Chapter 187
The 6th
Joint Supreme Tournament ③
Pre-Tournament
Inspection
Translator : PolterGlast
On the afternoon of
the second day, my hospitality mode went into full swing. The tour of the town,
with Their Majesties the King and Queen at the head, was truly like a daimyo's procession,
with the accompanying nobles following behind.
First, I guided them
to the town's shooting range and explained our initiatives for the citizens.
This had already been adopted in the neighboring domains, so it was not a
problem to make it public.
The shooting range was
currently being utilized as a station for the self-defense force and the
tournament operating staff.
"At present, more
than half of the citizens use this shooting range for recreational purposes.
The fact that so many citizens lend their strength to protect this town begins
with the creation of this system. Furthermore, as is the case this time, it is
also intended to be used as a temporary station during emergencies, such as
disasters."
"When my domain
was surprise-attacked and invaded during the recent rebellion, it was because
the citizens who had honed their skills at the shooting range joined the battle
with their crossbows and solidified the defense that we were able to buy time
until the soldiers could gather. For my House of Gorman as well, the Demon
Territory Count who brought us this system is a benefactor."
Perhaps struck by
Count Gorman's words, His Majesty seemed to be contemplating something.
"Gouras! Is it
possible to deploy this not only among the Royal Knights, but also within the
Royal Capital? Learn from this system that makes it a recreation for the
citizens and establish a system to select excellent marksmen. It could also
become an opportunity to discover Wind Mages. Upon your return to the capital,
report to me with the necessary budget as well."
Ah, so that's what His
Majesty has his eye on. As expected of the man who took measures to ensure
mages were treated with importance.
Next, I guided them to
the refrigerator and freezer—no, the icehouse—installed in the basement of the
commodity exchange. This place, in addition to the work of the Ice Mage, Kinia,
also utilized sawdust.
The large amount of
sawdust produced by the town's workshops was carefully collected and put to use
here.
It was used as
insulation between the outer walls and as a material to cover and protect the
ice, keeping Kinia's involvement to a minimum.
"Gouras! Consult
with the relevant parties regarding the food stores in the Royal Capital as
well. If I recall correctly, there was an Ice Mage among the mages provided by
the Restorationist faction, was there not? To begin with, even if it's just the
Royal Knights' food stores, reducing waste would be a considerable
achievement."
......
Everything gets passed
on to the Knight Commander, doesn't it.
Well, supplying food
for 30,000 Royal Knights would be a considerable amount, and if waste were
reduced, the contribution would be large.
And next, I guided
them to the tournament venue in the post town, which was currently serving as a
trade fair venue.
"Oh, you've
thought of something interesting. You are thinking of this event as a business
opportunity, as part of the development of your domain, Demon Territory Count?
Not just selling through merchants, but creating specialty products and selling
them directly?"
"Fohohoho, Your
Majesty, I find the system the Demon Territory Count explained, called a『companion』, to be endlessly amusing.
They are positioned
with the aim of explaining the products they are in charge of, to make them
known, rather than to sell them, are they not?
The men, with their
leering faces, are listening to the explanations with rapt attention."
The exhibition here
had been designed based on my own experience operating Japanese exhibitions, a
memory from Nishida.
In front of each
product, event companions, selected by Yoltia who also had knowledge as a
merchant, and who had undergone special training, were on standby, developing
their respective sales talks.
For that reason, I
took a step back here and let everyone look around freely. It seemed His
Majesty was viewing the exhibition with the Headmaster and his attendants.
Incidentally, Knight
Commander Gouras, along with Corps Commander Hoffman and Corps Commander
Schultz, was mainly looking at the weapons-related exhibits.
As I thought, they
seemed to be discussing various things while looking at the improved crossbow,
the catapult, and the saddle harness for the crossbow.
Furthermore, the
exhibition of the flower-patterned lanterns, the andon, that had colored the town at night was also popular.
Yesterday, some of the female guests had even gone out of their way to get an
escort to go and see the town at night.
Incidentally, these
andon are available for pre-order in units of one hundred or more.
This was to prevent
people from buying just a few, taking them home, and copying the design. The
artisans under Workshop Master Karl had gone through a process of trial and
error to make the beautiful flower patterns appear on the ground, so I wanted
to be a bit stingy with that.
"My, my, seeing
this town, I can now fully understand the Demon Territory Count's achievements
this time. The tournament has not yet begun, but what I have seen so far has
made the trip here well worth it."
