The Polia Kingdom’s Biological Weapons

April 15.

At this point, with only five days left until the time declared by the king, the harbor of Dallon, the largest city on Dairam Island, was currently filled everywhere with soldiers. Though it was not yet the 20th, the Polia Kingdom had decided to send troops in advance, knowing that the Dairam people would not surrender.

Tramp, tramp, tramp—!

The soldiers descending in line from the five transport ships that had just arrived wore matching dark gray uniforms. Their expressions were filled with determination. Since they could guess what would happen five days later, they were looking forward to that moment.

The soldiers, uniform in their dark gray military uniforms as they marched down in orderly lines, were moving according to the guidance of their superiors. Meanwhile, while there were transport ships from which such soldiers were disembarking, there were also scenes of cargo being unloaded.

Some of it was simply the unloading of military supplies, while in other places cargo was being lowered very carefully by steam cranes.

Beep, beep—

They kept blowing whistles and giving hand signals while unloading the cargo. Their expressions were stiff with tension. Since they were exclusively in charge of unloading it, they knew the identity of what was currently being brought down. Perhaps because of that, their bodies could not help but remain tense.

As several metal boxes were being lowered, was it during the latter half of the work that the connected metal box, having received the wrong hand signal, tilted and toppled to the side. At that sight, those working widened their eyes and could only react in shock with cries of “Uh—!?”

“B-be careful!”

“It’s falling!”

“Damn it! Why did you lower it there!”

Thud! Along with the sight of the metal box now toppled to the side, the impact was considerable enough that the closed door swung open. At that sight, everyone could not help but stop speaking midway. For a brief moment, there was silence. Unconsciously swallowing, they had no choice but to stare at the opened door.

“I-it’s fine, right?”

“…It should be fine. We heard it still doesn’t move, didn’t we?”

“Then shouldn’t we hurry and close the door and set it upright again?”

“W-who’s going to go? Will you do it?”

“Are you crazy?! Why would I go over there!”

“Someone has to go!”

They could only hesitate and push it onto one another. They had heard the explanation beforehand, but that did not stop them from feeling reluctant to approach it. The sight of the door standing wide open made them even less willing to do so. As the hesitation continued and they could not leave it like that, the work supervisor spoke.

“I’ll go. Tony, Got, the two of you come with me.”

“U-us?”

“Me?”

“Don’t you want to finish the job? Get over here now!”

At the sight of him shouting and pressing them, the two workers whose names had been called could only look miserable. In the end, led by the work supervisor, they slowly approached the place where the door stood open. It was not that the supervisor was brave. The delayed unloading had to be finished, and since it was his responsibility, he had no choice but to step forward.

‘This is driving me insane. I’m scared to death.’

Thinking that, as he approached, his field of view opened onto the scene inside the box. White skin could be seen. The sight filling his vision was that of more than ten monsters lying still, tangled together. They were biological weapons. And not just any biological weapons, but the Polia Kingdom’s biological weapons.

‘I saw in the newspapers that the Magnia Empire used biological weapons, but to think we made something like this too.’

On top of that, he felt they were even more frightening because they were closer to beasts. Though he had been told beforehand that they were in a suspended state and would not move under any circumstances, he still could not help but think, just in case. To put it bluntly, if they started moving right now, there was no guarantee they would not devour him on the spot.

“T-they really are alive, right?”

“They’re not moving at all. Couldn’t they be dead?”

“Then why would they bring something like that here?”

“I-is that so?”

“Both of you, stop talking nonsense and reconnect the lines quickly.”

Saying that, the work supervisor immediately shut the door first. Only after the door was closed could he finally let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, they hurriedly began hooking the lines again. In the midst of that, the crane exerted force and returned the box to its original position, setting it upright once more.

Though it was only a brief incident, it also showed just how much fear human beings felt toward biological weapons because of something like this. Even the officer who had arrived only now because of other matters relaxed upon seeing that the situation was over and waited for the work to finish.

