Chapter 114: New Armaments and the Knight Order

The day after the engagement ceremony between Isamu and Anne Marie, their engagement was announced to the Knight Order.

The Knight Order was filled with excitement, but the engagement wasn’t the only reason for it.

“I heard, Felix. Is it true that Isamu-sama is finally going to announce his ability skills?” 

Diluc, the Knight Order’s commander, approached Felix, who was training at the knight training ground.

“Yes, Commander. That’s correct. Whether or not we can make the announcement public depends on us, the Knight Order…”

“Hehehe, I see. Our future lord is really good at motivating people. After hearing that, there shouldn’t be any knights lacking in motivation…”

Both Diluc and Felix smirked as they spoke, their expressions filled with anticipation.

The “talk” Diluc referred to was the condition Isamu had mentioned for revealing his ability skills: proving the strength of the Viscount’s family knight order in the upcoming joint exercises and public matches.

Alongside the announcement of the engagement, these matters were also conveyed to the Knight Order. Moreover, they were informed that several new magic tools were being prepared for these purposes.

With such high expectations and preparations made, there wouldn’t be any knights lacking in enthusiasm. If they were to embarrass themselves, they would lose their qualifications as knights forever.

The Grand Council was just around the corner, happening shortly after the new year. Considering travel time, they had roughly a month left to prepare.

The knights began even more rigorous training in preparation for the upcoming significant event.

A week after the engagement announcement, another announcement was made to further boost the morale of the knights.

The maximum number of knights accompanying the Grand Council was limited to half of the total, which meant 25 knights. Even though the lord would be traveling, taking everyone along would leave their territory vulnerable, which would be counterproductive.

Since Isamu and Anne Marie would also be accompanying this time, it was automatically decided that the four knights serving as Team Orihime’s exclusive escorts would participate. Diluc, as the commander, was also confirmed to participate in overall command, leaving up to 20 slots available.

Even going to the capital was a narrow gate, with only one knight per two people. Being selected as a member of the team for the 6-on-6 public match made it even more competitive.

Amidst fierce competition for these “platinum tickets,” Isamu proposed something that was immediately adopted, similar to making team T-shirts for a school festival.

Showing it casually to Diluc and Mizeroi, who happened to be there, Isamu said.

 “Since it’s a 6-on-6 team in the public match, wouldn’t it be interesting to mark the armor with a symbol that clearly indicates the team? So, I made a prototype like this. What do you think?”

With these words, Isamu showed them armor with four diagonal golden lines engraved on the breastplate.

“Could this possibly be…?!”

Mizeroi, who saw it at a glance, was speechless.

“Yes, indeed, Mizeroi-san. I asked the Orihime to lightly mark it with her claws, then filled it with gold magic ink to solidify it. The Viscount’s family crest is already on the shoulder, so I tried putting it on the chest. You see, the Orihime’s claws can cut anything, right? I’m imbuing it with the meaning of cutting through any difficulties or forging a path to the future.”

Isamu explained happily.

“To think that the sensei’s mark could be engraved on armor…”

Diluc exclaimed as he listened to the explanation.

“And yes, I also carved Orihime’s crest in small letters at the bottom right. It’s the same design as the one stamped on our engagement proof, you know?”

“W-What?! Even the sensei’s crest?! Wonderful… I won’t feel like losing if I wear this armor. No, losing won’t be allowed…”

Mizeroi was moved to tears.

“What if we engrave this symbol on the armor of those participating in the public match? What do you think?”

“”Let’s do it!!!””

Two knights eagerly responded.

Thus, Isamu’s proposal to wear armor with Orihime’s claw marks (commonly known as “Nyafu marks,” named after the sound Orihime makes after cutting down enemies) was immediately adopted. It became a topic of conversation that wearing this armor was the highest honor in the Viscount’s family knight order. This further intensified the rigor of knight training.

Later, when Selfers heard this story, he said.

“Even if my signature as the head is put on it, it definitely wouldn’t become such a thing…”

And was somewhat shocked.

About ten days after starting intense training, newly mass-produced magic equipment was rolled out.

This included the Xiao Mao Type 1 shield for physical attacks and the Xiao Mao Type 2 cloak for magic defense.

In the upcoming public matches and joint exercises, these would naturally be fully utilized.

To get used to them quickly, the knights were divided into teams equipped with the Xiao Mao series and those without for a red vs. white scrimmage.

After several rounds, they held briefings, exchanged equipment, and fought again to improve their skills.

“Even though it’s Type 1, it doesn’t block all attacks! Especially thrusts are almost the same as our current shields. Don’t take hits head-on!! Don’t be tools of your equipment! Master them!!”

“With Type 2, you can reliably block fire and lightning attacks only. Wind can go up to intermediate levels, but it’s not certain. Decide immediately whether to use the cloak or dodge! Remember, it depends on the person using the magic equipment!”

During the red vs. white scrimmage, instructions and reprimands from commanders like Diluc and Felix were exchanged like in actual combat.

While Type 1 and Type 2 were extremely powerful magic equipment, they were not omnipotent.

