Kays Translations

Chapter 228: The Latest War Situation and the Production Factory

The day after the Klaufeldt couple each met with their respective national leaders, the latest war report from the Kingdom of Plazzo arrived via the Exchange Bureau and was delivered directly to the king.
Since Selfers also possessed a “Golem Writer” — a magic giant secretary automaton connected to the Exchange Bureau — he was immediately informed of the situation as well.
“It seems the battle has finally become evenly matched.”
Selfers remarked with relief, leaning back into the townhouse sofa after reading the report.
At the beginning of the conflict in Plazzo, their forces had struggled against the enemy’s magic giant golems and were clearly at a disadvantage.
There were two main strategies being employed.
First, to stop the advancing magical golems, a large portion of the troops were devoted to building trenches, barricades, and spiked defenses. Even while being pushed back, they used magical tools to barely hold the defensive line.
Second, the magical golems from Avalushi and the elite magic knights from each territory were gathered under the mercenary knights of House Eriksen to form an anti-golem strike force. This specialized unit conducted guerrilla operations to steadily whittle down the enemy’s golems.
At the start of the war, when all of Zun’s first-generation golems were active, the defending soldiers suffered heavy losses.
But as time went on, the anti-golem strike force began to produce results.
Since Zun’s golems were evenly distributed — one per squad instead of being concentrated — they were easier to pick off individually.
After about two weeks, more than thirty of the first-generation golems had been destroyed.
Because Zun’s troops had spread out to maintain their encirclement, their golems were being defeated in small numbers across a wide area, and before they realized it, they had lost much of their advantage.
By then, damage to the defensive lines had begun to lessen.
At that moment, five captured first-generation golems — retrieved near Meragia and newly retrained for use — were added to the strike force.
Although their pilots’ skill levels were lower than Zun’s, the identical appearance of the golems caused confusion on the battlefield when they suddenly appeared as “enemies.”
The deception didn’t last long, but during that short window, they succeeded in destroying even more enemy golems, and the tide of battle began to turn.
Then came reinforcements from the Kingdom of Stalen, arriving from the north — a massive army led by Duke Yaderud, joined by northern anti-royalist nobles and the lords of the Bisseling territory.
Numerically, this nearly evened the odds. However, things did not go as smoothly as hoped.
Until then, Marquis Felker had served as deputy commander under Border Marquis Balsham, the overall commander. But Duke Yaderud claimed the right to command based on his higher rank.
In multi-noble coalitions, it is customary that the highest-ranking noble assumes command unless otherwise appointed by the king, so Balsham and Felker both conceded their positions.
However, once Yaderud took over, offensive operations nearly ceased. The army withdrew and focused only on defense.
“It seems Duke Yaderud was quite shocked by the sheer number of first-generation golems deployed.”
Selfers said, eyebrows raised as he read further.
“How strange. If he was secretly in contact with Zun, why would he be surprised?”
Nicolette said, tilting her head.
“The general consensus among Lord Balsham and the others…”
Selfers replied with a wry smile.
“…is that he was never told the full extent of the plan — that Zun would use so many magic golems in the war.”
“Oh, that’s rich…”
Nicolette scoffed.
“…he planned to deceive others, only to be deceived himself.”
“Utterly pathetic.”
She sighed.
Selfers could only shrug in agreement.
As he read further, even more surprising information emerged.
In wartime, it was customary for noble factions to camp separately, reducing friction and improving coordination. As usual, the northern anti-royalist faction had their tents clustered together.
Naturally, the three noble heads suspected of collusion would meet to talk somewhere within that camp.
Anticipating this, Marquis Felker and Count Kalenberg — both of whom had been excluded from the conspiracy — kept their ears open.
They managed to eavesdrop on the three leaders discussing how “a victory for our side would ruin the plan — we must ensure that Zun occupies the capital somehow.”
This confirmed the intelligence previously obtained from Liliene of Avalushi.
“As proof…”
Selfers continued.
“…they kept saying things like, ‘We must analyze the enemy’s strength first,’ or ‘We should persuade our troops to hold back,’ doing everything possible to delay the battle.”
They couldn’t openly reveal what they had overheard, as it would be considered espionage. Nor could they disobey the new commander without being charged with insubordination. But, ironically, help came from Zun itself.
An enemy soldier carrying a secret letter — a letter hinting at collusion with the three lords — was captured.
Duke Yaderud and the others claimed it was a trick by the enemy, but House Eriksen took decisive action.
When the Eriksens had been elevated to a count family, they had chosen minimal territory in exchange for several exceptional privileges.
One of these was the right to command their own forces freely — to disregard standard military regulations within their own ranks.
This rare privilege reflected the crown’s extraordinary trust in the Eriksen family.
