Various Circumstances (3)

Meanwhile, after Linda left and until Beni brought the coffee, I was checking the documents and agonizing.

‘A one-million-strong army. It is predicted that up to 300,000 will head toward our domain…’

It was a massive number. It could be said to be slightly more than the total number of everyone in our domain. It seemed the Empire was determined this time, but the problem was that Matilda had also handed me another report before Linda’s visit.

“This side is a mess as well…”

It was the situation of the battlefield bordering the Demonic Tribe; they said the Demon King had reappeared and was moving, and this time, the Demon King began to penetrate deeply into the Atun Kingdom.

Because it had been five days since the all-out war broke out and there was a distance, the information was not being delivered quickly, but the contact said there were signs that the entire Atun would once again be swept into the flames of war.

Part of it was that the balance was disrupted because some of the Heroes and those who had achieved merit on the battlefield for a long time retreated to the rear for reorganization, but the fact that they were being broken through without hesitation because of the Demon King’s terrifying power was also a problem.

Because the Demon King showed movements that seemed to have some kind of purpose, the worry was great. Furthermore, at the end of the path the Demon King was advancing straight along, the route was being confirmed in the order of Ishtain County, then Hameureun beyond it, and then our domain.

‘It feels as if he is coming… specifically to come to our domain.’

This was the reason for the mounting concern.

I judged that if the Demon King considered our domain a group that could not be left alone from a long-term perspective, he might be coming to cull them, and my head began to ache at the fact that I had to find a countermeasure.

A 10m fortress would definitely not be high for the Demon King, and if it were a Demon King with power surpassing a Great Mage, wouldn’t he be able to cleanly cut through the wall I made?

So there was one thing I thought of.

‘Should I pull in the Demon Dragon…?’

Would she help?

I suddenly had such a thought, but the probability was an unknown, and I judged that unnecessary gambling was not needed. Furthermore, there was no guarantee he would come all the way to our domain. This was because if the Demon King penetrated deeply like this, the balance of the battlefield would crumble rapidly, and it was certain that humans would try to do something to prevent it.

I thought that if anyone played the role of a key, it would be the ‘Hero.’

There were only 10 Heroes left in the world now, but I thought that if they all rushed in, wouldn’t they be able to do something about a single Demon King?

Furthermore, what if the Masters of each country were mobilized?

I thought they would surely not be miserably crushed.

But would they really send a Master responsible for their own country’s safety for another country?

I thought I would absolutely not send one and would just watch whether it ruined or not. This was because the calculation stood that even if the Demonic Tribe tried to swallow the entire continent, they could not do it quickly.

It was selfishness, but that would be the dominant sentiment of the world now. Because it was not my affair…

‘The problem is that he is coming to our domain… and the Imperial army moved with good timing…’

I felt like I was missing something subtle, but I did not have the leeway to care about that.

So, with the thought of preparing countermeasures, I gulped down the cooling coffee and left the office.

I headed toward Richard’s Magic Tower; recently, thanks to the tower for Hare being built right next to it, the Twin Magic Towers had established themselves as a famous spot of our domain, and my business today was with Richard.

As soon as I arrived in front of the tower and entered the entrance, I saw many people carrying supplies.

It was the ammo cases to be requested from the Demon Dragon who would come in two days; the artisans had been pouring their souls into producing the items day after day.

People were surprised by my appearance and hurriedly greeted me, but I told them to keep working and went up the tower; around the time I reached the top, I heard a cheering sound and checked the inside of Richard’s magic laboratory.

I saw someone rummaging through something in a corner; as I approached and watched what he was doing, I saw him assembling a firearm.

But because the form felt somewhat new and unique compared to the existing ones, I waited until the assembly was finished before speaking.

“What is that?”

Richard turned back with a start, and then he tried to hide the firearm with an awkward expression, but I spoke to him.

“I have already been watching for five minutes, so will you explain?”

“That… I am sorry. An idea came to mind… while I was making something… Even so, I saved the budget as much as possible… This is, well…”

“Now, now, calm down, and let’s talk first. I have no intention of rebuking Richard. I am asking because I am happy that you are making an outstanding invention. So don’t stutter, take a deep breath, and explain slowly.”

“Whew, haaa. Well… I tried to produce a firearm. I drew a production diagram for the artisan and modified the shape a bit into a form that can produce powerful force…”

“Can I see the gun for a moment?”

“It will be very heavy. I haven’t lightened it yet.”

“It is fine.”

And the firearm Richard revealed was a large one that could be called a monster.

I had seen the assembly process, but I did not expect it would be this large; it was a huge firearm that appeared to be about 150cm.

The barrel was very long, and since a mount and tripod were installed in the middle of the barrel, it looked like it could be propped on something.

Furthermore, since the barrel was thick, it seemed like it would be strong against pressure and deformation, and the ammo case was also formed wide and long through modification.

