Chapter 40
(Kyle Calendar
Year 504: Age 11)
Operation at
the Teigun Settlement ①
Translator : PolterGlast
"Hello～ I'm dropping by again."
I visited the workshop
in the town of Est for the first time in a while.
"Ah,
Takuhir-sama!"
"Everyone! Stop
what you're doing immediately! Bow to Takuhir-sama!"
As Karl-san shouted in
a voice that echoed throughout the workshop, everyone stood up and gave a
polite bow.
"Ah, please
continue your work. Don't mind me..."
Seriously, it's so
embarrassing...
Karl-san has also
become important, and before I knew it, he was just like Geld-san, all gung-ho
and athletic...
The workshop was even
larger than before, and the number of workers had also increased.
Karl-san now seemed to
be supporting Geld-san as one of the foremen.
Workshop head
Geld-san, foreman Karl-san, Anne, and I began a meeting in a separate room, now
properly furnished as a reception room.
"Actually, I've
come to place a new order for 100 crossbows at the request of Margrave
Hastburg."
"There's no one
here who would refuse Takuhir-sama's request! Please let us get started right
away."
"Geld-san, thank
you. I apologize for the presumptuous request, but on that occasion, they also
asked for a technical disclosure, and I would like you to show their craftsmen
the production process. So it will depend on when they are ready."
"Well, since the
crossbow itself was developed with Takuhir-sama's idea and funding, we have no
objections..."
"Yes, but I would
like you to only show the crossbow manufacturing process, and in the meantime,
please keep other technologies like the Estol bow and waterwheel
hidden..."
"Well, even if we
stop manufacturing other things, including parts, during that time, I think we
can manage without any problems."
"Karl-san, thank
you. And one more thing, I was wondering if you could make these by
winter..."
I explained while
showing a sketch of a stacked beehive that I planned to use for beekeeping.
"Can you make 200
of these stacked boxes with a cross line in the middle, and 50 to 100 each of
the bottom box, the top, and the slatted floor by around the new year?"
"The structure is
simple, so half a year should be enough."
I was relieved by
foreman Karl's reassuring words.
"It's okay to
produce these in parallel with the technical disclosure."
"Then we can
deliver them without any problems."
Yes, swarming would
begin in the spring. I thought now was probably the deadline for placing the
order, as the hives had to be set up by then.
I had no experience
with beekeeping, but when I was Nishida Takahiro in my [previous-previous
life], I dreamed of a slow life in the countryside after retirement.
As part of that, I had
watched videos about easy beekeeping many times.
Recalling the memories
from that time... I had written down all the useful memories since I was three
years old.
Because I thought I
would definitely forget them as I got older.
Beekeeping was one of
those memories.
Honey existed in this
world as well. But it was very inefficient and troublesome to collect, as
people searched for wild beehives in the mountains and fields and harvested
them whole.
Therefore, honey was a
luxury item, a delicacy only for some nobles and wealthy people. I saw an
opportunity there.
The reason I needed 50
to 100 sets was because whether the bees would find and use them was just a
matter of probability, dependent on the bees.
I thought if I
prepared a number, even if only a few worked out... that would be good.
But still...
Is swarming also in
the spring in this world?
Are the bees here
Japanese honeybees or Western honeybees?
Will the stacked boxes
be okay?
I seemed to recall
reading that stacked boxes were not recommended for Western honeybees...
There were many such
questions, but I decided not to think too deeply about them for the time being.
On the way back from
the workshop, I planned to stop by a merchant's shop and buy the beeswax
candles I had ordered in advance.
Of course, to use in
the beehives.
With the two matters
successfully ordered, I was about to leave my seat with relief when Geld-san
called out to me.
"Karl has a
report that the prototypes are complete."
That was a story from
a long time ago, almost three years ago, about a product development that I
myself had forgotten.
"We apologize for
the delay in development due to the various orders we received from the
Baronial family. We have finally completed five of these prototypes for the
time being."
Oh! The Repeating
Crossbow!
"It can fire up
to 10 arrows in rapid succession, and as you instructed, pulling this lever
allows for loading, drawing, and firing in one continuous motion. Rapid firing
is also possible without any problems."
The Repeating Crossbow
that I had always wanted was right in front of me!
I couldn't contain my
excitement.
"Actually... the
reason it took an unexpected amount of time for development was that the
mechanism itself was completed quickly. However, we ran into problems with
arrow jams preventing automatic loading from working properly and the arrows
not flying straight."
"And this guy
came up with this."
At Karl-san's words,
workshop head Geld took out a paper tube.
So, they were
inserting a sleeve!
"Well, after
that, this paper would get stuck after firing, so we made various
improvements."
I couldn't help but
look at Karl-san, who was smiling shyly, with respect.
In the era when
[Nishida] was alive, I remembered something about how there were past
manufacturing methods and technologies that even [contemporary modern science]
couldn't reproduce.
I was once again
impressed that there might be something in the [craftsmanship] of this era that
touched upon that.
I immediately
purchased the five prototypes and 200 specialized arrows on the spot.
I told them that after
actually using them, I would identify any improvements or requests and then
place a formal order.
Returning to the
mansion immediately, I invited my brother for a demonstration... it goes
without saying that we played around with great excitement.
Since we were able to
confirm sufficient usefulness at an amateur level, I reported it to Father that
day, and for practical application, it was decided that Commander Weiss and the
mercenary corps would test its use.
When I showed it to
Commander Weiss, he was surprised as always.
"Takuhir-sama
never ceases to amaze me. Interesting! A truly interesting weapon.
However, I believe
there are several issues with its application."
Commander Weiss's
opinions were roughly as follows:
＜Advantages＞
・It has significant advantages over bows in terms of
rate of fire.
・Unlike crossbows, even weaker individuals can operate
it.
・Utilizing its rapid firing capability, it is effective
against short-range opponents.
＜Disadvantages＞
・Because loading and firing are simple, it lacks power
and range.
・It may not be effective against armored soldiers.
・Due to its short effective range, the shooter's own
safety cannot be ensured.
・The complex mechanism raises concerns about breakdowns
and malfunctions.
＜Considerations＞
・Larger, fixed versions of the mechanism could
potentially be very useful for base defense.
・If the opponent is not a soldier, for example, bandits
in a frontier village, it is easy to use and useful.
Commander Weiss's
opinions, including both advantages and disadvantages, were reasonably
satisfactory.
In short, it was a
weapon that could be quite useful if its usage was limited.
I left three units
with him and asked him to check for defects, malfunctions, and durability for a
while.
I kept two units and
had Claire, the mages, the executive committee, the reception staff, and other
women use them repeatedly.
Yes, I was thinking of
utilizing this repeating crossbow as a weapon that even women could use to
defend themselves in an emergency.
I gathered feedback
from the women's perspective on improvements for its use and reflected those on
the improvement list.
And later, after
emphasizing to the workshop that it was not urgent, I conveyed the requested
improvements and modifications and placed an order.
Portable Repeating
Crossbow: 100 units, specialized arrows 10,000
Large Repeating
Crossbow for Fortifications: 10 units, specialized arrows 200
The larger ones were
actually closer to ballistae, and what they loaded were closer to spears than
arrows.
This weapon would
later play an unexpected role.
As a result, despite
not existing in this world himself, the name Zhuge Kongming would become widely
known.
As the extraordinary
figure who devised the repeating crossbow...
Like the turnips and
this repeating crossbow, it was all regurgitation from the Romance of the Three
Kingdoms, which I had read repeatedly many times since I was young...
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Swagaraga
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
Creris
Fred A.
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Geral Aponso
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
