75. The Empire in Turmoil (2)
Whirrr! Rumble rumble boom!
Wayne could feel with every fiber of his being that his Odd reaction speed had increased.
'Yes! This is true high-speed maneuvering.'
The time from issuing a command in his head to his body’s Odd responding and injecting it into the Gigant was down to milliseconds—virtually the same as moving his own body. His current physical abilities were three times that of an ordinary person, and his reflexes, infused with Odd, rivaled a D-rank monster’s. So, with Wayne’s body and Gigant moving in sync, it was as if a 7-meter-tall human was sprinting at full tilt. He was moving incredibly fast.
'Damn! I’ve never been able to draw out the full performance of a Gigant until now!'
This wasn’t just about Hermes. All the 3rd-class Gigants he’d piloted before, and even Predator, had been underutilized. It wasn’t about pouring out more Odd to run faster or overflowing with Odd to maximize performance. What mattered more was Odd reaction speed and how well synchronized the pilot was with the Gigant—that was the mark of a true elite pilot who could extract maximum potential.
'Still not enough to pilot Martias!'
Wayne had initially thought, based on Karian’s memories and experience, that mastering at least the 6th stage of Odd breathing was required to pilot Martias. It had once seemed a distant goal, but now it was within sight. Up to the 5th stage, training focused on strengthening the pilot’s body and Odd. The 6th stage, however, was about unifying pilot and Gigant—no separate method existed; it came from insights gained while piloting. Training periods or techniques were meaningless.
'Hunting a giant plant monster would be ideal to master the 6th stage quickly...'
Karian had called this 6th stage not Odd optimization or synchronization, but Odd unification. With luck, it could dawn overnight while piloting; with bad luck, it might never come in a lifetime. Even King Karian himself had taken four years to surpass it—the longest of the full 10 stages. But something that could accelerate mastery of the 6th stage was an S-rank giant plant monster. It wasn’t about absorbing its Odd; the way it manipulated and moved surrounding plants with Odd was strikingly similar to how a pilot controlled a Gigant. Absorbing its experiences should enable quick insight into the 6th stage.
'First, I need to properly develop the territory. Then I’ll think about it.'
Catching an S-rank monster was still beyond his current abilities. He’d managed the queen ant by knowing its weakness, but he knew nothing of plant monsters’ vulnerabilities or habits. The queen ant had at least sent legions against them once, but it had felt like fighting a storm—useless intel. For now, he’d focus on immediate priorities.
'Already here.'
A massive pupil crafted by the dwarves loomed in the distance. It was two days from the queen ant’s nest to Westline Fortress, but Wayne had covered it in just 8 hours. That was equivalent to 8 hours of intense combat. Yet his Odd reserves were still plentiful.
[What are you all doing here?]
“Captain Wayne!”
As Wayne dismounted from the Gigant, Bastian and Jamie approached.
“Any injuries, sir?”
“I’m fine. What are you doing here?”
“We all teamed up to hunt the princess ants and worker ants, then processed the byproducts and brought them here. Figured other territories might get jealous if they saw.”
“Heh! Must’ve been tough holding off the ants. Just rest.”
“Who gives out gold coins for resting? We got 9 A-rank ants and 12 B-rank workers—that’s enough to cover funds for a while.”
Wayne grinned in satisfaction. It wasn’t even a task he’d assigned, and they must’ve been exhausted, yet they’d gone monster hunting and made a fortune. His chest swelled with pride.
“I’ll finish organizing.”
Bastian headed to the piled byproducts. Jamie, inspecting the Gigant closely, approached with a shocked expression.
“A little more and it would’ve been disastrous!”
Hermes had a hole in its shoulder, and one arm was completely gone.
“I know. If I’d drawn out the Gigant’s full performance, it would’ve been fine. It was risky this time. Can you fix it?”
Jamie looked uncertain at Wayne’s question.
“I was going to mention it. I can maintain or do simple repairs on 2nd-class like Predator, but this level of damage is beyond me. I still have a lot to learn... Sorry.”
Her shoulders slumped. She’d probably never led repairs on a 2nd-class, and Wayne’s Gigants weren’t Dresden-made—they were ancient relics, making it even tougher.
Wayne patted her shoulder.
“It’s okay. What do you need? Send you to study in the capital?”
“That’d take too long. Better to recruit or bring in a skilled engineer.”
“An engineer?”
Wayne pondered, then nodded.
