Editing HEAVY OBJECT:Volume3 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 6===

A staticky voice came over the radio.

However, the joy in the deep, male voice could be heard even through the static.

“To all my respected allies in the Legitimacy Kingdom military. This is Prizewell City Slicker, the Elite of the Legitimacy Kingdom military’s 24th Mobile Maintenance Battalion.”

In her officer’s room back in the maintenance base zone, Froleytia grimaced.

“It seems there has been a bit of a misunderstanding, so allow me to make an announcement that should clear everything up. We are not enemies of the Legitimacy Kingdom. We have taken action to ensure the victory of the Legitimacy Kingdom in this worldwide war.”

As the CS broadcast reporter girl ate canned lasagna in the passageway, she looked over at the radios of the soldiers heading around on patrol.

“Needless to say, the driving force behind war is the economy. And the Legitimacy Kingdom’s economy has stagnated. Why is that? It is caused by a lack of speed at which information spreads throughout the Legitimacy Kingdom.”

The old maintenance lady stopped working on her preparations for a pit stop in the Object maintenance area.

“The Legitimacy Kingdom has an official language, and yet we continue to use a great diversity of languages at once. That is lowering the speed at which information spreads. The world economy changes minute by minute and second by second, so that slight delay causes vital losses. If the Legitimacy Kingdom is to continue fighting and to achieve victory in the end, we must do something about this problem.”

The 24th had 7 Objects and had destroyed the Baby Magnum, Snow Quake, and Active Sledge.

Prizewell spoke with great strength as if to emphasize that advantage.

“In other words, we must exterminate those other languages.”

His tone seemed to declare that there was no one who could argue with him.

It was a proud declaration that his 7 Objects could breach the 5 Objects protecting the Atlantic Ocean as the Legitimacy Kingdom’s second line of defense.

“The proper language will bring about the proper economy. The speed at which information spreads will improve and we will be able to keep up with the ever-changing world economy. …This also means that those who do not speak the proper language have no right to take part in the economy.”

His were the words of a ruling class.

No matter what would happen, his position could not waver. It did not matter what troubles that caused for those around him. His was the tone of a man who felt that way.

“And that is why I must act. I must redistribute the proper citizens of the Legitimacy Kingdom to their proper place while putting the others in their proper place as well.”

However, he could not be stopped.

The overwhelming military might that 7 Objects gave him meant he could get away with any atrocity he wished.

“This redistribution will be carried out based upon the bare minimum of what is needed for the Legitimacy Kingdom: a proper language.”

Froleytia heard a controller say something about the Objects approaching.

“All units evacuate!! The enemy is after the ability to maintain the Object. They did not care about our flesh-and-blood soldiers from the very beginning!! Everyone is to leave the buildings and the base zone ASAP!!”

“Those who speak the proper language will be accepted as citizens. Those who cannot speak it but are putting all their efforts into learning it will be granted the right to live as slave laborers. …However, those who cannot speak it and make no effort to learn it are not worth wasting the Legitimacy Kingdom’s resources on. I have no intention of allowing such parasites to exist.”

Numerous low-stability plasma cannons fired on the maintenance base zone.

The bombardment had been given after a plentiful delay.

He did not intend to kill those inside.

After all, they were all from the Legitimacy Kingdom military.

(Did he give us time to escape in order to prove he is just!?)

Froleytia gritted her teeth as she watched the base zone erupt into a sea of flames.

“I have already transmitted the necessary report to the highest institution in the Legitimacy Kingdom, the Sovereign Parliament. The sovereigns who rule the people need only do as the report says and carry out a language test in schools all across the Legitimacy Kingdom. If they do so, we will have no need to cross the Atlantic Ocean to have direct talks in the European home country.”

The giant forms of the 7 Objects passed by the remains of the ruined base zone. Afterwards, the trucks transporting the 24th’s foot soldiers and the bare minimum of maintenance vehicles met up with them. It looked like a victory parade.

They were all smiling.

Some of them aimed their guns at Froleytia and the other helpless people from the 37th and then jokingly pretended to pull the trigger.

They were no longer the 24th Mobile Maintenance Battalion from the Legitimacy Kingdom’s military database.

The size of the force and the morals of the troops were simply not the same.

It was simply not normal for a single battalion to have 7 Objects.

“However, we have a plan in case you refuse,” continued the enemy as they passed by. “We will carry out a small military exercise to ensure you understand just how serious we are and just how powerful we are.”

A military exercise.

That term had a truly horrible ring to it.

