Regulus 19 of the Quinta—the unit known as Shaun—contacted Laojun, the overarching brain of Hourai Island, to ask for instructions on whether he should make contact with the three deformed golems.
As it happened, Jin was currently in the command room on an unrelated matter.
"What are these golems... they're quite bizarre-looking," he remarked, offering his honest impression.
"Are they Progenitor golems?"
"Yes, My Lord. There is a high probability of that," Laojun replied.
The assessment stemmed from the knowledge that the Progenitors did not always conform to humanoid shapes in their designs.
"There haven't been any human casualties so far, right?"
"None. Furthermore, the cargo they are carrying appears to be nothing more than stolen materials they have reclaimed."
"Stolen?"
"Yes... most likely by remnants of the Unifilar."
Hearing this theory, something occurred to Jin. He remembered the materials used in the small golems he had examined recently.
"So the people who built those found a supply cache and took the materials?"
"That is the likely scenario."
The materials in question were skeletal metals and magi-muscle. Based on the conversation between the three strange golems, there was little room for doubt. Laojun asserted that it was highly probable someone from the Unifilar remnants had discovered the materials and repurposed them for their own golems.
"But can we actually talk sense into those three?"
Experience suggested that the likelihood of them agreeing to a peaceful discussion from the outset was low. As subordinates of the Progenitors, they tended to ignore any party that hadn't demonstrated enough strength to earn a place at the negotiating table.
"In that case, is a Quinta unit a bit underpowered for the job?"
Since the Quinta prioritized their ability to pass as humans, it was undeniable that they were less capable than pure combat golems.
"Indeed, My Lord. I believe it would be best to deploy the Land units."
"Good idea. Let's send three of them."
"Understood."
＊ ＊ ＊
〈Hm?〉
〈It appears something has arrived.〉
"A pleasure to meet you, esteemed deformed golems."
Land 901, having arrived via transporter, was the first to speak.
〈"And you are?"〉
Mono addressed him, maintaining a human-like tempo for the time being.
"I am Land 901. These are my colleagues, Land 902 and Land 903."
〈"I see. Golems of the indigenous people, then?"〉
"Correct."
〈"Hmph. I am Mono. This is Ji, and this is Teto....And what is your business with us?"〉
"Simply this: we ask that you refrain from attacking the humans of this land."
〈"I see, I see. So that's what this is about....We have no intention of attacking the indigenous people. Earlier, we merely removed an obstacle."〉
"I understand....In that case, will you leave peacefully?"
〈"That was our intent....However, I have one concern."〉
"Which is?"
〈...Hand over information regarding yourselves and the Master who created you.〉
Mono suddenly switched to high-speed language. However, Land 901 followed the shift perfectly.
〈"I must refuse that request."〉
Land 901 replied in the same high-speed language.
〈Oho. So you possess a processing speed equal to our own....Then how about this? Trueno!〉
Mono unleashed lightning-attribute magic.
The three Land units stood their ground, taking the hit without attempting to dodge. They realized that even the slightest movement would allow Mono and the others to glean data about their performance.
〈...Hm? You didn't dodge? Or was it simply that the spell didn't bother you? Either way, you are built quite sturdily.〉
Even as the three Land units accepted the lightning-attribute magic with indifference, Mono was already using the result to calibrate his evaluation of their capabilities.
〈Then try this! Llama!〉
Mono unleashed a spell of incandescent, white-hot flames.
"Land, don't hold back!"
At that moment, Jin’s voice resonated within the Land units' control cores.
Since these servants who inherited the Progenitors' will refused to negotiate without a display of power, revealing their strength was a necessary evil. However, the Land units had been hesitant in their actions to avoid leaking information about Jin. Realizing this, Jin had issued a direct order.
"Understood!"
〈Hm?〉
The white flames seemed to engulf the Land units. But in that exact moment—
〈They vanished?!〉
The Land units disappeared from Mono’s field of vision.
〈Impossible! There is no way they could accelerate to such speeds in a heartbeat!〉
It was a law of physics common to both Earth and Planet Ars: one cannot transition from a standstill to maximum velocity in zero seconds.
But what if they could move without accelerating?
The Land units had used their emergency transporters to teleport.
They immediately moved to counterattack.
〈Behind you, Mono!〉
〈What?!〉
Mono spun around at Ji’s warning. He was a fraction of a second too late; the ingots he had been carrying were snatched away by Land 901.
〈Insolent cur!〉
Mono’s calm demeanor shattered into sudden rage.
However—
〈"Surely this is enough for you to acknowledge our strength?"〉
Land 901 spoke in high-speed language as he placed the stolen ingots on the ground and leaped back ten meters.
〈Hm?〉
〈"This was a test of skill, not a battle to the death, was it not?"〉
Land 901 addressed the suspicious Mono.
〈...Indeed. That is true.〉
〈"I have no desire to see my Master’s dignity violated; I trust you can understand that sentiment."〉
〈...Hmph. You are no ordinary golem. Were you perhaps created by a different faction?〉
〈"No. My creator hails from a different planet than yours."〉
〈What? A different world?〉
This was a strategic piece of information suggested by Laojun. Since Jin was from Earth, it wasn't a lie—even if some of the magic he used shared a lineage with the Progenitors.
This revelation seemed to dissolve the immediate hostility between the bizarre golems and the Land units.
〈Very well. We came only to reclaim stolen materials. We have no desire for further conflict with the indigenous people.〉
〈"Understood."〉
〈Then we shall take our leave. We will remember that there are those besides the Masters capable of creating golems of your caliber.〉
With those final words, the three golems departed.
Naturally, Regulus 19 of the Quinta—Shaun—continued to shadow them as a precaution.
Land 901 then went to find the soldiers who had fled.
However, the terrified men only ran faster when they saw Land 901 approaching.
"It is all right now! They have retreated!"
Land 901's shout finally caused the soldiers to slow down, though they remained wary.
" I am a golem dispatched by the Magi Craft Meister. The danger has passed."
Upon hearing that title, the soldiers finally came to a halt.
"The Magi Craft Meister, you say...?"
"Then... is it really safe now?"
Once the soldiers had finally regained their composure, Land 901 gave them a brief summary of the situation.
He explained that the intruders had only come to recover stolen materials hidden deep within the abandoned mine. He added that now that they had what they came for, they had left, stating they had no intention of interfering with anyone else.
Reassured by the explanation, the security guards finally let out sighs of relief and returned to their posts at the mine.