Chapter 64: Preparations for War
Several days passed, and yesterday I went to the Abyss with Uncle for the second time.
It’s a cycle of clearing ten or more Floors, so it takes a whole day.
Honestly, I want to get stronger too, so I’m not happy about letting Uncle hunt everything except Golems, but it can’t be helped since I need him to survive.
In these past few days, fifty bombs have been completed.
They’re made of metal and Magic Tools, so they’re working hard on them, but this is the limit.
I gave the blacksmiths only the prototype I made, and they’re also making Gun bullets in parallel, so a faster pace than this is difficult.
I tested the new finished products about three times, and all of them yielded good results.
The difficult point was that the power was too immense, causing damage to the fort, but I cleared that by making the projectiles inside the bomb smaller and adjusting the firing distance.
And so, we’ve arrived at Fort Fondale.
A renowned fortress left behind by King Fondale, the founder of the Kingdom of Belfast, which has been continuously maintained and has protected the country to this day.
Its construction is simple, but it’s a circular fortress, which is rare in this world.
It’s an old, battle-scarred stone fort, but it’s highly practical, with deep moats dug, openings everywhere for magic to be launched from, and large ballistae installed at intervals on top of the outer walls.
There are also hidden escape passages built that go even deeper beneath the moats, apparently connecting to a cave in the forest.
And so, the landmine installation work will begin there today.
The scheduled construction period is roughly two days.
I thought it would be finished in a day, but it seems the work of running Mithril wires underground will take time.
According to the test results, if they’re on the surface, there’s a possibility the wires could be severed by other explosions.
For the construction, I had several nobles with experience fighting wars at this fort gather.
Based on past tendencies, where will they set up their encampment? The installation locations will change significantly depending on that.
While looking at the actual site, they huddle together and stare at the map.
“If it’s their usual formation, it would be this area…” Viscount Dora says, placing a piece on the map.
“From there, they usually divide their troops, spread out as if to surround us, and fire Rock Bullets from the very edge of their range, right?”
“However, their numbers are large this time. There’s a high chance they’ll aggressively push forward.”
“In that case, perhaps we should widen the area a bit more, to this line…”
More and more supplementary information is added to the Viscount’s words.
Picking up on those voices, I draw a line on the map, saying, “Alright then, let’s assume we’ll plant them evenly from here to this line.”
“Sorry, but while measuring the distance… no, I guess I’ll do it.”
I thought about asking the soldiers, but they don’t know the effective range well.
Besides, if we disturb the ground too much, the traps will be completely obvious.
The effective range is about a fifty-meter radius. The minimum installation proximity is about twenty meters, so I spaced them forty meters apart and made the necessary holes using Maso.
I thought fifty of those powerful ones would be enough, but perhaps I was a bit naive.
If we could perfectly predict the location, it would be enough, but if we’re to cover the entire likely area, it’s not nearly enough.
For now, the most likely locations based on past deployment tendencies have been covered, so I’ll have them start the construction from there.
“Just to be sure, if they break through here, will they take this highway after all?”
When I asked about the direction the enemy would advance, the reply was, “Yes, of course,” so I decided to consider installing them on the highway as well.
If they say the forest can’t be used, then the density will be high.
The highway will be riddled with holes, but this isn’t the time to complain about the cleanup being a pain.
However, there’s also a problem. It’s the question of who will detonate them and from where. It’s dangerous unless you’re nearly a hundred meters away, but at that distance in the forest, you can’t really see properly, though I wouldn’t say it’s completely impossible.
And if we carelessly get too close and are discovered, it’s over.
I had various doubts, but they were quickly resolved.
Someone with Enhanced Hearing would be fine.
However, it seems they don’t avoid using the forest entirely, they just don’t commit large numbers to it.
They say it will be a dangerous role.
When I muttered, “Well then, shall I do it?” everyone strongly opposed the idea.
Thinking about it carefully, we don’t have any spare bombs right now, so the highway will have to wait.
There’s still time. That can wait until more bombs are completed, I guess.
And so, I returned from the fort and went to the conference room.
All of the over fifty seats were filled, and there were many people standing by the walls as well.
It seems people are returning thanks to Cornelia-san’s and Yunon-san’s hard work.
“Your Highness!”
“Oh, it’s him!”
“His Majesty Royce… are you watching…?”
As I walked to the back to take a seat, I was met with sparkling gazes, and some were even praying.