"Count Model,
thank you for coming all this way. I apologize for not being able to greet you
properly, despite the assistance you gave me during the battle on the eastern
border and later in the Royal Capital."
"No, no, with
your current position as the Demon Territory Count, it is I who should be
coming to greet you. Besides, you have His Majesty to attend to, so do not
worry about me or the Margrave. I have seen many things and there are some I
would like to purchase as souvenirs for my domain, so I look forward to
it."
And so, the tour of
the exhibition also proved to be very fruitful, and the second day ended
safely.
According to the
report from Yoltia, who was managing the venue, there had been a considerable
number of inquiries for each product, and the various workshops managed by
Workshop Master Karl were expected to have a stable workload for the next year
just from the orders placed this time.
With this, the newly
established mass-production lines in Gaia were also guaranteed to be
operational without issue, even besides the crossbow orders.
※
The next day, with a
somewhat reduced number of personnel, I went out with His Majesty to inspect
the demon territory side. As it was a long-distance move and we had to pass
through a narrow pass and the edge of the demon territory, everyone was on
horseback, and the accompanying guards were all cavalry.
"Oh, the
defensive wall at the exit of the pass is already complete! It's completely
different from the last time I saw it."
"Thank you, Your
Majesty. Thanks to the reward I received from you, the construction has
progressed considerably.
Currently, most of it
is still a temporary defensive wall, but the area around this pass exit and the
wall surrounding the fortress I guided you to before are complete.
Within this wall, the
number of settlers who engage in agriculture and live here as their base of
life is increasing, and the construction of farmland and towns within the wall
is also progressing."
Yes, to bring settlers
to Aegis, a safe defense was needed first. For that reason, we had prioritized
the construction of a defensive wall with ample room and had cleared the
monsters within it. And, although still under development, we are proceeding
with the construction of rice paddies and sugarcane fields, as well as the core
town.
"To make the
demon territory a town, and to unite the people who live in the demon
territory. Truly befitting the title of Demon Territory Count. I, too, am
looking forward to what is to come. What say you, Duke? It is still too early
to be surprised."
"My, my... to
create something of this scale in just a few years... The skill of the Demon
Territory Count is worthy of astonishment. It is truly like an eagle, which has
found the wide sky it was meant for, spreading its wings."
"Hahaha, though
it was to protect him from the members of the Restorationist faction, I had
bound that eagle to the narrow sky of the Royal Capital. It is here that the
eagle can truly spread its wings freely."
"Well then, from
here, I will show you all our secret weapon, so I must ask that only those who
have been designated beforehand accompany us."
Yes, at His Majesty's
request, we will be conducting a full-power firing of the Diffusion Magic
Cannon again this time, but the number of attendants has been limited.
On top of the
fortress, in a position where the launch platform is visible, are His Majesty
the King, Knight Commander Gouras, Corps Commander Hoffman, Corps Commander
Schultz, Duke Klein, and Margrave Hamish.
From our own camp, it
is only Margrave Hastburg, Count Gorman, Count Solis (Darren), Viscount Solis
(Darek), and Viscount Cornell.
Even the attendants
and guards have been left inside the fortress, and only myself, the Commander,
our subordinate mages, and those involved in the firing are on the wall.
The others are in a
state where they cannot see what is happening on the wall at all.
"Well then, first
I will show you a little entertainment. Long spears, prepare to fire!"
On the adjacent
bastion of the star-shaped wall, 20 longbowmen from the former Istoria Imperial
Kingdom, along with Christoph and the former Divine Messenger, Aura, who were
deployed there, turned to us and bowed.
"Target, enemy
fortress! Distance, approximately 600 m! Long spears, nock!"
Simultaneously with my
order, a bell was rung repeatedly.
"Three strikes,
begin!"
The bell switched from
a continuous ringing to a slow, three-beat strike.
"Fire!"
On the third strike,
in time with the command, 20 arrows flew through the air, tearing through it at
an astonishing speed.
And then...
The target, a small
watchtower that had been set up, had its wooden plank walls shattered by the
arrows, which flew apart.
"Wha-!"
"Impossible!"
"What is
this!"
"At that
distance..."
The nobles of the
southwestern border, including my father and Margrave Hastburg, raised their
voices in astonishment.
They did not know of
the battle in the Istoria Imperial Kingdom. For that reason, they were
dumbfounded by the unbelievable range and power.
"My, my..."
"To think that
that attack is already in his possession..."
"It seemed to
have significantly more power than that time..."