Thus, more than ten metal boxes, each containing more than ten creatures, were loaded onto trucks one by one. They soon began leaving the harbor. The number of troops escorting them alone was in the hundreds, and the place they soon headed to was where the city hall building currently occupied by the military was located.

The city hall building had already been militarized, and many soldiers along with the command headquarters were stationed there. In one of the spacious open lots of that place, the boxes began to be unloaded one by one. This unloading alone continued for an hour, and only because many soldiers had been mobilized could it be finished somewhat earlier.

Before long, a dozen or so people stood around the boxes, and in their hands they were laboriously holding large devices about one meter long. These were literally devices capable of providing electrical stimulation, devices that could generate a small electric shock through the metal rods protruding sharply from them.

Of course, they were not beginning immediately, as they were waiting for someone, and soon a group of officers could be seen approaching this place. In front of them was the commander of the headquarters here, holding the rank of Rabiro (Major General), marked by the stars on his insignia. Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, he looked at the prepared metal boxes and muttered.

“So biological weapons are inside those?”

“Yes. They say they are freshly made specimens, developed only recently.”

Hearing his adjutant’s words, the commander’s face faintly showed disbelief. He too knew that the Magnia Empire had used biological weapons during the last Great War. But the greatest weakness of such things was that they could not be controlled.

For someone whose principle was that a weapon that could not be controlled was worse than useless in war, he could not help but feel uneasy. Of course, he had heard in advance that they could be controlled, but since this was still a weapon being used for the first time, he had no choice but to feel anxious.

“Are they really saying those things can be controlled?”

“Yes. According to the report, they will not attack friendly forces under any circumstances.”

“If that is true, they will be very useful.”

“Those above instructed that, whenever possible, they should move together with the soldiers and display their presence.”

“Indeed, rather than having them jump directly into battle, that would be far more effective in breaking the enemy’s morale.”

“If they are moving around with things like biological weapons, even they will have no choice but to feel fear.”

“In any case, I want to see them quickly.”

“Then I shall have them brought out at once.”

After the adjutant said that and approached those making preparations to speak to them, the doors were soon opened and the biological weapons were brought out one by one. When the pure white, four-legged biological weapons bearing the name “Beto” revealed themselves, many people could not help but feel both wonder and surprise at the sight.

The biological weapons in their suspended state showed no movement whatsoever. Even though they were being dragged outside, they did not budge at all, and everyone watched while wondering how such a thing was even possible.

Before long, more than ten of them had been set down in a line on the ground. At first glance, one might even have thought they were dead creatures. Looking at these biological weapons, the commander muttered,

“They certainly look alien.”

“That is probably because they are things never before seen in this world. More than that, I am truly curious how we were able to make something like this as well.”

“I am curious too, but it is top secret, so I could not find out.”

“Well, it has to be top secret. More than that, I also feel relieved just knowing that we can make such things too, because it means we are not falling behind elsewhere.”

“For the moment, they say only the Magnia Empire is using them, but before long it will officially become known that we are using them as well.”

“Do you think the Noma Empire and the Moria Empire will also have things like that before long?”

“That may well happen.”

Since neither of them knew that this could be made with something called the White Crystal, they did not know that, for now, only the Magnia Empire and the Polia Kingdom could create biological weapons. Of course, secret organizations could make them unofficially, but they had to be left out of the discussion.

In any case, they would now have to activate these things in their suspended state.

“Now begin the activation.”

“Understood. But they really will stay still, right?”

“That is what they said, so we must trust it for now.”

“Let us step back first. We have to prepare for accidents, do we not?”

“Mm, let us.”

There was no need to take unnecessary risks, so they withdrew. Soon the soldiers positioned around them held their rifles and prepared to fire at any moment, in case of some accident. In the midst of that, those holding the devices that generated electric shock, as if to reassure everyone, immediately approached one biological weapon and began applying electricity.