Woah, hey. What’s with this atmosphere?
It’s hard to enter.
“I’ve just returned. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Not at all! We are simply humbled to have Your Highness do all the work.”
Count Connor stood up and placed a hand on his chest, and everyone followed suit.
“Um, please act normally. Cornelia-sama, may I have a word?”
“Oh my, what is it, Rui-sama?”
You look a little… happy, but I’m angry, you know?
Thinking it’s more convenient with more people around, I declare loudly, “The next king is you, isn’t it?”
“You may say so, Rui-sama, but if it weren’t for you, people wouldn’t follow us in this dire situation. Of course, those present here have stood up regardless…”
Everyone closed their eyes, expressing regret towards those not present, as if thinking, ‘What worthless fellows.’
Even if you say that to me… I let my gaze wander, and Yunon-san was looking at me intently with her arms crossed.
“Endure it until the war is over. I’ll do anything for you.”
“A girl shouldn’t say she’ll do ‘anything’! But, I see… so having a legitimate successor, even temporarily, gathers more fighting strength, huh? But, you know, I can’t do the work a king does, right?”
I stared at her with a troubled expression, but for some reason, Yunon-san blushed.
“Idiot! When I said ‘anything,’ I meant the king’s duties! Honestly!”
No, even if you give me a tsundere girl-like reaction like that…
“Well then, for this time, I’ll just be lending my name. That aside… what’s today’s agenda?”
“Yes. Unfortunately, it’s bad news. The reason for today’s emergency summons is to inform you that the Daltone Army has begun to move.”
Eh… it’s only been two weeks.
Isn’t that too soon?
“Of course, it’s not their entire army. Half of it, ten thousand. They’ll probably begin their advance tomorrow. If things go quickly, the war will start around the day after tomorrow.”
The war starts the day after tomorrow!?
This is bad, bad, bad!
We’ve started installations at Fort Fondale, but Oldol Fort is completely untouched!
If we can hold them off at Fondale, we might be able to install a few, but if it’s the day after tomorrow, production won’t catch up.
Honestly, this is so bad it feels like our last resort is about to disappear!?
No, wait a minute.
Everyone is here despite their anxiety, so I shouldn’t stir up more anxiety here.
“Hmph, ten thousand, huh. We can drive back that many, can’t we?”
“Yes, if Your Highness’s treasured weapon explodes, they’ll be blown to smithereens. That thing is truly amazing.”
“Indeed, indeed. I was allowed to observe it as well, and one could call it the strongest magic in history.”
No, you mean ‘trump card,’ right?
Count Connor and Marquis Urbain are saying so nonchalantly, but I bet they feel the same way I do inside.
It’s to liven things up and raise morale.
In that case, let’s bring up a topic that sounds like good news.
“Speaking of which, how much of the leather equipment is ready?”
After one set was made and the operational method was established, I haven’t touched it.
“Fufufu, about ninety-five sets. Just about a hundred by the time the war starts, I suppose. That’s amazing too. We’ve named them the Phoenix Unit.”
W-Why Phoenix?
When I asked Count Connor, he said it’s because they don’t die no matter what’s done to them and revive from within the flames.
No, they’re not invincible. They will die. That’s a misunderstanding.
The resistances of the Abyss equipment are certainly amazing in various ways, but as expected, they don’t have resistance to blunt attacks, so they’ll take damage if attacked by a strong person normally.
Ah, but if we assume strong individuals will be equipping them, then indeed…
Leather provides Fire Resistance, Wind Resistance, and Slashing Resistance. For the Maso, I lectured them on property transformation, making it a two-layer structure of rubber and metal to also provide blunt damage resistance, so their defensive power is high.
Since the top one hundred people in Belfast will be wearing them, the enemy might perceive them as immortal.
The others who were listening to my conversation with Count Connor became excited.
“So, currently, what’s the total number of soldiers in the Belfast Army?”
“Excluding the personnel added to inflate the numbers, it’s two thousand three hundred and eighty. This was the limit. Sorry.”
“We are deeply sorry…”
To the two who bowed their heads, I casually replied, “No, we can do this, right?”
Part of it is that I don’t want to say negative things in a meeting where these top people have gathered, but I truly believe that wars in this world aren’t about numbers.
I thought so when I saw Mr. Owen’s strength.
If he were to fight only high-ranking soldiers and rampage on the battlefield, he could probably kill several hundred people by himself. And on top of that, he’d likely survive normally.