Margrave Hamish, Corps
Commander Hoffman, and Corps Commander Schultz, who knew of that attack, also
sighed.
Yes, that attack had
very good synergy with Christoph's wind magic, and this time, both Christoph
and Aura were using wind magic.
The two, who shared
the same attribute and even had similar characteristics, had immediately hit it
off through training. Aura, who had been poor at wide-area magic deployment,
had overcome her weakness at once with Christoph's advice.
Moreover, the magic
they were each skilled in was a perfect match.
The attack, which I
had named "Long Spear," a combination of those two and the skilled
longbowmen, had produced results in its range and power that had surprised even
me and the Commander.
"Now then, this
is the main event.
I will remind you once
again, but this secret weapon can only be used in this place, and only by us.
Furthermore, with His Majesty's will, it has been designated as a top secret,
and I must ask you not to speak of it to anyone, even your own family.
In fact, this is a
weapon that I myself have kept hidden from my own father and brother until
now."
At this, my father
looked shocked, saying, "Eh? How could you!" and my brother's smiling
face, saying, "This guy, he was still hiding things!" came into view.
"Diffusion Magic
Cannon, three units, prepare for simultaneous launch! Target, center of the
enemy camp! Distance, approximately one thousand meters!"
"A thousand meters?
I've never heard of such a thing."
"No way, that
thing can't possibly..."
Even the two corps
commanders, who had seen the catapult fire many times in the war in the east,
raised their voices in doubt.
"Number 1, ready.
Mages, on standby."
"Number 2, ready.
We can go too."
"Number 3, all
preparations complete!"
Here, I looked at His
Majesty's face. For some reason, I felt as though I could hear his smug voice
saying, 『Let 'em have it! 』.
"Diffusion Magic
Cannon, prepare for simultaneous launch... three, two, one, fire!"
The arms of the large
catapults installed on the wall swung down violently. The several hundred metal
balls that were launched flew through the air with a high-pitched sound of
tearing air.
And then...
The target 1,000 m
away, the watchtower there, was smashed to pieces, and at the same time, the
surrounding trees were knocked down, and the shattered fragments flew up. The
metal balls gouged the earth, bounced and engulfed the trees spreading further
in, and swept through the entire area.
A short while later,
the roar of the impact echoed, and the area was enveloped in a thick cloud of
dust.
"..."
When I turned around,
everyone, with a few exceptions, was so astonished that they couldn't even
speak, their mouths agape in a daze.
"Hahaha, it seems
everyone has been struck dumb by the power of the iron hammer that protects the
kingdom and shakes the earth, have they not? Burn the image of our proud iron
hammer into your eyes, and from this moment on, be sure to forget it."
His Majesty laughed,
looking utterly pleased.
"My, my, if we
were to take an attack like that, the fortress we defend would fall in an instant..."
Margrave Hamish spoke,
trembling slightly.
"If we took that
attack from a distance of 1,000 m, a charge by our Royal Knights would be
easily swept away. I can't order a charge against a weapon like that."
Corps Commander
Hoffman's face was pale.
"I saw that it
requires a high degree of coordination with the mages, and the activation of
magic timed to the moment of launch, which requires considerable talent and
training. It is not something that anyone can imitate."
Corps Commander
Schultz's face had also turned white.
"Hey, Takuhir!
...Ah, no, excuse me. Your Excellency, Demon Territory Count. To have such an
interesting thing and keep it quiet is unfair."
My brother's (Darek's)
face was flushed, his eyes shining.
Uh oh, this is bad.
It's the same face he had when he saw the crossbow for the first time. He looks
like a child who's been given a new toy and can't wait to use it...
Hmm, the one who's
most surprised is... my father, I see. I'm sorry for keeping it from you.
My heart ached, just a
little.
"This attack is
only possible when various elements come together. As I mentioned before the
firing, it cannot be reproduced anywhere else, nor will we attempt to do so.
It is something that
we plan to use only in a necessary situation, when facing an enemy army of tens
of thousands, so until then, I must ask you to please keep it a secret.
This time, with His
Majesty's will, we have shown it to you all. Also, for all of you who defend
the southwestern border, we have shown it to you so that you will know in
advance, to avoid friendly fire and to be able to evacuate promptly when this
weapon is used.
Please, I ask for your
understanding on this point."
"Fohohoho, the
Demon Territory Count is a cunning fox who is no less than, and may even surpass,
myself."
No, no, from the
original... I'd rather not be told that.
And so, the inspection
on the third day of His Majesty's arrival also concluded safely.
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