Episode 43: HD-777 and Raven Claw 9
“This is the best location ever!”
“Congratulations, my lord.”
“Congratulations. However, that number is not going to be easy.”
The Black Forest showed us various faces, including forests, wetlands, and open wastelands. I thought the wastelands might work, but the magical power measurement results were bad, so I gave up.
After awakening the two of them and continuing to wander through the Black Forest together for a week, I was starting to wonder when I should show my face in Cybarossa Capital when I found it.
“I never thought there would be traces of civilization in this forest.”
“It’s clearly a city, or rather, a castle, though it’s crumbling.”
“There might have been a country here before it was swallowed by the forest. Well, that doesn’t matter.”
There are traces of buildings, and they are roughly maintained. There are inhabitants.
“Green Blood Kin? A group of this size is practically a nation.”
“I’ve seen Goblins and Hobgoblins, but Grand Goblins and Black Goblins? Do higher species really exist?”
“Each species seems to have its own profession. This is going to be quite difficult.”
“I want to peek from the mountain in the back. I’m moving there.”
“Yes, sir!”
Ignoring their energetic replies, which I’ve grown accustomed to, I create a door for Spatial Jump.
Passing through it, I looked down at the castle from the top of the mountain.
Using my palm-sized monocular, Watcher 8000, I measured the distance to the castle. The castle town is about ten kilometers in radius? It’s out of Watcher 8000’s measurement range.
For a town built in the mountains, the conditions for flat land are surprisingly good.
“The mountain is quite close.”
And high. I can’t see the summit because of the clouds, so I can’t measure the distance even with Watcher 8000. Anyway, it definitely exceeds a thousand meters.
“It’s to prevent enemy attacks from behind. They probably built the castle so that the mountain itself would be a natural Barrier. There should be turrets all over the mountain.”
“There’s such a convenient place?”
“Perhaps. If there were earth-attribute magicians, they could have done some landscaping.”
“Ah, they prepared it themselves?”
“It’s quite possible.”
And then it perished for some reason. Was it because Dungeons were rampant, or was there something before that? The reason is unknown, but the magical power measurement results are excellent.
Moreover, there’s even a water source flowing from the mountain. Isn’t this perfect?
“Let’s conquer it.”
“A castle siege!”
“Eh? There are only three of us, you know?”
That’s right, but I think if we take our time, it’s not impossible.
“First, let’s see. I’ll have the two of you learn new weapons.”
“New?”
“Weapons?”
If we could use combat vehicles, we could conquer it quickly, but we don’t have nearly enough people to operate them.
Driving the vehicles and operating the attached weapons is complicated. It’s not something you can learn just by being taught a little. Support Drones are not allowed to participate in combat according to military regulations, so I can’t rely on them. It would have been possible with Androids, but well, there’s no point in saying it.
“Similar products to the guns I used to use. Well, they’re weapons that allow for long-range attacks.”
If you’re going to conquer a base like this with a small number of people, a soldier chooses weapons that reliably reduce the number of enemies rather than something like that.
“Let’s put up a Barrier and go to the Hakoniwa. I’ll have the two of you learn weapons that suit your aptitudes. It’s okay, just decide on a target and pull the trigger.”
With the physical enhancement process performed, both of them are knights, a fighting race. Of course, they’ll have aptitude, but they should be able to handle them well enough.
Weapon proficiency starts today.
For a while, they’ll be practicing at the Hakoniwa shooting range.
“Preparation complete.”
“I see. Then, please begin.”
“Ho ho ho, I’m getting excited.”
Beatrice is the one who rings the opening bell.
What she’s carrying on her shoulder is a Magic Launcher called HD-777, a missile launcher-type Magic Gun.
This is a magic missile weapon developed by KIRISIMA. Visually confirm the target through the scope, lock on in conjunction with brain waves, and when you pull the trigger, a highly guided magic missile flies towards the target.
It can fire twelve rounds at once, and it is also possible to multi-lock on a single target. The range is about eight hundred meters. After reaching the target, an explosion with a diameter of about eleven meters occurs, literally blasting the opponent.
Since the firing ports are angled from the top, it cannot be used in places with roofs or ceilings. Also, since the main body weighs over 100 kilograms, it is recommended to use it in conjunction with body enhancement magic.
“Firing!”
“You don’t have to confirm. Let’s go, go, go.”
Once fired, the Magic Core becomes empty, so it needs to be reloaded. By the time the reloading is finished after firing, the missile fired earlier has already hit the target, so there’s no need to worry about firing multiple shots at the same target. There is a limit to the Magic Power stored in the Magic Core, but well, there should be more than ten thousand, so it should be enough.
“Fufufufufu, hahahahaha! I feel like a great magician! Blow away!”
“She’s on missile high…”
The missile hits something Goblin-like that was outside, and the explosion reduces the number of enemies one after another, engulfing the surrounding things. It destroys the castle walls, ceilings, and floors that would have deteriorated over the long years.
“Then, me too. The flames are a bit of a nuisance.”
While saying that, Barbatos lies on the ground, takes aim, and looks through the scope. What he’s holding is a Sniper Rifle, Raven Claw 9.
This Sniper Rifle is a mass-produced version of the Gourai X, said to be the greatest masterpiece of Sniper Rifles that mankind possesses. Based on the Gourai X developed by the military, Slug AS900 was commissioned to produce it.
Because it is a mass-produced item, the range is slightly shorter and the bullet speed is lower than the Gourai X. However, there are also improvements such as a decrease in operating Magic Power and an improvement in penetration enchantment. The cost is also a price befitting a mass-produced item, making the weapon development department that designated Slug AS900 very happy.
“One… two… three… four…”
What he’s saying out loud is the number of bullets he’s fired. It runs out of bullets after eight shots. Like other firearms, the Magic Core must be replaced and reloaded when it’s empty.
Barbatos is sniping at enemies that are out of range of Beatrice’s HD-777.
The range of the Sniper Rifle Raven Claw 9 is an amazing 3,511 meters. Furthermore, the scope has a six-times zoom.
The Magic Bullet that is fired is not affected by wind or gravity, and its strong penetrating power pierces the lives of all creatures.
“Kukkukkuk, don’t think you can escape.”
“This is sniping high… some Monsters have noticed.”
The HD-777 is quite conspicuous. The Raven Claw 9 also doesn’t have a silencer attached because it would reduce its accuracy, so the sound resonates quite a bit.
In that case, it will attract the attention of the Monsters in the vicinity, so my role is to protect the two of them here.
Because my body is small, I can’t use weapons with strong recoil continuously.
I put the Assault Rifle Slug AS900 in burst mode and defeat the approaching enemies. If I can’t handle it, it’s time for the Summoning Tags.
“Now, how much can we shave off?”
I occasionally check the position of the enemies with Watcher 8000 and change the position to concentrate the attack. Sometimes I change the attack point itself using Spatial Jump.