Feeling frustrated with the current situation, Eleonora Eriksen invoked that right and led her Avalushi golems into battle once more.
Even a duke could not override a right granted by the royal house, and to oppose her would be tantamount to siding with traitors.
Thus, a full-scale offensive against Zun finally resumed.
Thanks to that, the latest reports stated that the tide had turned decisively in their favor, and victory was now within reach.
“Well, well…”
Selfers exhaled.
“…it looks like the war might finally come to an end.”
“Yes,”
Nicolette replied.
“Now it’s just a matter of what His Majesty will do with Duke Yaderud and the others.”
“Indeed. Without solid evidence, it’ll be hard to act against a ducal house.”
“So they can’t be punished easily…”
“For now, let’s just focus on what we can do. Tomorrow, the official war briefing will be held.”
“I see. Then I’ll let Clarisse know — she can start the theater performances tomorrow.”
“Good. That should help sway the capital’s mood back in the king’s favor.”
Nicolette nodded slightly at Selfers’s words and left the room to relay the information.
The next morning.
When the royal family officially announced that a war was being fought against the magic giant golems, the royal capital was thrown into a great uproar.
Alongside this, reports that the royal forces were in a favorable position—thanks in part to the distinguished efforts of the Klaufeldt and Eriksen families during the recent royal tournament—spread quickly. As a result, the mood in the capital was less one of fear and more akin to a festive celebration.
That afternoon, the Clarine Theatre announced the debut of a new play.
Coincidentally, the play’s theme centered around the magical giant golems, and it was further revealed that Her Majesty the Queen would be attending the premiere as part of her official duties. The news once again set the capital abuzz.
After the first performance, the Queen herself commented that the production had been “wonderful,” and decreed that a portion of the ticket proceeds would be used to fund the war efforts in Plazzo. From that moment, the theater was sold out every night.
Meanwhile, after seeing Selfers and the others off, Isamu was in the reception room of his workshop, accompanied by several men who appeared to be government clerks.
“Hmm… so, the first priorities should be the magic cars and magic scooters, right?”
“Yes, indeed. Beyond just moving people, the impact on goods transport would be immeasurable.”
One of the officials responded as Yuu folded his arms in thought.
They were currently discussing the production facilities for Isamu’s ever-expanding line of original magic devices.
Production had already outgrown what could be handled within the Klaufeldt territory alone. Representatives from the parent Bisseling Count family, the neighboring Zabadak Frontier Margrave Family in the north, and the adjacent Jansen Viscounty were all participating in the meeting.
On the Klaufeldt side, present were Isamu, Annemarie, Eto, Willem, and Silvio from the Zambrotta Trading Company.
“So being able to move goods faster and in larger quantities really is the biggest advantage?”
“Exactly. The efficiency gains aren’t just double—they’re several times higher. Not to mention, the operational costs can’t even be compared to the expense of maintaining horses. You don’t need stables either.”
Silvio nodded emphatically as he spoke, and the clerks all agreed.
Indeed, carriages required horses, and horses required constant care—feeding, watering, washing, medical attention, and daily maintenance even when not in use. Maintaining and operating a carriage could often cost more than buying one in the first place.
In contrast, magic cars and scooters required only basic maintenance, far less effort than caring for a living animal.
They ran on magic stones for fuel—small ones sufficed for short distances—and could travel faster than horses, even running overnight if operated in shifts.
They took up far less storage space too. Anyone who had ever dealt with horse-drawn transport would immediately see the appeal.
“I see. Let’s continue knockdown production across the territories as we’ve been doing, but we should also build a larger, shared factory together with Maraine-san.”
“Yes. Since these are still classified magic devices, we’ll want to keep the production of core components close by.”
After some thought, Isamu concluded, and Willem nodded beside him.
“Agreed. We should keep the know-how limited for now. Plus, with Lady Eleonora’s garrison stationed nearby, the area will be secure.”
“Understood. We’ll begin selecting potential sites near the border immediately.”
One of the Bisseling clerks responded crisply to Isamu’s decision.
“Please do. Ah, and could the site be somewhat long and narrow in shape?”
“Long and narrow, my lord?”
“Yes. I’d like to try a new production method.”
At the clerk’s puzzled look, Isamu offered a brief explanation.
What he intended to test was the so-called assembly line method—complete with conveyors.
Unlike workshops where craftsmen worked individually, factories would employ untrained workers, so a line-based system, where each person handled a small portion of the process, would reduce training time and increase efficiency.
Such lines naturally required long, narrow layouts, hence Yuu’s request.
Another benefit of smaller individual work scopes was reduced knowledge leakage—an added layer of trade secret protection.
“In our territory, we’ve actually begun producing an item discussed earlier with Zval-sama. We brought a sample today.”