Crackle—

The electricity generated by the lead-acid battery in the device touched the body of the biological weapon Beto directly. At that moment, the creature that had not stirred at all suddenly trembled violently and began moving. Its single eye instantly began to scan its surroundings.

Ordinarily it would have immediately charged with hostility toward humans, but because Ian had personally placed Mental Manipulation on it before it entered suspension, it contained no hostility whatsoever. Rather, it moved its four legs as though asking for an order to be given quickly, yet remained where it was without moving away.

“Huh, it really does nothing.”

“It really doesn’t. It truly does not lunge at humans.”

“How are orders supposed to be given to it?”

“For now, a designated controller has been assigned. They say it is someone who received training in advance.”

“Well, to control all those things, it would not be possible by ordinary means. More importantly, is there no worry about someone seizing control of them?”

“They say there is no need to worry about that either. For now, only people personally selected by His Highness will ever be in charge of controlling them. And even if the person controlling them were to die by chance, they say the creatures will return to a designated location after completing their mission.”

“Oh? They return to a designated location? Are they that intelligent?”

“Perhaps they have the intelligence of a dog?”

“That alone would make them far easier to manage. And on top of that, they say that skin can block bullets?”

“They say not for long, but it is apparently enough to stop ordinary bullets to some extent. Of course, they also say it cannot hold out very long against heavy machine guns.”

“That is a little disappointing. Still, even that much is not bad.”

From the outset, simply having a body that could endure bullets was highly useful. Even as they spoke, more and more of them were gradually waking up. These Betos were soon obeying the commands of the controller quite well.

Naturally, this controller was a person under Ian’s Mental Manipulation. In other words, a person absolutely incapable of betrayal. As time continued to pass like that, before long the open lot was filled with around one hundred Betos that had come out of the metal boxes. At such a sight, everyone could not help but think that it was rather terrifying.

Even though they were smaller than the Magnia Empire’s biological weapons, because they looked like beasts, they seemed more threatening. These things were soon hidden inside specially installed tents. Showing them at the right moment rather than immediately would be far more shocking.

Thus the Polia Kingdom’s military made extensive preparations, and even in such a moment, time continued to pass.

April 20.

At last, the declared day had arrived. Even with that time having come, the Dairam people still did not surrender. Rather, while showing their determination, they displayed active movements to resist through arms.

Already, armed Dairam people were being witnessed throughout a considerable portion of Dallon, the main city. Meanwhile, the mainlanders who had lived in the city had all abandoned their lives there for the time being, boarded transport ships, and evacuated to the mainland, waiting for the situation to end quickly.

The city itself was filled with a highly grim atmosphere. Once this day passed, the Polia Kingdom’s military would now treat the Dairam people as people of an enemy nation. Already, several fleets were positioned at some distance away.

At any moment, fighters could launch from aircraft carriers and begin bombing, and at any moment, shells could be fired from naval guns and come flying in to create blazing fire. From the outset, it could be said that the two sides were no match in either scale or military power.

Even knowing that, the Dairam people showed the will to resist to the very end. In that situation, the Polia Kingdom’s military suddenly showed a strange movement. Though it was still one day before the attack, groups were moving along the main roads here and there.

Those who saw this through the windows of buildings four to five stories tall could not help but turn pale with shock. Many people doubted their own eyes. They were seeing with their own eyes something they had never imagined they would witness in their entire lives.

“W-what is that?”

“My God, it’s a monster!”

“How is the kingdom’s army walking around with things like that?”

“This can’t be… They’re leading monsters around?”

In their view, soldiers were moving cautiously along the main road. Ahead of them, three Betos, biological weapons that could truly be called monsters, were moving while scanning their surroundings. That sight could only be shocking beyond measure to the people here.

Since it was a sight that would bring fear, everyone could only feel dread toward the unknown. From the way those creatures kept glancing around, it even seemed as though they might be searching for them.