And they say there are quite a few people in this country on par with him.
After that, we just need to focus on command that ensures those people don’t die.
I believe that the unit Count Connor named the Phoenix Unit can achieve that plan.
“Well then, shall we decide who to assign to Fort Fondale…”
A pale-faced young man, likely a young noble, muttered, “A deathtrap… isn’t it?”
“Of course not. If it were a deathtrap, I wouldn’t go. I don’t want to die, you know.”
“Huh…? Your Highness is going to the fort himself?!”
“Of course,” I said, puffing out my chest, since it would be a problem if there were no volunteers at all.
“Naturally, I intend to win. And what’s more, I’m aiming for a crushing victory.
If we take casualties one by one, we’ll be crushed in no time, so I’ll mainly be taking Senior Knights. Any objections?”
“Does it… seem like we can win…?”
“You! Weren’t you listening to His Highness’s words?!” someone interjected sharply, but I stopped them and replied.
“Not ‘seem like we can win.’ We will absolutely win.
Everyone has been approaching this with that fighting spirit.
Rest assured. I will make it a reality. Absolutely!
Leave it… to me!”
I walked up to him and lightly tapped his chest with my fist.
This is a performance. There’s no such thing as ‘absolute’ in this world.
Because I know that, I almost veered off into talk of fighting spirit and other uncertain things midway, but I managed to correct course somehow.
“I-I’ll volunteer too!!” the young man shouted.
Sorry. I appreciate the sentiment, but you probably can’t make it.
To ensure no one dies, this time it’s only Senior Knights.
Before I could even reply, voices followed one after another, “If His Highness is going, then I shall go too!”
“I told you, didn’t I? Only those who can survive. I can’t have a single one of you dying.”
Because I got carried away and used strong words, I couldn’t switch back to polite speech, and while averting my gaze and fidgeting, I pretended to be calm.
“How many will you require…?”
Roosevelt-san asked calmly, without getting particularly worked up.
“I don’t intend to defend that fort forever, so besides the permanent garrison, two hundred… should be enough, I think.”
“Only two hundred? There are ten thousand of them, you know?”
“Yeah. That many will be plenty!”
When I replied with a confident smile, he once again started calling me ‘Your Majesty,’ “Y-Your Majesty…”
I frowned, wondering if this was his revenge for me dropping the polite speech, but voices of strange agreement like “Indeed…” came from those around.
Listening to them, it seems my words just now sounded exactly like my old man.
Even unrelated people can have similar ways of speaking, can’t they?
It’s normal for parent and child. No need to be so surprised…
Amidst all that, General Razbel, who had been standing with his arms crossed and eyes closed the whole time, stood up.
“Your Highness, I shall accompany you. Is that acceptable?”
“Yes, of course.
However, I’ve put together various strategies for over there, so I’d like to have command authority…”
“But of course. At Your Highness’s command, we shall scatter the enemy at any time.”
“Oh, as expected of the General!” several voices of praise arose.
I’m truly grateful as well.
Even though Senior Knights are strong, the enemy naturally has them too.
To move them without letting them die, we need a commander who can give orders on the front lines.
Having a General for that role is perhaps overkill, but I have no intention of asking him to lead suicide charges into the enemy army, so it should be fine.
Just as I was thinking that, Marquis Arbein, Viscount Dora, Count Connor, and others started saying they would naturally come along too.
With the exception of Count Connor, they are Senior Knights. And two of them are battle-hardened veterans.
Count Connor, having been involved in the strategy planning from the start, indicated his usefulness by saying he could also be of service.
Well, there isn’t actually much work for him over there, though…
Because the main plan is to lure them while having our side fire Guns, then blow them up with explosions.
And then, once we’ve used up the bombs, we’ll assess the situation, and if it looks dangerous, we plan to retreat as is.
Well, if it seems feasible, we’ll buy time and plant bombs at the other fort too.
I learned something in my previous life.
The scariest thing on a battlefield is dealing with a large number of wounded.
I’m guessing that will probably buy us a considerable amount of time.
If we can get more bombs supplied during that time, we should be able to reduce their numbers significantly. Probably.
And so, it was decided that I would head to the fort with the four nobles including the General, and two hundred Knights, and the meeting concluded.
After that… all that’s left is to send those third parties home, I guess.
Ah, I also want to confirm if Hiroki and the others made it back safely.