Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint
Chapter 338: Peru's Moving Castle

As dawn broke, the horrors of the previous day were laid bare for everyone to see.

The vast plains were scarred with the traces of battle—bloodstains, ashes, and gaping craters plagued the ground like an incurable malady.

Amidst the pitifully deformed earth, scavenging Dholes gleefully scurried through the battlefield, pocketing anything with even a hint of value.

Not just the mounts, but even the weapons and tools found on the corpses could be alchemized anew, making them precious assets.

The Dholes that had fled earlier returned to claim the spoils left behind by the Winged Assault Squad and other fallen Dholes.

A gruesome festival of corpses took place across the ruined plains as the Dholes indulged themselves.

The only reason fresh bodies weren’t piling up was due to the strict order maintained by the camp chief.

“Hey! Make sure you properly bury the body after you loot them!”

A Dhole, who was about to leave after only taking the valuables, clicked his tongue.

“Ugh, what a hassle. They’re already dead anyway.”

“I’m not asking you to show respect to the dead. At least show some respect for your patron!”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. For the patron, digging a hole and burying them is the least I can do.”

The grumbling Dhole began to bury the body as instructed, while the camp chief approached us, exhaling deeply.

“Apologies for the delay. Before Lady Peru departed, I wanted to take care of the bodies. If they were left lying around, the scattered Winged Assault Squad might come to retrieve them.”

Of course, it wasn’t out of camaraderie.

The bodies of the Winged Assault Squad held too many valuable resources.

With their swift mobility, any Dholes could launch a raid and make off with wing and thruster units.

He was likely worried about this possibility.

However… I glanced at Hilde.

Sensing my gaze, Hilde gave me a wide grin.

“Hehehe. What’s up, Father?”

“Nothing at all.”

Was that really the case?

This person was responsible for killing most of the Winged Assault Squad, after all.

And she did it by stealing their faces, flying in the sky, and assassinating them one by one.

The reason the Winged Assault Squad scattered in disarray was not because they were incompetent, but because they couldn’t distinguish friend from foe.

What a terrifying power

It sent chills down my spine.

The Regressor asked the camp chief.

“What about the Witherarch?”

“She’s in the camp, unsealing the Juggernaut.”

“She’s still not done?”

“She should be soon. Follow me.”

The camp chief left the aftermath to his subordinates and led the way through the camp.

A pleasant stillness filled the place as most of the Dholes were outside looting. It was hard to believe that just yesterday, hundreds of people had died here.

But within the roaming lands of the Fallen Dominion, such occasions weren’t unusual.

Reunions between Dholes who had parted ways were rare.

To them, death was synonymous with separation.

Walking past the spoils, the camp chief spoke.

“Now that it’s out in the open, I’ll say it again. Lady Peru is the Witherarch. However, she doesn’t build a significant following and travels alone.”

“So, she’s a loner. She did seem a bit like that.”

“…It’s not an incorrect statement. There are several difficulties in amassing wealth with her ability.”

The camp chief, having mentioned an uncomfortable truth, added defensively.

“But on the other hand, you’ll hardly find a safer Primarch. Look at the Fireblastarch, Rocket. He and his followers burn through money recklessly, always hunting others to make up for what they’ve spent. In contrast, Lady Peru has little interest in wealth.”

“Because even if she gathered it, her power would eventually erase its value?”

“…I wouldn’t know that since I haven’t entered Lady Peru’s mind, but one thing’s for sure. Lady Peru avoids conflict and is peaceful.”

The camp chief shot me a sidelong glance before turning his head.

“She might not be the most welcoming, but there’s no reason to make her an enemy. I’m counting on you.”

“He’s correct, Father. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of it.”

“…Was this person always this noisy?”

The Regressor wondered out loud.

Finally losing patience, the camp chief complained to the Regressor.

“What’s your problem?”

Suddenly confronted by the disgruntled chief, she turned to me and explained.

“He’s being evasive. I was only trying to get him to speak his mind.”

“That’s what he said.”

“…Forget it. I shouldn’t have spoken up.”

The camp chief shook his head and resumed walking.

We gradually made our way deeper into the camp.

“We’re here. Over there.”

Peru stood before a furnace that billowed white smoke.

She was tossing broken pieces of metal into it, looking somewhat forlorn.

The camp chief called out,

“Lady Peru, they’re here to see you.”

Peru glanced back at the camp chief’s voice and briefly acknowledged our presence before returning to gaze at the furnace.

“…Wait. There’s still more.”

“I understand. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave. Stay safe.”

“…Thank you.”

The camp chief bowed slightly and left.

Silence settled in.

Watching Peru silently throw pieces into the furnace, the Regressor asked impatiently.

“Where did you get that metal?”

“…The Wyvern.”

“The Wyvern? An animal?”

“…No. Rocket’s weapon.”

If it was Rocket’s weapon, there was only one thing it could be: his Juggernaut.

Realizing this, the Regressor asked in shock,

“The Juggernaut? There’s a Juggernaut in that furnace?”