Jamie was young and talented, but ahead lay 1st-class maintenance, weapons and armor from S-rank byproducts—they needed an experienced Gigant fabricator.
“Your father’s out, right?”
Jamie shook her head regretfully.
“Yes... Taking Dresden’s workshop head would start a war.”
“True.”
Her father led one of Dresden’s three great workshops and built Gigants himself—impossible.
“How about visiting the capital?”
“Know someone?”
“Not personally. Father studied at the Imperial Gigant Academy and has a friend from then who’s retired now.”
“Retired... He’ll be old.”
“Yes. Active ones are impossible anyway. They manage skilled mechanics stricter than pilots.”
“Good. I’ll head to the capital right after returning to the territory.”
Jamie’s face lit up. She’d been suffering in silence.
Feeling Yann’s presence in the underground pupil, Wayne headed there. Yann was logging byproduct counts and organizing ledgers. As the only one unable to pilot a Gigant, he had the most work.
“Captain! You’re back safe.”
“Yeah, good work.”
Yann wanted to pilot too, but controlling a 3rd-class with red Odd was exponentially harder. Wayne resolved to recruit a top engineer soon—for Yann’s sake, and to build him a fitting Gigant.
“Where’s Eleven? Haven’t seen him.”
“Ah! He’ll follow soon. Here, take this.”
Wayne carefully pulled an egg the size of an adult fist from his bosom.
“This is...”
Yann instinctively felt ominous vibes from the egg.
“Keep it secret from others. When it hatches, a larva comes out. Feed it and raise it. It’ll molt four times in half a year and become a pupa. Tell me then. Got it?”
“I get what you mean, but why me...?”
“Because you’re the one I trust most. An egg hatched here will be our territory’s secret weapon.”
“Ah! Secret weapon.”
Yann felt uneasy but nodded at “secret weapon” and took the egg. Now he’d raise a wolf pup and an ant egg.
Westline Fortress was in full festival mode. Everyone celebrated victory, drinking everywhere.
“To Young Lord Wayne!”
“To him!”
Every time Wayne appeared, pilots and soldiers from various territories raised their glasses.
“This victory is all thanks to Young Lord Wayne!”
“Felt like seeing Marquis Frank from ten years ago.”
An older pilot reminisced, bowing his head.
“We blocked them because everyone worked together.”
Even young pilots admired Wayne’s character. He’d led the defense against the ant legion, yet acted like it was nothing—making him even more likable. Here, Wayne was a hero at the peak of popularity, his name soon to spread across the empire.
As night fell, Sabina and the orcs returned, while Jamie and the dwarves feverishly processed the S-rank queen ant. Her size required steel golems and Gigants. With departure tomorrow, they bustled late into the night.
Wayne approached a man by the campfire.
“Here you are.”
Blaster stood and bowed.
“Glad you’re safe, Young Lord Wayne.”
“Not returning to Marquis Frank?”
“......”
Wayne knew why. Blaster was stubbornly loyal. Sent to protect him, he couldn’t leave mid-mission. And with Wayne ordering him back... he’d stayed, secretly aiding the outpost. Two days ago, he’d even sniped ants to help Wayne.
“Come with me to the territory tomorrow.”
“But I’d have to report to the marquis.”
“Heh! Why so stubborn? Just lie in your report.”
“I can’t lie knowing you know, Young Lord.”
Wayne shook his head.
“It doesn’t matter if he knows now. Come along.”
“But... one request.”
“What?”
“Don’t take me to important or secure sites. I can only report what I see myself, so...”
“Haha! Fine, fine!”
Wayne shook his head. What a guy.
“Enough. I’m heading to the capital soon. Need a reliable escort knight—get ready.”
“Ah! Yes, sir.”
Blaster bowed deeply.
“Thank you for taking me back!”
His face was haggard from stress. Marquis Frank was inscrutable, but Count Boltain was trustworthy. No harm would come—Blaster was safe to reinstate.
By early morning, Westline Fortress buzzed with withdrawal prep. Great territory troops headed to their fortresses; Wayne and Lorenne forces packed for home.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
“What’s that noise?”
The ground shook as the massive fortress gate swung open. White Gigants entered.
“Isn’t that the crown prince’s Gigant?”
“What? The crown prince is here?”
Dragon Knight Order’s white banners fluttered, and a golden-cloaked 2nd-class Drake lumbered into view.