Peru stood before the furnace from which white smoke billowed thickly. The sight of him tossing broken metal into the furnace looked somewhat forlorn. The commander called out to Peru.
"Lord Peru. They have arrived."
Hearing the commander's voice, Peru turned his head. After confirming our presence, Peru looked back at the furnace and spoke.
"...Wait. There's still some left."
"Understood. I have matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first. Stay safe."
"...Thank you."
The commander bowed and withdrew. After that, silence fell. Watching Peru toss metal in without a word, the regressor asked with evident frustration.
"What's left that you keep putting in?"
"...Yongmae."
"Yongmae? An animal?"
"...No. Rouket's weapon."
If it was Rouket's weapon, there was only one. His Juggernaut, Yongmae. The moment she realized this, the regressor asked in shock.
"A Juggernaut? You're saying there's a Juggernaut inside that furnace?"
"...Yeah."
"I heard only the Golden Mirror could transmute one. What are you?"
"...Not transmutation. I can only dismantle."
Peru shook her head and placed the last remaining piece into the furnace. The furnace, having swallowed its prey whole, trembled as if it might explode at any moment.
"...Yeolpung tried to self-destruct with the Juggernaut. Had that happened, the precious Juggernaut would have been lost. So I stopped it. I had no intention of saving you."
"Hmph. We wouldn't have died just from that little explosion."
"...That's not important."
Shaking her head, Peru turned the lever attached to the furnace. The furnace lid closed at an angle, and a rough horn blasted through the gap. Between those sounds, Peru's low voice could be heard.
"...When war breaks out, when debris piles up. Yeolguk grows wealthy. But many will die. The jackals, and Gunguk's soldiers too."
"Hmm? I don't know about that~. It doesn't seem like Gunguk would lose to Yeolguk though~."
"...That's also not important."
It seemed neither the regressor nor Hilde understood Peru's words.
Their values differ, so their focus is slightly off. Both the regressor and Hilde were discussing the outcome of the battle, but Peru didn't care about that. As an alchemist, "which side" wasn't important to her values.
"What matters to you isn't victory or defeat, but the total sum of value, isn't it? You're averse to the losses incurred by waging battles or wars?"
"...Yeah."
"An alchemist's mindset, I see. Though having a nation's entire value on one side of the scale is a bit unexpected."
"...It's not my scale. It's the Golden Mirror's scale."
Finally, Peru activated her Innate Demon Art. I recoiled in alarm, trying to pull away, but fortunately, this time the Innate Demon Art didn't touch me. Peru's power to disintegrate matter worked solely within the furnace.
As Peru's power combined with it, the furnace heated up in the truest sense.
Furnaces are mostly powered by magic. Before alchemy emerged, they used to build large fires to melt metal, but after the development of alchemy and white magic, such methods became obsolete. They either transmute metal with magic itself, or if that's too difficult, they use magic to generate flames for processing.
However, the Juggernaut bestowed by the Golden Mirror is heated by Peru's Innate Demon Art in the furnace. An Innate Demon Art overlays one's own rules onto the world. Because it is unique, it is incompatible with almost everything else in most cases... but the Golden Mirror's Juggernaut is a mystery beyond even Innate Demon Arts.
Force and heat escape from the steel disintegrated by the Innate Demon Art. Trapped within the Golden Mirror's metal, they condense even further. Then, the moment it crosses a certain threshold, it flows through complex mechanisms to every part of the Juggernaut.
And the furnace began to move with a clanking sound.
Pushing through the mound of earth, the stern rose up. Massive infinite tracks climbed against the pouring soil and sand. Swimming through the sea of earth and sand, the Juggernaut that had been hidden within revealed itself.
The furnace was merely a part of this Juggernaut. Including the portion buried in the earth, it was several times larger. The Juggernaut with its streamlined infinite tracks looked like a massive ship with the furnace as its prow.
The Juggernaut settled heavily onto the ground. Unfortunately, the fence that had been in front of it snapped and broke, but no one had the mind to care. Fences were not even pebbles before the massive vehicle whose wheels alone exceeded 3 meters.
"...So, I hope you don't fight."
Peru walked up onto it. Standing before the ascending stairs and looking back, Peru turned around.
"...Get on. I'll guide you."
There was no reason to refuse. We also nodded and boarded the Juggernaut without a word....
In the midst of this, Hilde suddenly asked as if she'd just remembered something.
"Wait a moment. What about 'our' cataphract?"
"This looks way better, so aren't we leaving it behind?"
"What are you saying! Gunguk's cataphract is the most technical and outstanding all-terrain vehicle! It's the essence of Gunguk's technological prowess—more economical and quieter than a needlessly large Juggernaut, and universally usable by ordinary soldiers!"
"I'm sorry, Hilde. But once you've ridden a Juggernaut... those pathetic little vehicles just don't satisfy anymore."
"This is why you can't! Men always think bigger and grander is best! You shouldn't abandon your first wife!"
"Before the cataphract, there was Aji's dog sled. If you think about it, that was the first vehicle."
"Arf! Never again! It's hard!"
Aji shook his head as if he'd had enough. Rather than the dog sled being hard, it probably meant it was difficult to worry about my safety dangling behind it. It'll be hard to ride dog sleds from now on.
At that moment, Peru, who had been listening, pointed to the deck and spoke.
"...Bring it. There's space to load it."
"I really don't like that proposal! It sounds like you're boasting that the Juggernaut is so impressive it can carry 'my' cataphract with room to spare!"
"Until Hilde said that herself, it was probably a proposal made with pure intentions."
"That's why I hate it even more! At least boast about it!"
