Chapter 27

After the Immortal Brigade's forces had completed their retreat, I checked the 'thing' I had asked Sefiro to prepare.

This object, if described in one word, might be called a 'giant wooden horse.'

It was made of wood, modeled after a fine stallion.

If this were placed in the square of the city of Ivalice, the residents would surely be delighted.

A crowd would undoubtedly gather, exclaiming, "What is this?"

The ruler of that city would surely smirk upon seeing it.

"Hahaha, did you see that? This is my power," he would say.

This is true in any era, in any world.

Those in power tend to build 'massive' structures to indulge in self-satisfaction.

In ancient times, there were the pyramids of King Khufu and the great mausoleums of China. In modern times, dictators of various countries create enormous bronze statues of themselves.

From the perspective of an ordinary person, one might think, "Are they crazy?" But as people rise to power, they seem to inevitably want to show off their strength to others.

Fortunately, I am a commoner at heart, so I have been free from such bad habits.

However, I knew that Jace, the one-eyed goblin, was a typical egotist.

He was the type who couldn't resist showing off his power.

So, I focused on that.

I sent the 'giant wooden horse' that Sefiro had prepared to Jace.

The pretext was that it was a symbol of a ceasefire.

I also included an apology letter, saying, "Please accept this as an offering, and forgive us this time."

Jace, upon seeing the apology letter and the giant wooden horse, must have been in high spirits.

He might have been treating his subordinates to drinks and hosting a feast.

—Actually, he was.

The one-eyed goblin Jace, unaware that I was hiding inside the wooden horse, was drinking merrily in the center of the square.

It seems he didn't know the story of the 'Trojan Horse.'

It's the one from the Trojan War in ancient Greek mythology, where a large wooden horse was offered as a gift to the enemy, who were then ambushed by soldiers hidden inside.

In modern times, it's more famous as a computer virus.

Modern people, knowing the term 'Trojan Horse,' are not easily fooled, but in this world, there were no similar myths or stories.

So, it's understandable that Jace didn't know. It might be a bit unfair to call him stupid.

According to Jiron,

"It's just that you're a genius, sir,"

but it's simply a matter of using knowledge from my previous life.

Thus, I was able to infiltrate the seemingly impregnable Lowe without any trouble.

My task was clear.

I took a deep breath and focused my strength on the staff of the Ouroboros in my right hand. At the same time, the doors of the wooden horse opened.

Before me were a large number of goblins, most of them holding cups of wine or eating with their hands.

I unleashed the Fireball spell at the gathered goblins in the square.

There was no need to aim.

They were all standing in a circle.

A burst of flames and a loud explosion echoed near the fountain at the center of the square.

Even then, the other goblins were still confused, probably thinking it was a celebratory spell.

In other words, they were completely unprepared.

I continued to cast spells at the goblins, who were still not in a combat-ready state.

Fireball, Lightning, and Cutting spells—there was no need to choose particularly effective ones.

The enemy soldiers fell one after another.

After a while, Jace and the other soldiers finally realized I had infiltrated the fortress.

Jace shouted,

"Wh-What nonsense! You're Ike!? How did you get here!? We were prepared for teleportation magic!"

"I was hiding inside the wooden horse."

Explaining it was a hassle, so I began to chant a spell to make it clear.

The wooden horse began to glow pale blue. At the same time, the wooden frame around it exploded and scattered.

"What the—What's that!?"

A nearby goblin shouted.

I replied,

"It's a golem made of Damascus steel, specially made by the leader."

As I finished speaking, the golem activated.

Recognizing the goblins as enemies, the golem charged at them.

Its steel fist plunged into a goblin.

"…………"

—It didn't even look painful.

The goblin was not just killed instantly but was completely disintegrated.

The golem, having killed one goblin, immediately sought out the next target.

Of course, the goblins tried to counterattack, but they were no match for the golem.

To damage a golem made of Damascus steel would require considerable magic power or a powerful weapon.

The goblins at the feast had neither.

A few goblin mages tried to counterattack with spells, but unfortunately, their spells could only scratch the surface of the golem.

As I watched the golem crush the goblins, I searched for Jace.

Although I had betrayed the 7th Legion, I didn't want to cause unnecessary bloodshed.

I wanted to capture Jace, the deputy leader, as quickly as possible to end this meaningless battle.