“It seems this is not using sphere-shaped bullets?”

“Ah, that is right. One fires iron cores that look like this.”

As he said that, he showed an iron core to be used instead of a bullet, and this was practically similar to the shape of an Earth’s bullet.

It was not that the cartridge case separated, but literally an iron core in the shape of a bullet.

“I tried making it custom as the so-called ‘Knight Killer’ by increasing the penetration and giving it weight, but I haven’t been able to test its performance yet…”

I thought that if a bullet of this shape flew in, even a knight who wore plate armor and strengthened their body would not be able to hold out.

Furthermore, the gun itself looked to exceed 20kg, and pointing at it, I asked.

“How many rounds are loaded?”

“A total of 20 rounds go into the ammo case. And because movement is difficult due to the weight, I thought it would be good to station it in a place like a watchtower. I devised it thinking it would be superior to a magic cannon in terms of operation.”

“How is the power?”

“Hmm… because the firearm itself is large and heavy, and I drew multiple layers of magic circles compressed into a laminate form so they work in linkage, I expect it to be at least three times more powerful than existing firearms.”

“What about the possibility of problems occurring?”

Richard replied that he did not know yet, but since it was fine, I wanted to try an experiment.

So I began to transport the gun outside rather than inside the tower, and after finding the external Arena stadium and gathering the troops who were still preparing for a match, I prepared to demonstrate the gun in front of them.

People showed interest at the word that it was a new firearm. They began to gather in groups of threes and fives.

While everyone was evaluating the new gun this and that, I made a stone plate to be used as a target in the distance and focused a considerable amount of mana to increase its strength while asking Richard.

“I will check whether to register this as an official firearm after seeing its power. And if we finish the official registration, I will give you the authority to name it. So you must do well. Understood?”

Richard gulped, his expression saying he did not know things would get this big. But somehow, the gun Richard custom-ordered looked impressive.

He must have thought of various things while engraving firearms, and because he must have made the item in front of him by synthesizing the parts that were lacking or that he wanted to supplement, he was also looking forward to it.

A moment later, seeing the prepared gun and target, Richard lay down on the ground.

Then, while holding the firearm, he was seen aiming at the target in a familiar shooting posture, and at this time, Richard began to explain.

“The advantage of this firearm is that one can see the location where the bullet will fly from here, using ‘Gaze’ magic to grasp the ‘Zeroing.’ Furthermore, to reduce the subtle recoil that occurs as the bullet goes out, I made it so that ‘Fix’ magic can be temporarily activated on that tripod in front, and thanks to this, even a beginner can show outstanding accuracy.”

Richard explained every small detail, and I was able to hear explanations for all those many functions until he fired a single bullet, and Richard finally fired while saying he was pulling the trigger.

And with a ‘thump!’ sound, the bullet that flew at an invisible speed was seen lodged in the wall I made with a roar.

“Wow…”

It showed such terrifying power that one could not help but be surprised.

Since the amount of mana was the same strength as when building a fortress, the fact that it showed such penetration made me judge that it could easily pierce through the iron plate armor worn by knights, and thinking that I could perhaps aim for a jackpot if he utilized this well, I approached Richard and spoke.

“Do you want to try firing while going down in 1cm units?”

“Does it have to be 1cm?”

“There is accuracy, but I also want to see the power.”

“Hmm… I understand.”

At those words, Richard adjusted his breathing while sweating profusely, and after firing several additional shots, the 1cm unit was difficult, perhaps because of shooting skill issues, but after confirming that he lodged the bullets side by side within a margin of error of about 2cm, I spoke to Richard.

“Let’s register it as an official firearm and have Richard name it. And I would like to request 100 of these guns within fifteen days; would that be possible?”

Richard was aghast at my words, but since it was a mess he made himself, he could not refuse.

To him, who nodded with difficulty, I told him to work hard and, while thinking of those who could operate this gun, shouted toward the soldiers.

“Now, I will take the first 100 people among those who have been issued 10 badges. I will be waiting in front of the Lord’s castle at 9 AM tomorrow, so will you spread the word?”

Recently, as the Arena became full-scale, there were about 300 people who had surpassed 10 badges, and I planned to select them and raise them as ‘snipers.’

I thought that if it was a gun made by Richard, it would be fully capable of performing the role, and if they could kill the commander on the battlefield?

I felt certain that they would be able to easily seize the victory.

In Richard’s Magic Tower, which I visited while worrying about the Demon King, I had suddenly found an item suitable as a war alternative.

But the problem was that there was still no way to do anything about the Demon King.

I wondered how it would be to concentrate fire with dozens of magic cannons, but because of the possibility of that failing as well, I planned to look for another alternative.

“I will look forward to another brilliant invention. Ah, by the way, will you think about whether you can prepare something like a howitzer that can fire bombs about the size of a child’s head?”

It was the moment I handed over yet another task.