July 23rd, shortly before the Gonpetition was held in the Celuroa Kingdom.
"Mr. Lucol, the reply to our inquiry has arrived," Vivienne announced.
They were staying at an inn in the town of Nedef, located east of Nikarai.
"That was remarkably fast."
"I used the expensive pigeon post, after all."
In this world, pigeon post was the fastest method of communication, followed by horse post. Pigeon post utilized carrier pigeons, while horse post referred to the communication method commonly known as an express messenger. Since a carrier pigeon could fly roughly six hundred kilometers in a single day, it allowed for rapid communication.
However, since the birds could not carry heavy loads, messages had to be written in tiny script on small scraps of light parchment. Consequently, long documents or physical objects were out of the question.
Incidentally, carrier pigeons generally only flew one way, so they had to be transported back to their home towns via carriage—either individually or in groups of dozens—to be used again.
"And the result?"
"One moment... It says, 'It is theoretically possible to construct a golem entirely out of mineral-based materials.'"
"Hmm... Then it’s increasingly likely that the text we found is indeed a technical description regarding golem crafting."
"Yes, I agree."
"But the mystery remains just that—a mystery."
"True. After all, what we are searching for are clues to uncover the 'lost past.'"
Lucol nodded at Vivienne's assessment.
"Now then, regarding that other lead we found back there..."
"You mean Gunno Asher?"
"Exactly. Jidan wouldn't talk about him, but if we find this Gunno, we might learn something."
"But without any trail to follow?"
Lucol chuckled. "I’ve already found a trail."
Lucol and Vivienne had arrived in the town of Nedef at noon the previous day. As soon as they had secured a room, the two had gone their separate ways.
"I started by simply making inquiries," Lucol began to explain.
He had gone from place to place asking, "Have you seen a man accompanied by a golem?"
"You might think that's too vague, but it really isn't. I doubted there would be many men fitting that description traveling through here."
Just as he had expected, only three people claimed to have seen such a pair. Two of those turned out to be dead ends. However, the final report stated that a mysterious golem and the Security Guard had made contact in Hohodo the previous night.
"Hohodo? That's quite far away, isn't it?"
"Indeed. But the Security Guard member I spoke to said they had been put on high alert by their headquarters, who considered the matter quite serious."
The Security Guard in question operated under the umbrella of the Nostalgia party; the fact that information traveled so quickly through their network had worked in Lucol's favor.
"They gave me a brief account of what happened there as well."
"...They destroyed the Security Guard's golems? And yet, they committed no other crimes. That sounds like..."
"Yes, it's a behavioral pattern unique to a certain type of researcher."
Choosing any means necessary to achieve a goal, paying no mind to anything else, and single-mindedly pursuing an objective—it was the classic profile of a fanatical academic.
"In that case, shall we try going to Hohodo?"
"About that... he's likely long gone by now. I'm certain he's moved on to a new location."
"I suppose you're right..."
Vivienne let out a small sigh. Just when they thought they had finally found a lead, it seemed to be slipping further away.
"Now, hold on. I have one more piece of interesting information."
"And that is?"
"They say a 'Gonpetition' is being held in the Celuroa Kingdom."
"A competition for golems? When?"
"On July 28th and 29th. We can make it if we hurry."
Today was the 23rd. If they pushed themselves, they might just arrive in time.
"What do you think? Shall we go?"
"Well... honestly, I feel like we've exhausted our leads here in the Kingdom of Egerea. It might be a good idea to try the Celuroa Kingdom."
Vivienne had gone into exile during the reign of King Richard. However, the current king, Cesar, was on friendly terms with Jin and had stabilized the government. Since she possessed a Fellowship Bracelet, she figured she could probably enter the country safely—or so she hoped.
"However, I am technically a political exile from the Celuroa Kingdom..."
"I see. Perhaps we should reconsider."
But Vivienne shook her head. "No, I should be fine if I use a disguise and an alias."
With that decided, she dyed her near-white platinum-blonde hair red and decided to go by the name "Via."
"In that case, Miss Via, shall we be off?"
While Vivienne prepared her disguise, Lucol had their two hired assistants arrange for a carriage. They secured a high-speed carriage drawn by four horses, large enough for them to sleep in during the journey.
"Since we'll be sticking to the main roads, we won't have to worry about water or food."
If they couldn't find an inn, they could sleep in the carriage, and the next town was usually only a two or three-hour drive away. Since time was of the essence, the two were prepared to endure a few discomforts.
They pushed the assistants to drive as fast as possible, taking turns at the reins to keep the carriage moving.
July 24th: Stayed in Bazard.
July 25th: Stayed in Dizier.
July 26th: Stayed in Uremlin.
July 27th: Crossed the border and stayed in Telurus.
They should have been able to reach the capital, Esaia, on July 28th. However, because of the massive influx of people traveling to see the Gonpetition, the ferries were overwhelmed. They were delayed for an entire day. Trying to bring the carriage across with them had also proved to be a mistake.
"Perhaps we could have crossed if we'd left the carriage in town and gone ahead on foot," Lucol remarked.
"There's no point in dwelling on it now," Via replied.
Staring out at the darkening river from their inn window, Lucol and Via both shrugged.
Finally, on the morning of the 29th, they were able to cross the Torres River. Once they were on the other side, the capital of Esaia was a short distance away. They spurred the horses, rushing toward the venue.
There were no other carriages in sight, allowing them to reach a considerable speed. Because of their velocity, they didn't notice the other carriage emerging from a side road until it was too late.
"Kyaa!"
"Whoa!"
The two vehicles collided and overturned.
Laojun, who had been monitoring the situation through the eyes of Elm—a member of the Secret Mobile Unit (SP) secretly following them—immediately sensed Vivienne's peril. He remotely activated the barrier function of the Fellowship Bracelet. The barrier enveloped Vivienne and even Lucol beside her, shielding them both from the impact.
"...That was awful."
The two carriages lay overturned about two hundred meters from the arena. Vivienne realized that their lack of injuries was thanks to the barrier and thanked Jin in her heart.
Lucol, unaware of the magic, thought they had simply been incredibly lucky. But before he could process his relief, he found himself staring wide-eyed at the wreckage.
"Wh-What in the world...?"
Spilling out from the other carriage was a massive quantity of armor.