“…Yes.”

“But I heard only the Golden Lord can refine one. Who are you?”

“…Not refining. Just dismantling.”

Peru shook her head and placed the last piece into the furnace.

The furnace, now filled to the brim, trembled as if it were about to explode.

“…Rocket tried to self-destruct with the Juggernaut. If that happened, a precious Juggernaut would’ve been lost so I stopped him. I didn’t do it to save you.”

“Hmph. A little explosion like that wouldn’t have killed me.”

“…That’s not the point.”

Peru shook her head and turned the lever attached to the furnace.

The lid closed at an angle and the sound of rough churning filled the air.

Between the noise, Peru’s low voice reached us.

“…When war breaks out and wreckage piles up, the Fallen Dominion becomes wealthy, but many will die. Both Dholes and the Military State soldiers.”

“Hm? I doubt the Military State would lose to the Fallen Dominion~”

“…That’s not the point, either.”

It seemed the Regressor and Hilde didn’t quite grasp what Peru was getting at.

Their perspectives were slightly off, focusing on the results of the war. Meanwhile, Peru wasn’t concerned about that.

As an alchemist, allegiances were irrelevant.

“What matters to you isn’t victory or defeat but the total value at stake, right? You’re worried about the losses from battles and wars.”

“…Yes.”

“That’s an alchemist’s mindset. Though, I didn’t expect you to view a nation’s total value as part of your balance.”

“…Not my balance. The Golden Lord’s.”

Finally, Peru activated her Unique Magic.

I flinched, preparing to move, but fortunately, this time her power didn’t extend to me.

Her ability to dismantle matter acted solely within the furnace.

With her power added, the furnace glowed with true intensity.

Most furnaces run on mana.

Before alchemy, fires were built to melt metal, but after the advent of alchemy and white magic, such methods became obsolete.

Now, metals are either refined directly by magic or processed using magical fire.

However, Peru’s Juggernaut, bestowed by the Golden Lord, was fueled by her own Unique Magic.

Unique Magic overlays the world with its user’s rules.

They are unique and often incompatible with anything else… but the Golden Lord’s Juggernauts transcended even Unique Magic.

As the metal inside the furnace, dismantled by her power, released energy and heat, it became further concentrated within the Golden Lord’s creation.

Once it crossed a certain threshold, the energy coursed through the intricate machinery of the Juggernaut.

The furnace shuddered and came to life.

Breaking through the earth, the hull rose up.

A giant caterpillar track defied the tide of earth and sand, emerging from the ground where it had been hidden.

The furnace was merely a part of this Juggernaut.

Including the buried sections, it was many times larger.

The streamlined, tracked Juggernaut looked like a massive ship with a furnace as its engine.

The Juggernaut settled heavily on the ground.

An unfortunate fence in its path splintered, but no one paid attention to such a trivial detail.

Even the fence was insignificant compared to the massive vehicle, whose wheels alone stood over 3 meters tall.

“…So, I hope there’s no more fighting.”

Peru climbed up the side.

Standing at the foot of the boarding steps, she turned back to us.

“…Get on. I’ll guide.”

There was no reason to refuse. We nodded silently and climbed aboard the Juggernaut.

However, Hilde seemed to recall something and asked.

“Wait a moment. What about our Catafract?”

“This seems much better. Why not just leave it behind?”

“What nonsense! The Military State’s Catafract is the pinnacle of technical prowess and the most advanced all-terrain vehicle. It’s more economical, quieter, and can be universally operated by ordinary soldiers—a true testament to our technological ingenuity!”

“Sorry, Hilde. But once you’ve ridden a Juggernaut… ordinary mounts just don’t cut it anymore.”

“That’s why it’s frustrating! Men always think bigger and fancier is better! You can’t just abandon your old, faithful ride!”

“Before the Catafract, I had Azzy’s dog sled. If we’re being technical, that’s the first mount I used.”

“Woof! Never again! Too tiring!”

Azzy shook her head in what seemed like exhaustion.

It wasn’t so much that pulling the sled was hard. Rather, keeping me safe as I hung on behind was too stressful.

Looks like riding the sled won’t be easy in the future.

Hearing our conversation, Peru pointed to the deck and said,

“…Bring it. There’s room to load it.”

“I don’t like that proposal! It sounds like she’s bragging that this Juggernaut is so impressive it could carry my Catafract as cargo!”

“It was probably a genuine offer until you said that, Hilde.”

“Which makes it worse! I’d rather she brag outright!”

Why so whiny?

Is it the comparison to the Fallen Dominion that bothers you?

Good grief, it’s clear she loves the Military State more than anyone.

Wait a second.

“Hold on, Hilde. Where exactly did you park the Catafract?”

“Well, outside the fence… huh…”

Hilde looked down.

Beneath the trampled fence, a familiar sight came into view.

The remnants of a familiar machine, crushed and tossed aside.

““…””

Seems like the Military State has already lost.