem to be dead.)
Over the span of three hundred years, some had broken down while others had been covered in moss or dust, rendering them useless. Neither Orange's subordinates nor the repair golems had managed to get around to fixing them yet.
(Let's make sure these are completely unusable.)
With that, they decided to cut the magi-wires that likely led to the command room. Using magic from the gaps in the stonework of the walls, the Sam units went about cutting the wires. While difficult for humans, it was well within the capabilities of these five-centimeter-tall units.
With the surveillance disabled, their freedom of movement expanded.
(What about the prisoners in the next room...?)
With the motto of prioritizing human life, Sam 9 and 10 went to check on them. As a rule, they always acted in groups of at least two.
However, a problem arose.
(We can't open the door...)
At five centimeters tall, they were simply too small; they generally couldn't utilize facilities designed for humans. This meant they had to wait for someone else to open the doors.
The ventilation vents were covered with mesh, perhaps to keep out insects, and the units couldn't pass through them either. The door didn't even have a peephole—perhaps to prevent escapes, or perhaps because the room had been intended for a different purpose.
Of course, they could use Craft Magic to make a hole, but that was a last resort. If there were guards inside, their infiltration would be discovered. If they were to be discovered, they wanted it to be after they had made more progress with their investigation.
(If there are prisoners, someone will eventually come in or out to provide food and water. Let's wait until then.)
Sam 7 and 8 moved through the corridor toward what seemed to be the back of the facility.
(The door to this room is open. Let's take a look.)
(Right.)
There was no sign of anyone. Even so, the two units cautiously peeked inside the room.
(Oh!)
There, lined up in the cramped space, were combat golems, Universal Golems, and repair golems.
(These... they are the same lineage as us. That means the Predecessor's design base was used.)
(Master would be pleased to see this.)
It goes without saying that this information was immediately relayed to Jin through Laojun.
Sam 5 and 6 headed in the opposite direction of 7 and 8.
(A well, huh. Having a water source inside the fort is a strength.)
(If we wait here, someone is bound to show up. Let's wait for that.)
(Let's do that.)
Sam 1 through 4 headed further into the basement.
(I have a feeling there's something down here in the basement.)
(Mm. I agree.)
The four units felt what could be called the aftereffects of magical power. Being specialized in intelligence, their ability to sense such things was high.
«Who are you who have come there? I cannot see your forms, but I know you are there.»
A voice echoed.
(This voice?)
(It doesn't sound human.)
This was, of course, an unspoken exchange.
«Do not approach. Leave. Otherwise, I shall bathe you in Thunder Rain.»
(The atmosphere is similar to Laojun's. Could it be a magi-brain?)
(It is called a magifortress, after all. It wouldn't be strange for there to be a magi-brain managing it.)
There, Sam 1 spoke up on their behalf. It was a high-pitched, metallic voice, but it should have reached the target.
"Wait. We are not enemies. Who are you?"
«Talking is useless. It seems you will not leave. Fine, then regret it. Thunder Rain!»
The Brain seemingly had no intention of listening. It unleashed the lightning-attribute magic, Thunder Rain. This was a spell that showered the target area with intense lightning, and a skilled user could even adjust the voltage.
(That seems like quite a high voltage.)
(Indeed. Ozone is being generated.)
Ozone, or O3, is produced by collisions between high-energy electrons and oxygen molecules. In other words, ozone is generated by electrical discharges in the atmosphere, such as lightning. It has a peculiar, irritating odor and is toxic to the human body. Since it is also generated in very small amounts by photocopiers, Jin knew about it, and therefore the Sam units knew as well.
«Hmph. You seem to be unfazed by that lightning magic? Then I shall not hold back.»
Sensing no change in the presence of the Sam units, the Brain unleashed a further Thunder Rain. However, it was aimed in a completely wrong direction. Because it did not know the size of the Sam units, it couldn't grasp the sense of distance. Furthermore, it couldn't visually confirm them.
(But we can't get any closer like this.)
(Mm.)
(We can't even have a discussion.)
The barrier was designed to neutralize physical and magical attacks, but its strength was low in proportion to their size. They could endure the first Thunder Rain, but the second one unleashed had a voltage of over 50 million volts, and there was a possibility they wouldn't be able to fully block it. The Sam units couldn't risk getting any closer.
(Let's report for now.)
(That's for the best.)
Meanwhile, the five Finger units and the ten units of the Shinobi Squad headed upstairs. Since there were fifteen of them, they set about their investigation in groups of three.
(Is this a food storehouse?)
(This seems to be an armory, but it's almost empty.)
(There are golems lined up here.)
(Though they're quite old-fashioned. They seem considerably inferior to the ones the Sam units found.)
Reporting to Laojun, they aimed even higher. The first floor above ground consisted of a central hall with corridors running around it and several small rooms. They continued their investigation on this floor in groups of three.
(According to Regulus 43's report, traps were set on this floor.)
(Indeed, it seems there are magi-wires running through the walls.)
(Should we cut them?)
(No, according to Laojun's instructions, we are to leave them as they are for now. There's a risk the enemy will notice.)
(Understood.)
Since they didn't see anyone, they headed to the second floor.
(This seems to be the residential area, but there's no sign of anyone.)
(Mm. Are they that short-staffed?)
Though they searched all over, they didn't see a single person.
(Then let's go up.)
And so, even more cautiously, they headed to the third floor.
(Nothing on the third floor. Nobody's here.)
(This floor was probably for high-ranking officers, engineers, and advanced-level soldiers.)
Looking at it this way, it was clear how understaffed the fort was. It was a facility that should originally have been held by fifty or a hundred people.
(Even so, why haven't we seen anyone yet?)
Aside from the prisoners, not seeing a single person from the fort's side—that is, Orange's camp—was somewhat abnormal.
(The command room should be on the fourth floor. If Orange is anywhere, that has to be it.)
In this situation, they had no choice but to reach that conclusion. The fifteen units moved as a group toward the fourth floor.
(This is the command room.)
(Based on the position, there's no mistake.)
(Alright, I'll go in first.)
The door was open. Shinobi 1, the leader of the Shinobi Squad, which was most specialized in covert actions, took the lead and infiltrated the room.
(This is...)
What he saw there was an empty room. No, furniture such as desks and chairs, as well as Magi Machines including the magi-screens, were certainly there. However, the humans who were supposed to use them were gone.
The only ones present were two blue-haired automata in Stand Still mode. Since it was unclear if they were friends or foes, the Shinobi Squad limited themselves to observing without being noticed.