With the Bisseling discussion concluded, a clerk from the Zabaddak territory spoke up.
“Here it is.”
He produced a small attache case from his bag, placed it on the table, and opened it.
“Oh!”
Isamu couldn’t help exclaiming in surprise.
Inside, neatly lined up, were small white cube-shaped tiles with a subtle metallic sheen and an air of luxury.
“This is a prototype of our high-end model of ‘mahjong tiles.’”
“Ohh, splendid work! May I touch them?”
“Of course. Please examine them freely.”
At Eto’s question, the clerk nodded, and everyone began picking up the tiles.
The designs were the same as the ones Isamu’s group had originally made—numbered tiles, daggers, and paw prints—plus the directional characters (East, West, South, North).
The only difference was in the red and green dragon tiles, which now bore simplified and formal versions of the Zabaddak family crest.
“These crest tiles are excellent!”
“Thank you. We first considered using the national emblem, but decided that even as a game, ‘discarding the nation’ didn’t feel quite right.”
Isamu chuckled wryly at the clerk’s embarrassed smile.
“Ahh, yes… best not to invite political trouble over a game.”
“Wait, could this material be… Snow Wyvern horn?”
Willem, who had been inspecting the tiles’ cool texture and smoothness, asked in surprise.
“Indeed. They’re carved from Snow Wyvern horn.”
“I thought so. That distinctive chill to the touch gave it away…”
Willem exhaled in awe.
The Snow Wyvern was a rare subspecies of wyvern, said to inhabit only cold, snowy regions.
To Isamu, the idea of a reptilian creature thriving in the cold felt absurd—but he accepted it as just another quirk of magical beasts.
Unlike regular wyverns, they had a single elegant white horn extending from the back of their heads, always cool and smooth like ice—making them a prized material for fine crafts and jewelry.
“Lord Zval suggested that since the target buyers are nobles, the product should exude luxury.”
Hearing that, Isamu recalled how, back on Earth, ivory had once been used for such purposes until overhunting led to bans. He briefly worried about sustainability.
“I’ve heard Snow Wyverns are much larger than normal wyverns, and can even breathe ice?”
“Indeed. They’re formidable foes—two sizes larger than regular wyverns and capable of unleashing freezing breath.”
In that case, Isamu thought, any comparison to elephants was completely misplaced.
“Yes, that’s true… However, there was someone who said, ‘I’ll go hunt one myself,’ and went out with a few retainers to do just that…”
The clerk’s gaze drifted into the distance as he said this — it seemed Zval’s hands-on attitude was still very much alive and well.
“Thanks to that, we were able to gather enough material to make several full sets, which is why I’ve brought these prototypes today.”
“I see. Judging by the quality, I don’t think there’s any problem at all — but what do you think, Anne?”
Isamu asked Annemarie for her opinion, since while he thought the quality was fine, he wasn’t sure how it would measure up to this world’s aristocratic standards.
“I agree completely. The fact that it’s made from Snow Wyvern horn already makes it exceptional, but it’s also been beautifully processed. Honestly, this could be sold as a work of art.”
“Thank you very much.”
Hearing Annemarie’s strong endorsement, the clerk visibly relaxed in relief.
“By the way, how much are you planning to sell these for?”
“Given the rarity of the material and the amount of work required for processing, we’re thinking around one million ruins.”
“One mil—!?”
Isamu froze. He’d asked out of simple curiosity, only to receive an answer equivalent to about a hundred million yen, and immediately regretted it.
However, beside him, Annemarie nodded as if that price were perfectly natural — so it must have been reasonable by noble standards.
If that was the case, Isamu saw no reason to object, and they agreed that this model would be sold as the top-tier luxury version.
“Then, here is the contract.”
As per their original arrangement, the profits would be split evenly between both sides.
It wasn’t based on total sales but on gross profit, so Isamu wouldn’t receive the full equivalent of fifty million yen, but even so, several tens of millions would still come in.
Even selling just one a year would be a huge deal, he thought as he signed the contract.
Just then — knock, knock, knock!
A sharp series of knocks hit the door.
He’d also heard the sound of someone running down the hallway just before, so it was probably urgent. Isamu looked at Felix, who was standing by the door, and gave him a nod.
“Nyaa~f.”
Orihime, the cat, seemed to have heard it too and stretched with a meow.
“Come in.”
“P–pardon my intrusion!”
Felix opened the door, and in came Benedict, the bishop from the church — slightly out of breath.
“Matsumoto-sama! It’s finally happened! Ash and Lulu’s kittens have been born!!”
And thus, along with Benedict’s dramatic entrance, came the joyous announcement —
the long-awaited birth of the kittens.

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