Time rewinds slightly.
Fritz, the second son of House Randol, was currently standing guard over the warehouse containing the family's most valuable assets.
Usually, I wouldn't expect them to go after grain, but that's what the reports said.
Just then, a faint sound reached his ears.
They're here…!
He spotted five figures approaching. Fritz stepped forward, his hand already resting on the hilt of his sword.
"That's far enough, Bandit Group. Surrender quietly."
Illegally trespassing onto the grounds of the lord's Mansion was a grave offense. The excuse that they hadn't actually stolen anything yet would not save them.
"Don't get cocky!"
One of the men hurled a knife at Fritz, who dodged it with ease. A moment later, Fritz retaliated with magic.
"‘Thunder’!"
"Gyah!"
The man who had thrown the knife took the spell head-on and collapsed, unconscious. Fritz was highly proficient in both martial arts and lightning-attribute magic.
"How insolent!"
Two more men lunged at him, knives drawn.
"Too slow."
Without even drawing his blade, Fritz used the scabbard to knock a knife aside, then drove the hilt of his sword into the man's solar plexus, leaving him writhing in agony. The second man swung his knife in a horizontal arc aimed at Fritz’s neck, but Fritz ducked low to evade the strike. As he straightened back up, he slammed the heel of his palm into the man's chin, sending him reeling backward into a dead faint. Three men were down.
"There isn't a soldier in the Shouro Empire who can't handle more than a frontal assault, you know."
With two opponents remaining, Fritz opened the distance and faced them again.
"A soldier, huh? We underestimated you. ‘Sword,’ buy us some time."
"Understood."
The man addressed as Sword stepped forward and closed in on Fritz. Under the moonlight, it became clear that this was no human, but a golem. Its silvery-black frame gave off a dull, metallic luster.
"No matter how excellent the soldiers of the Shouro Empire are, they're no match for a golem!"
"We'll see about that!"
Relying on the textbook strategy of neutralizing the commander first, Fritz stepped to the side and then lunged forward. The tip of his sheathed sword seemed destined to strike the remaining man's throat.
However—
With a heavy metallic clang, the attack was parried. The golem had moved in to intervene.
"So you can make your own judgments? You’re a high-quality golem, then!"
Fritz threw aside his scabbard, drew his sword, and faced the machine. At that moment, a third voice called out.
"I will ask you to leave this one to me."
A new golem appeared, looking identical to the Bandit Group's ‘Sword.’ The only difference was the eyes: Sword's were a menacing red, while the newcomer’s eyes were a calm blue.
"That golem is one of the things I have been searching for."
"Hmph."
Fritz immediately understood the situation and shifted his focus back to the last remaining man.
"You're not getting away."
But the man laughed defiantly.
"Heh, one should always save their trump card for last!…‘Glar’!"
In response to that call, another man dressed in black appeared out of nowhere.
"What!?"
The black-clad figure silently unleashed a roundhouse kick. Fritz managed to block it with his sword, but the sheer force of the blow sent him flying. Even as he tumbled, Fritz managed to fire off a spell.
"Kh, ‘Thunderbolt’!"
The magic struck the man in black as he closed in to follow up. However, the man seemed completely unperturbed by the Thunder Javelin; instead, he leaped into the air, aiming to crush the fallen Fritz underfoot.
"Whoa!"
Fritz twisted his body at the last second, narrowly avoiding a direct hit, but his right ankle was caught under the heavy stomp.
"Agh!"
His ankle bone shattered. Ignoring the searing pain, Fritz swung his sword with everything he had. A sharp clack echoed through the air. The steel blade failed to even scratch the man's leg.
"What!? Don't tell me you're a golem too!?"
The man in black delivered a silent, brutal kick.
"Guh!"
Struck full in the abdomen, Fritz was sent flying about two meters, rolling across the ground.
"Guh… ugh… damn it, my ribs…"
As Fritz struggled to draw breath and began to cough, the black-clad man—evidently another golem—approached.
"Damn you! ‘Thunderbolt’!"
Again, the magic had no effect on the machine. Its clothes, however, were scorched and torn away by the blast.
"So you really are… a golem…"
The machine closed in on the incapacitated Fritz.
"Dammit…"
Unable to dodge properly with one leg, Fritz braced himself for the finishing blow—when suddenly, a voice cut through the air.
"Ani-sama!"
Elsa's voice rang out, and the golem ‘Glar’ was suddenly sent flying back.
"Are you okay?"
As Elsa rushed toward him, Fritz shouted, "You idiot, it's dangerous! Get back!"
Elsa didn't stop. "I'll be fine."
"This isn't the time for that—hm?"
Glar didn't counterattack; instead, it stood back, observing them.
"Edgar will handle him."
"What!?"
Edgar was a boy-type automata. Compared to Elsa, his physique was much the same. Fritz couldn't imagine how Edgar could possibly defeat Glar.
"It's okay.…More importantly, I need to fix Ani-sama's injuries. ‘Heilung.’"
The fractures in his ankle and ribs began to knit back together.
"That's a relief. But it's still dangerous here. Go inside."
Fritz stood up, testing his ankle with a few steps, and then took off running toward the man who was trying to flee.
"Wait! I won't let you escape!"
"Tch, you're persistent!"
The man stopped and fired magic at Fritz.
"‘Fireball’!"
"Whoa!"
Fritz dodged it by a hair's breadth. The Fireball struck the garden, and the dry grass began to flare up. Fritz saw Elsa quickly rushing to extinguish the flames out of the corner of his eye as he moved to finish his fight.
"You bastard! ‘Thunderbolt’!"
Fritz versus the bandit, Edgar versus Glar, and the mysterious golem versus Sword. Three pairs were locked in three very different battles.