Careless usage could lead to injuries, and being confused about how to use them would be wasted potential. They had no choice but to accumulate training and master them.

Five days later, the Felis 2,1 and 2,2 types, which were infused with scatter and explosion magic, as well as ligtning magic, were rolled out.

Although training was conducted with training versions of the explosion magic to match the actual range, they decided not to use the 2,1 and 2,2 types in the scrimmage because they couldn’t tone down the magic circles due to their inability to read them.

First, scatter magic balls were deployed in the red-and-white scrimmage, which brought about various changes in tactics.

The training was conducted not only with the assumption that we would use it, but also with the assumption that it would be used.

While opponents wouldn’t use scatter magic balls in the upcoming formal match, it was necessary to anticipate their potential use if they were ever to be seized unexpectedly. Therefore, it was essential to have some countermeasures in mind. Moreover, since the mechanism itself was simple, similar magic tools were expected to be developed soon. Planning ahead for such eventualities wouldn’t be a waste of effort.

“If there’s enough mana to spare, it might be better to give up precise adjustments and deploy magic over a wide area.”

“Yeah, if the powder’s going to affect the stability of the range anyway, it seems better to widen it a bit to ensure faster activation, even with some margin of error.”

“It’s annoying how both the operating time and power of magical tools decrease quietly. Being able to disperse widely would be quite advantageous in scenarios of prolonged engagement.”

“Let’s combine this with a catapult for long-range use or carry it with wind magic for a long-distance throw. It seems like it could significantly suppress enemy magic attacks.”

The knights proficient in magic exchanged opinions on the effects and operational methods, constantly seeking improvements in deployment strategies. Thanks to the fact that they produced magic tools in-house and, above all, had Isamu for fine adjustments, their response speed was commendable.

Explosive balls and types 2,1 and 2,2 equipped with magic properties such as scattering magic were rolled out during the exercises for subjugating monsters.

While it wouldn’t be appropriate to use such powerful magic tools in the formal match, their debut was likely to happen during the joint exercises.

“The lightning blade is handy when dealing with multiple opponents at once. Just touching them can render them somewhat powerless, making it much easier to handle.”

“The lightning lance might be even more brutal. Just swinging it around is effective, and its reach is quite advantageous. And when used in groups, it’s beyond anyone’s control. There’s no element of defeat in close combat.”

These were the voices of the soldiers. Not only knights but also soldiers participated in the exercises for monster subjugation.

Although the announcement about Isamu and Annemarie’s engagement was kept secret, morale was high due to the exercises using new magic tools.

By the way, the lightning blade referred to type 2,1, and the lightning lance referred to type 2,2. With the Felis series expanding its variety, they were starting to be referred to by nicknames.

“The explosive balls are like cheating… Just throwing them turns them into a composite magic of standard power.”

“When using them in the forest, we need to be cautious of monsters attracted by the noise. Ah, and be sure not to throw them near allies. It seems better to throw them in the front row as much as possible.”

The explosive balls seemed promising in terms of effectiveness as well. Immediately, the engineering unit began modifying catapults to enable long-range launching alongside scatter magic balls.

Since they were too straightforwardly powerful, there was a reconsideration of how much they could be used during the joint exercises.

With all the new equipment deployed for practical use, training continued.

On the other hand, Isamu was making improvements to the carriage’s riding comfort using anti-physical magic circles, and was proactively making improvements to the magic equipment that the mother and daughter would be asking for.

Yes, it’s an improvement to the bath.

“…You’ve been meddling with the bath regularly.”

Eto exclaimed in disbelief upon seeing Isamu tinkering with the bath carriage in the backyard.

“Haha, well, I also like baths, and both Annemarie and her mother do too.”

Isamu said while considering areas for improvement.

“So, what are you planning to do this time?”

“This time, there are two major improvements. One is to eliminate the tank for the shower. The other is to add a hot water temperature control function.”

In the previous modification, they had created a makeshift water heater that could be used for showers, but because it was gravity-fed, it required a water tank to be installed above. However, this tank was large and heavy, making it impractical for installation in the bath carriage.

When Isamu found a magic circle from Willem’s collection that could generate water, it seemed like a simple solution, but the parameter part for adjusting the amount of water was missing, making it somewhat inconvenient to use. However, later, with the discovery of a magic circle that allowed magic power adjustment, it became possible to adjust the amount of water generated. Therefore, he decided to use it for this improvement.

He planned to incorporate a magic circle that generates water in place of the tank and make the amount of water generated variable using magic power-adjusting unattributed magic stones. Additionally, by combining it with a magic circle that senses temperature, he aimed to improve the bath carriage’s comfort with a variable and stable water temperature. At this point, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it was almost on par with a mixed faucet water heater.

This improvement would enable showers to be used in the bath carriage. Moreover, by replacing the heavy and bulky tank with small and lightweight magic stones and magic circles, it became easier to install them at higher positions. Consequently, the gravity-fed shower water pressure could be increased, which was a welcome side effect.

Two improvements have also been made to the horse-drawn carriage.

One is to use anti-physical magic circles to protect against shocks, but the other is to add equipment that will make winter travel more comfortable.

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