Why is she throwing such a tantrum. Is she upset about being compared to Yeolguk? Sigh, it's clear she loves Gunguk more than anyone.
Uh, wait.
"Wait a moment, Hilde. More importantly, where did you park the cataphract?"
"Well, outside the fence... oh my."
Hilde looked down. Below the trampled fence, a familiar sight could be seen. A familiar mechanical device, horrifically shattered and flung away, was also there.
Gunguk 1 penalty point.
Peru's Juggernaut, the Golden Ship. The infinite-tracked fortress navigating the sea of sand quietly advanced across Yeolguk's land.
Even with fierce winds blowing, the massive steel body did not sway. It lightly crushed boulders and smoothly climbed steep hills. The name Golden Ship was not ill-fitting. Unlike the ocean, waves don't crash on the earth, so nothing hindered the Golden Ship's advance.
We stayed in the cabin below the deck, enjoying a more comfortable journey than ever. Tir sat in a chair and evaluated the Golden Ship's ride quality.
"Smooth and quiet. I cannot tell whether I am riding a vehicle or sitting in an elegant castle. It is the most pleasing marvel I have seen in recent days."
Though it didn't show much on her face, Peru answered with what seemed like delight.
"...It's displacement travel."
"Displacement travel? Hmm, what is that?"
Having realized that Peru wasn't good at explaining, Tir naturally turned the conversation to me. Does she think I'm some answer vending machine? I'm human too; what I don't know, I don't know.
Well. Since I read Peru's thoughts, I do know.
"It's the ideal method of movement that has been passed down as theoretically the strongest in alchemy. Tir, normally when you want to go fast, things in front of you are obstacles, right? Like the wind you crash into or the pebbles that catch on you."
"Or sunlight."
No, sunlight wouldn't be included in that category. Anyway.
"If you were to dismantle such obstacles the moment they touch you using alchemy, then obstacles that should block your path wouldn't be able to block you at all, right? You'd be able to advance without any interference."
"Hmm. I see."
"Yes. Furthermore, if you were to restore those dismantled obstacles to their original state after passing them, you could gain the effect of the obstacles pushing you from behind. And you'd recover the magic power used for dismantling as well, as a bonus."
This was the alchemy-based technique conceived by a genius. Displacement travel.
Tir, who had been pondering, understood the concept and clapped her hands.
"If what you say is true, you could advance as if riding a tailwind even on bare ground!"
"Theoretically, you could even walk through the ground as if taking a stroll. Though that's only 'in theory.'"
As is the case everywhere in the world, saying something is "theoretically possible" essentially means it's practically impossible. If it worked as easily as that, it wouldn't have come down as a legend.
"In reality, it takes time to dismantle obstacles with alchemy, and if you don't dismantle them properly, the magic residue becomes an obstacle itself. And no matter how diligently you reconstruct them, you can't recover the consumed magic power at 100% efficiency. It's close to impossible."
"Saying it's close means it's not impossible, right?"
"Rumor has it there are jackals who travel underground using displacement travel. They use the name 'mole' instead of jackal. But it's said to be so slow compared to the theory that it's only useful for ambushing sleeping opponents. If it's that difficult even with a human body, how could you make it into a device? Absolutely impossible."
When I declared this, Tir tilted her head and asked back.
"But it was done, wasn't it?"
"Huh?"
Right. How was it done?
Even with an Innate Demon Art, it's a power to disintegrate matter. It's not a universal technique like alchemy, but a very limited ability that only Peru possesses. To apply that ability to such an enormous Juggernaut...?
I'm at a loss for words. Is she really human? Even I, the King of Humanity, can't figure it out—what kind of monster is she?
"This too must be the majesty of the Golden Mirror."
"...Mm."
In the meantime, Peru, having heard my words, snorted softly with satisfaction. I didn't particularly praise you, so why are you puffing up? Have you become one with the Golden Mirror? Does praise directed at the Golden Mirror count as praise for you?
"Ugh! This is cheating!"
And, and in the midst of that, there's someone who takes praise for Yeolguk as blasphemy against Gunguk and blasphemy against herself. Hilde stomped her feet and expressed her dissatisfaction.
"They don't even know the Juggernaut's structure! They don't know how it works! They're just using it because the Golden Mirror gave it to them! Unlike Gunguk's cataphract, the Juggernaut has no blood, sweat, or effort!"
"...This too, the majesty of the Golden Mirror."
You really liked that phrase, didn't you. You're using it right away.
Hilde, thoroughly irritated, grumbled.
"How wonderful, really!"
Bang. Hilde stomped her foot with some dissatisfaction mixed into her qi. It was a kick with clear destructive intent, but the Juggernaut didn't so much as dent, let alone break.
This too must be the majesty of the Golden Mirror. Yep.
"Tch! This won't do. 'I' need to show Gunguk's majesty too!"
"Does Gunguk have anything to show? Surely not a formal qi technique demonstration? Just as a heads-up, that's nothing to boast about. The more you do it, the lower your national dignity drops."
"Hmph, do you think 'I' am some old general? That would never happen! Father, keep your mouth shut!"
Hilde, fuming, pointed upward as if she'd suddenly remembered something.
"Ah, right. Peru, Aji is chasing the horse on the deck, you know?"
"...Ah."
Peru's horse, Aurea, grazes in a small field created on the deck. Until now, Aurea had lived a comfortable and pleasant life on the moving ground, but with Aji present now, she was constantly being tormented.
Whenever there was a chance, Aji would chase the horse, barking left and right to try to discipline it. The timid Aurea would neigh mournfully, and Peru had to go up and peel Aji off each time. Because the human, at least, listened to words fairly well, no matter what anyone said.