Chapter 98: Capture Operation
In the forest north of Thame.
Lurking there is the heavy golem ‘Stalin’.
“Ugh, no matter how high-performance Stalin is, it can’t win against those numbers alone… What should I do? Will I be able to escape?”
The elf holding his head alone inside the cockpit.
If it’s one-on-one, he doesn’t think he would lose against any opponent, but there are many enemies. There’s nothing more useful on the battlefield than the power of numbers.
In fact, his comrade who faced them head-on was blown to pieces in an instant.
What should I do? As he was mulling over these things, a man was secretly watching him from the shadow of a tree a short distance away.
It’s Reinhard Heydrich. He guessed that the elves had been using new weapons since the monster’s attack, and once the town’s defense was settled, he acted alone in an attempt to capture it.
“I see, as expected, they are using the new magic engine installed on that iceberg ship to control the giant iron golem… For behind-the-times elves, they think pretty well. Now then, how do I capture it?”
The mysterious system, ‘Mana Engine’, that the elves possess. The Yamato Empire knew of its existence, but hardly understood what it was.
It’s only natural since they have never captured a fully operational mana engine.
Although they had captured several of the things that had been carried on the iceberg ship, which had been blown away by the demon lord’s bombings and the battleship’s shelling, the information they could glean from such wreckage was quite limited.
In order to know its detailed performance, they absolutely want a functioning mana engine.
Heydrich is acting in response to the demands of the Empire.
However, the opponent is a giant of 18 meters in height with a body made of iron.
Heydrich is armed only with a rapier for self-defense and a pistol. No matter how highly skilled Heidrich is in Olympic-level fencing, it’s impossible for him to stop it.
“In that case, first… Hmm, these footsteps…”
At that moment, the sound of footsteps that he had recently heard reached his ears. Looking in the direction of the footsteps, he sees a girl running towards him.
“Huff, huff… There you are, Sir Reinhard Heydrich.”
“You are, Lynn… Was it? Why are you in a place like this?”
“I saw you go into the forest, so I thought I could help you with something.”
After saying that, Lynn Foreclaude let out a small sneeze for some reason.
While she was standing guard on top of the town wall, she happened to see Heydrich entering the forest and decided to follow him.
Well, she does have a lot of positive qualities. Heydrich is also a sinful man.
Even Heydrich did not find her to be a nuisance. Having fought alongside her once before, he has confirmed that her abilities are at least adequate enough to be considered not useless.
He thought that it was better than nothing, and as long as she didn’t get in the way, it was good enough, so he made her carry the large backpack radio that he had brought.
“Um, Sir Heydrich? What is this?”
“It’s a radio. You can think of it as a tool to contact friendly forces. Well then, we will capture that weapon.”
“That weapon?… No way, that giant weapon?”
“Yes, of course. Now, please follow me closely.”
What’s this radio transceiver that I was suddenly made to carry? Lynn makes a face as if to say that. However, as if to say that giving detailed explanations is bothersome, Heydrich continues to take action one after another.
First, what he did was contact the regimental artillery under his command using the radio.
“Lynn Foreclaude. Listen carefully, the plan is simple. First, we will drive out that weapon from the forest with artillery fire.”
“From the forest? Why is that?”
“In the forest, we can only deploy infantry, you see. It will be difficult to capture that giant. If we drive it out from the forest…”
“Do you mean the measures we can use also increase?”
“If you understand, then let’s get started.”
If they come out of the forest, we will be able to shoot them directly with a tank unit, and depending on the situation, air support―― also known as ‘Demon Lord Summoning’ may become possible.
That way, destroying the legs or employing other methods to halt its movement would also be easy.
Under Heydrich’s order, the eight 75mm mountain guns deployed south of the town of Thame opened fire.
Although it is a mountain gun specialized for portability, despite having a shorter range and less firepower compared to heavy artillery, this portable mountain gun can still achieve a range of 7 km, which is sufficient to cover a small forest.
From eight cannons, the fired shells soared through the air and reached the coordinates indicated by Heydrich, above the ‘Stalin’ on which the elf was riding.
It explodes in the air and scatters fragments.
