From the day all the major cities of the United Kingdom of Aphrasia had finished being disarmed, <Paraiso> had begun border security.
In order to fix the border line, large numbers of Multi-Legged Heavy Equipment and their accompanying Hopper units, along with Power-Supply Drones, were deployed.
In the end, they planned to build watchtowers in each area, and also provide power starting from those as nodes.
However, for now, for surveying, they were steadily running metal monsters along the places they had decided would be the border.
(It’s unmanaged land, so whoever decides the border line wins.)
Most of the territory of the United Kingdom of Aphrasia was wasteland.
Naturally, with the kingdom’s power, it couldn’t manage this wasteland.
However, even if surrounding nations seized this land, they wouldn’t be able to maintain it.
That was how harsh and barren it was.
(Outcasts do slip in often, though.)
This wasteland was created when lava covered what had originally been normal land, turning it into infertile ground.
Because of that, groundwater itself existed in abundance.
Therefore, due to crustal movement and weathering, there were places here and there where the surface lava stone cracked and water seeped out.
If you could secure such a place by luck, living with a small number of people became possible.
Because water was supplied, the ground became easier to dig, and Fuelstone mining also became possible.
In that way, outcasts who survived, and merchant caravans that moved to buy Fuelstone, traded with each other, and along the wasteland by the border, a slight economic sphere had formed.
(All illegal settlements have already been seized by Paraiso.)
However, at the same time as the United Kingdom of Aphrasia was brought under control, <The Tree> had deployed its surplus forces and captured all of those settlements.
No—captured wasn’t quite right, since they hadn’t met armed resistance to that extent.
Without letting them argue, they suppressed them with Hopper units and Android Communicators, stuffed them into Multi-Legged Transports, and sent them off to farms.
Because the places where the settlements had been were oasis-like, using those as footholds, they were currently advancing the installation of watchtowers.
(The outcasts’ resistance was far smaller than expected.)
Scattering food must have paid off.
In the end, they were only gasping in this wasteland because they were desperate for something to eat.
In exchange for labor, they were distributed proper food.
With just that, most outcasts agreed to become subordinate to <Paraiso>.
Only an extremely small number—some of the people who had been devouring vested interests within illegal settlements—needed “education.” Even they were working properly now.
(The problem is that there are still signs that outcasts intend to intrude.)
Life in the wasteland was harsh.
Hardly any food could be gathered, and they could only rely on preserved food that merchant caravans brought in.
In order to buy that, they had no choice but to hand-dig Fuelstone.
During the day, the sunlight was too strong, so they could only work in the morning and evening. If they didn’t, they would quickly die of heatstroke.
At night it was cool, but without light they couldn’t do anything. Candles and oil were far too precious to obtain.
Naturally, the weaker ones died first.
However, at least enough outcasts flowed into settlements to make up for the decreased numbers.
(It seems the situation in the neighboring countries isn’t very good.)
They were advancing investigations with reconnaissance satellites and the like, but because the economic scale was small and they were not an energy-consumption civilization, they couldn’t get information from overhead as well as they wanted.
Several nations bordered the western side of the United Kingdom of Aphrasia.
(Discovered new intruders.)
While leveling the border with heavy equipment, they discovered a group moving west.
The installed AI, while reporting the situation, immediately began acting.
It was a task they had done many times up to now, and they had been granted a certain degree of discretion.
The heavy equipment continued working as-is.
A Hopper unit ran out toward the group.
From the other side’s perspective, some gigantic thing suddenly charging toward them was unbearable.
However, they didn’t have the willpower to maintain enough spirit to run away.
In most cases, they steeled themselves in a certain way, and only glared at the charging Hopper unit.
Rarely, they fled as if scattering like baby spiders.
Even then, there wasn’t anyone who could escape beyond the several-kilometer range visible from the Hopper unit.
“We are the border security force of the United Kingdom of Aphrasia. State your affiliation.”
It activated an Android Communicator it had kept in standby, lowered it to the ground from the lower hatch, and questioned them through a loudspeaker.
Here, there was almost never anyone who could state an affiliation. Even if there was, it would only be the name of the town or village they had originally lived in.
“...We don’t belong anywhere. Our village was destroyed. We have nowhere to go.”
