Advance reports indicated that an outbreak of Voracious Grasshoppers had been confirmed far to the west.
"Apparently, the information came from a country of Etrangers called Mitsuho, located beyond the Harihari Desert. They warned us to be on high alert."
"I-I see."
Elsa wanted to interject that Jin had already solved the problem, but she held her tongue.
"There seems to be one more thing, but it wasn't mentioned in the pigeon post."
The drawback of the pigeon post was its limited capacity; though swift, it could carry only a minuscule amount of weight, which severely restricted the detail of the information.
"A special envoy with the full report is expected to arrive this afternoon."
Just as they were discussing the matter, the butler arrived to announce a visitor. Speak of the devil.
"Understood, I'm coming....Elsa, I'll see you later."
"..."
Left alone, Elsa wore a troubled expression, her mind racing.
"Oh!"
Suddenly, she heard Moritz let out a rare exclamation of surprise.
"Ani-sama, what happened?!"
Instinctively, Elsa hurried toward the source of the voice—the entrance hall—and her eyes widened.
"Ani-sama?"
Standing there was her second elder brother, Fritz.
"Ani-ue, it’s been a while. Elsa, you’re here too?...Where is Jin-dono?"
"Just me this time. I'm visiting home."
"I see....Ani-ue, I have an emergency report."
"A-Ah, I understand. Come inside."
The three siblings retired to Moritz's study.
"Is it all right if I stay?"
As Elsa was technically an outsider now, she asked just to be sure, but Fritz replied with a smile.
"Yeah. It would actually be a help to hear your opinion."
"What on earth is going on? Is this about the Voracious Grasshoppers?" Moritz asked.
"Word has already reached us that the matter has been resolved," Fritz replied.
It seemed such information had reached Loizart with incredible speed.
"...Elsa, do you know anything about it?"
"..."
Elsa hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should admit she had been present when Jin exterminated the swarm. Fritz, however, took her silence as a form of affirmation.
"I see. If it's difficult to talk about, you don't have to say anything....Honestly, when it comes to my sister's husband-to-be..."
He didn't finish the thought, moving immediately to the next topic.
"Aniki, from here on, the story changes."
Fritz used "Ani-ue" and "Father" in public or when others were present, but when it was just family, he switched to "Aniki" and "Father." Curiously, he only ever addressed his mother, Marlene, as "Mother."
"I'm listening," Moritz said.
"We received word that a group of heinous thieves has entered this region. I've come to the Randol Territory with a few of my subordinates."
He explained that he had sent the rest of his men to Banne, the heart of the territory.
"I also wanted to say hello to Mother, so I came here myself."
Fritz chuckled, noting that he was allowed that much discretion in his orders.
"A bandit group?"
"Yes. They are heinous thieves who break into the homes of wealthy merchants, lords, village chiefs, and bailiffs. They don't hesitate to shed blood."
"...That's terrifying."
"It is. What's worse is that they don't care if a house is protected by security guards."
"They attack even with guards present?"
"...Yes. They seem to be quite formidable."
Moritz nodded, his face turning slightly pale. "I understand. We'll reinforce our security."
But Elsa stopped him. "Wait, Ani-sama."
"What is it?"
"That bandit group... no matter how you look at it, they aren't... normal."
"Yeah, you're right about that."
"Humans alone... might not be able to... deal with them."
At those words, Moritz and Fritz realized what their sister was implying.
"Elsa, are you saying these bandits are using golems?"
"Mm."
"That would certainly explain it..." Moritz fell into deep thought. "With our current finances, we don't have the luxury of purchasing defensive golems..."
Seeing her brother's distress, Elsa spoke up. "Ani-sama, Edgar is here."
"Edgar, huh..."
Looking at the boy-type's slender, delicate build, Moritz clearly felt that the automata couldn't be relied upon for combat. Elsa knew it was only natural for him to feel that way.
While Edgar was indeed inferior to the Hourai Island automata like Reiko, he was still a masterpiece crafted from rare materials and peak technology. He possessed strength that completely belied his appearance.
However, Elsa didn't bother with a sales pitch; she simply offered a reassurance. "It's okay. Leave it to him."
"...If you say so."
"Reinhard's place has Schwarzritter and Neon, too," Fritz added, still looking somewhat concerned. "Well, I'll be here for a while myself, so don't worry."
Attempting to lighten the mood, Fritz stood up to go greet his parents.
"Still... a bandit group, though."
The autumn taxes had just been collected, so there was plenty of loot to be had. However, the taxes in the Randol Territory consisted of grains like wheat. Transporting such a heavy load would require at least twenty men.
"In that sense as well, it’s safe to assume they have golems for labor."
"Even so, I think it would be difficult to carry away that much... in secret," Elsa noted.
"True. It's a question of transport. But there's been no information regarding wagons or horses."
"...The sky?"
"What?"
"If they used something like a hot air balloon... it might be possible."
"Hmm..."
The principle of a hot air balloon was simple enough. One needed a sturdy, airtight bag with an opening at the bottom, from which a gondola for passengers was suspended. By heating the air inside the bag—usually with a fire—the resulting buoyancy would allow it to lift off once it outweighed the total mass. It wasn't unthinkable that someone had constructed such a device.
"I'll step up the patrols."
Moritz stood up as well.
"..."
Elsa returned to her own room. Entering the nostalgic space filled with her old furniture, she let out a small sigh.
She sat on the edge of her bed and activated the communication function of her Fellowship Bracelet. For a while after that, Elsa remained deep in conversation with Laojun.
Fortunately, that night passed without incident.