The reason for not aiming for a direct hit is to avoid the slightest chance of the target getting destroyed.
“W-what! Explosion? Is this an attack? Has our location been compromised!? However, there’s nothing nearby, just how did they manage to make such an attack!?”
Explosions and metal fragments hit the giant. As a result, the elf understands that he is under attack.
His ‘Stalin’ armor can easily withstand shrapnel shells from artillery fires. However, it’s not a pleasant thing to be shot at, and he feels a sense of crisis.
And he also knows nothing about wireless radio communication.
He can’t imagine that a special agent is sneaking up on him on foot, covertly approaching, and then using radio to provide coordinates for artillery strikes.
Wondering how he is being attacked? Without even knowing that the only thing he can do is move recklessly to try to escape.
“…The target has started moving. We’re going after it, Lynn.”
“Can we chase after it? Something that big, the speed will also…”
“The footing inside the forest is bad, so it would be difficult for that giant to run. Besides, it doesn’t seem to be that fast in the first place.”
“I-I see…”
As he says, the ‘Stalin’ maneuverability is not high.
The maximum speed on flat ground is 20 km/h, but in this kind of uneven terrain like the forest, it probably won’t even reach half of that.
Well, with a weight of over 120 tons, it is comparable to the German super-heavy tank ‘Maus’.
Using the radio that Lynn carried, Heydrich and Lynn continued to communicate with the surrounding units while pursuing.
Under his direction, the talented gunners of the Imperial Guard continuously rained shells, forcing the elf to keep moving.
Moreover, the bombardment was completely calculated, so the shells landed as if guiding the elf in a certain direction.
And finally…
“Battalion Commander! Target sighted, it came out of the forest! It is according to Sir Heydrich’s instructions.”
“This time, aim for the legs… We aim for it!”
“Copy that, I was scolded by Sir Heydrich earlier for blowing up the target.”
Chased by a rain of shells, the elf escapes from the forest.
A company of 16 Chi-Ha Kai tanks is waiting on standby. This too is part of Heydrich’s calculation.
“Whoa, shit! They have anticipated me!”
By the time the elf noticed, it was too late. The 47mm cannon fired by the tank company crushed Stalin’s legs.
“Gah! I’ve been hit!?”
Losing its support, the ‘Stalin’ toppled over.
It struggled to stand up several times, but having lost its leg, it cannot stand up. After thrashing around a few times, it completely stopped moving, lying on its back.
There’s no way to escape.
The elf, who had that thought, operated the console and attempted to self-destruct in order to at least prevent the capture of Stalin, but…
Before he could self-destruct, the cockpit was opened.
“W-who is it―― ack!”
“From next time onwards, it would be good to lock it so that it cannot be opened from the outside. Well, it’s unfortunate, but there won’t be a next time for you.”
And then, the man who came in―― Heydrich knocked the elf unconscious with a single blow. After being dragged out from the cockpit, the elf was taken into custody.
“Sir Heydrich, with this, um…”
“The mission is complete, all that remains is to transport this golem to Hellerford. Over there, my former boss is researching occult magic…”
“I see… Then, what about the elves?”
“We will carry out appropriate ‘measure’. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Thus, the series of disturbances comes to an end.
Although the town of Thame suffered significant damage, primarily around the breached north gate, it managed to remain intact.
The captured Stalin and the elf seem to have been useful for the ‘research’ of the Yamato Empire.
And then…
“Führer Eryutheia, you came to help me.”
“Ah, Lynn-san. Were you safe? Where have you been, I was looking for you?”
“I was on a capture mission with Sir Heydrich. Thanks to him, I was able to return safely like this. I can’t thank him enough.”
“Heydrich…? Aah, you mean that pervert who’s fetishized opening a naughty shop and using it himself? Even that person occasionally does something good.”
“Eh, a naughty shop? A pervert?”
“That’s right, did you not know? Also, being a fan of spy novels, there’s a somewhat ‘middle-schooler syndrome’ side to him, like thinking up strange code names…”
I-I see, so that’s the kind of person he was… I thought he was a more serious man.
Unbeknownst to Heydrich, someone is a little disappointed in him.
Poor thing.
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