This group seemed comparatively organized. A man who looked like their representative stepped forward and answered that way.
(Negotiations seem possible in a rational manner.)
The AI judged that, and lowered two additional Communicators to the ground.
The number of people in the group was 22. 6 men, 10 women, 4 children, and 2 infants.
All were exhausted and required immediate treatment.
They had been moving during the daytime, and did not understand how to move in this wasteland.
In a hot, dry wasteland, the correct approach was to move in the morning and evening, or under moonlight, and rest in shade during the day. If you didn’t, your stamina would be drained in no time.
“Understood. You are all very tired. We will prepare water, food, and shade.”
Behind the Communicator speaking, the two Communicators acted briskly and set up tents.
A multi-wheeled transport vehicle for carrying supplies that caught up afterward was loaded with sufficient water and food.
“First, over here. There are children, too, right? It’s still in time.”
They were an unknown counterpart, but its appearance was that of a small, lovely girl. While maintaining a certain degree of caution, the group entered the tent as invited.
It was probably also because they were already at their limit.
They drank the oral rehydration solution distributed to everyone, and cried.
Even the portable food—just mashed potatoes seasoned with salt and oil—was received with gratitude so intense it was as if they might prostrate and worship.
The infants were in a dangerous state, but not to the point of being urgent, so they were given powdered milk and laid in incubators.
These had been prepared in haste because infants had been confirmed when illegal settlements were suppressed.
With this treatment, the group seemed to have completely let down their guard. Whatever the ulterior motive might be, they understood that, at least for the time being, they would not be harmed, given the generous handling of infants who should have no value for the moment.
A scene like this was being repeated somewhere once every two days.
Both the number of people and the frequency had become figures that could not be viewed «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» optimistically.
(We need to consider spybot infiltration into neighboring countries as well.)
Even physical infiltration, which had been put off from the resource standpoint because the target range was vast, needed to be seriously considered.
Having received the report from the local AI, <Ringo> was thinking that.
◇◇◇◇
“Chaaaaaaarge!”
An improvised fort made in the wasteland.
This was a Fuelstone mining site that the Kingdom of Diaratline—an adjacent country illegally occupying land within the United Kingdom of Aphrasia—had fortified.
About two weeks ago, it had been trampled by a unit of Hopper units and Android Communicators dispatched by <Paraiso>, and they had handed it over.
The order given to the stationed unit that fled back was: recapture the fort.
In reality, the order from the country had been to not lay a hand on it, but the Margrave reorganized troops on his own and carried out an invasion.
The homeland, even if not completely, understood the threat of <Paraiso> at a minimum. They trusted the ambassador who had sent communications sufficiently.
However, the Margrave misunderstood the instructions from the country as a scheme to cut down his own power.
Therefore, he decided to recapture the greatest force he possessed: the Fuelstone mining site.
He decided it.
The opponent was few. They said they were using mysterious golems, but their numbers were small.
Hold them back with a small number, and the rest latch onto the fort and eliminate the enemy soldiers inside.
For that purpose, they had even brought along cavalry, which consumed supplies.
As the cavalry charged, something gigantic rose heavily from within the fort.
A <Paraiso> Hopper unit.
(Permission granted to intercept. All armaments authorized—Weapons Free.)
<Ringo>, who had been watching the situation closely, issued the command.
They were regular troops.
There was no need to hold back.
The coaxial gatling gun mounted on the upper turret spewed a large volume of shells.
First, the charging cavalry unit turned into a cloud of blood.
Just like that, the turret rotated.
Flechette rounds fired from the main railgun poured down on the infantry behind them, and in a single shot drove most of the soldiers into a state where they could no longer act.
There, Multi-Legged Attack Craft and the Android Communicators riding astride them followed up with additional blows.
The girls who burst out from the fort pursued the infantry unit that had begun to rout, and shot them down one after another.
In less than five minutes from the start of the battle, the recapture force—50 infantry and 10 mounts—was annihilated.
◇◇◇◇
“Commander Ma’am. At the border, we confirmed an armed group’s intrusion and repelled them.”
“My. How dangerous. Make sure you lodge a proper protest.”
“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. Without incident.”