The traitors made it very clear who they would be targeting with their 7 Objects.

“There is an immigrant residential city located on the eastern end of Victoria Island in the Alaska district. As those living there have come from lands under the control of other world powers, they are merely a burden that has no intention of becoming a part of our culture. We will begin by carrying out an exercise using them so that you may understand the vision we strive for. Depending on your answer, the same thing may happen in Europe. We beg the Sovereign Parliament to take the results of these actions into account when deciding on their answer to us.”

Prizewell City Slicker stated his goal.

It was not a war.

The other side did not possess the military strength needed to resist.

And he was well aware of that fact.

“We will now carry out this exercise using our seven Objects to demonstrate the power of an attack performed using multiple Objects. Also, these seven are not our only force. A second group is nearing completion in manufacturing plants.”

They held an overwhelming military force.

They exhibited more power than any individual should possess.

“We have also developed a system to efficiently mass produce Elites. The proper language will provide proper knowledge. These results are a clear demonstration of our ideals.”

It was quite the demonstration.

And Prizewell City Slicker summed it all up in his next statement.

“Those who use the proper language shall be citizens, those who cannot use it but work towards learning it shall be slaves, and those who cannot use it and have no intention of learning it shall receive death. That is the only way for the Legitimacy Kingdom economy to grow and lead us to victory.”

The transmission ended there.

All that was left now was a large-scale slaughter.

Most of those who came from other cultures would be unable to speak the official Legitimacy Kingdom language. That was to be expected and it was no real problem. However, a language preservation activist like Prizewell would not allow it. His love for the “proper language” would lead him to mercilessly fire the Object’s cannons at just a slight error in intonation.

And he was also a lineage advocate. He would never accept immigrants who had come from elsewhere. In his vision, those people would be forced to choose between being subordinates, slaves, or dead.

(Can we get reinforcements from the home country…?)

For a split second, Froleytia considered that, but she then shook her head. In all likelihood no additional Objects would come. Now that all of the Objects in the Alaska district had been taken out, the higher ups in the home country would definitely put their own safety above all else. The current situation left the efficacy of the defensive line on the Atlantic in doubt. No matter how many Objects the home country had, they would all be sent to defend the Atlantic. They would never be sent to the Alaska district.

(But we cannot allow the 24th to carry out this atrocity.)

The situation looked grim, but Froleytia grabbed her radio. She set the frequency and contacted her subordinates who were scattered around the area.

“Quenser, Heivia!! Can you tell how much damage was done to the Objects!?”

“It seems the Elite ejected from the Snow Quake. The princess was able to stick with it. Her armor is in pieces, but it seems she can still move.”

“Understood. If our control equipment is still functioning, we can monitor the data. Maintenance soldiers!! Dig up as much usable equipment as you can find in the rubble!!”

A flustered maintenance soldier replied to Froleytia’s command.

“Eh? Wait a second. Eh?”

“Load up as many vehicles as you can and carry out the pit stop directly on the front line!! No matter how much of an advantage they have, only the Baby Magnum has a chance of stopping the 24th’s Objects!! We need to repair the Baby Magnum to as close as working as possible before those nutjobs attack the city!!”

“No, no!! Please wait. …Hey, what is going on!? Where did the chief go!?”

That last bit seemed to be directed at someone other than Froleytia.

Froleytia frowned and asked, “What happened?”

“I’m sorry, but we can’t seem to find the chief!!”

Froleytia looked over at the surrounding sea of flames with a bitter expression.

“…Did she not get away in time?”

“N-no, she did!! She was here just a second ago!! We were all listening to City Slicker’s transmission…or rather, declaration of war together!! But we looked away for an instant and-…!!”

(…Wait.)

Froleytia narrowed her eyes slightly when she heard that.

“That old lady wasn’t originally from the Legitimacy Kingdom, was she? I recall hearing that she is an immigrant from the Capitalist Corporations’ Japanese Islands.”

“Y-yes. What about it?”

“What about her daughter and son-in-law?”

The maintenance soldier did not respond to Froleytia’s question.

She asked again.

“She didn’t come alone, right? She had her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter with her. Where do they live? Where in the vast Legitimacy Kingdom do they live!?”

The maintenance soldier still did not respond.

However, it seemed Froleytia’s fears got across to him.

“It can’t be…” he said.

“The immigrant residential city. This is an unpleasant coincidence.” Froleytia took a deep breath and scratched at her head with one hand. “What does that old lady hope to do against 7 Objects!?”