Chapter 19: Preparing for battle

“Bowman, how are you doing? Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Well, it looks like the mass production of guns is going well, especially with …… Oh, yeah, why don’t you equip yourself with one of these?”

“No, you know I’m weak don’t you? If I had metal armor, I wouldn’t be able to move very well.”

After the exchange in the mine, I came to Souzi’s workshop where Bowman was working. He was right, things were going well and there were already several guns in the workshop. I know that Neil and his team are testing the prototypes that were made earlier under the guidance of Vigna and Galatea.

More than that… I get tired of seeing the metal armor in front of me. I don’t have much good memories of armor. I remember wearing it a long time ago and being ridiculed by my brothers because I couldn’t move.

“It’s okay. You can try it out now. I’m really busy you know.”

“Alright… what is this? Isn’t it too light? Oh, I can move! I can move!”

I was surprised at the lightness of the armor as I reluctantly put it on in response to Bowman’s words. When I wore iron armor before, I could barely walk, but with this, I can run with room to spare.

It’s about half the weight of conventional armor. If I could make a small shield for the girls and children, I could protect myself a little.

“This is an armor made from a mixture of aluminum and mithril alloy according to your instructions: Super Mithril Alloy. It’s rustproof, light, and has great defense!”

“It’s great, except for the naming sense! But I think I could wear this on the battlefield.”

I thought that the super mithril alloy was too easy, but I put on the armor that Bowman had made for me and moved my body. It’s amazing, I can even jump!

In this case, I’ll be able to move around the battlefield with this. Bowman said with a serious look on his face while I was moving with tension.

“Grace… the whole point of this territory will be meaningless if something happens to you. However, this will be a battlefield. I know you’re planning to take charge as the leader anyway, right? I may not be able to protect you as well as Galatea or Vigna-chan, but I know the armor will do it for me.”

“Bowman….”

I understood why he had made this armor at this time when he’s busy mass-producing guns. He made the special armor so I could protect myself as I moved around the battlefield, just like he made a magic bayonet for Vigna.

“Thank you. I’ll treasure this.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve been enjoying my time here and I’m just trying to protect my workshop. Now, get out of here. There are other things to do you know. And… you haven’t had a chance to talk to Vigna lately, have you?”

“Yeah, I get it. I’m sure this Ultimate Armor will save my life.”

“You made fun of my naming sense a while ago, but you’re quite something  yourself!”

We exchanged a few words as I headed to my next destination.

At the training center a short distance from the village, the sound of gunfire had been echoing for some time. The dry popping sound was disconcerting at first, but then I got used to hearing it.

“Yes, aim properly and be careful of the recoil. This gun can pierce iron armor if it hits and it can attack from a distance that magic can’t reach. However, it can’t fire continuously and it’s heavy and large, so your movement will be greatly limited. The first thing you need to do is to make sure that the bullets go where you aim them.”

“It’s not like a bow, it only flies in a straight line, so be careful when your opponent is hiding. Depending on the situation, you may be able to catch them off guard.”

“Yes, I understand.”

It seems that Galatea is teaching the guards, led by Neil, how to use a rifle, a gun with a long barrel and Vigna is teaching them how to use a handgun, a small gun that can be carried in one hand.

The reason why they are using two different types of guns is because they have different roles. The rifle is useful for sniping, while the handgun is more useful for melee combat. If a battle were to start, their work would be crucial. With only Vigna as our wizard, guns are our lifeline.

I told the people that there might be a battle and two of them left Asgard, but the rest stayed. Morale was naturally high. Thank goodness.

As I was watching them train, Galatea caught sight of me. She smiled and said something like this.

“Vigna-san, it’s late and we should probably end the training. Besides… I think Master has something to tell you.”

“Well… we don’t want to overdo it, so let’s call it a day.”

“It’s over!”

When Vigna says so, Neil and the others lie down on the ground just as if they were at their limit. I wonder if they were being trained in Sparta. By the way, Galatea can be sweet, but when it comes to training, she becomes unreasonably strict. Maybe that’s why Neil looks so happy.

“So…. what can I do for you?”

“Huh? Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you since we haven’t talked much lately.”

“Hmm, well… wait a minute. I’ll come back to the village with you when I’m done with the weapon maintenance.”

She then quickly went back to the weapons. I feel like I’m missing something but Is it my imagination? No, I’m really just here to see how everyone is doing… I didn’t come here just to see Vigna!

“I sense rapidly pounding hearts from Master and Vigna-sama. She’s really a tsundere. How precious.”

When I’m a little confused, a smiling Galatea speaks to me. I don’t know if she’s making fun of me or not. I have to correct one misunderstanding. 

“Galatea, you don’t have to be wary of weird things and Vigna is not a tsundere It’s true that she looks rough, but she…. really cares about me. So don’t get me wrong.”

“……?”

It was Galatea’s turn to be confused by my words, but eventually, she claps her hands as if she just got the point.

“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know the word “tsundere” doesn’t exist in this world. It seems that there was a discrepancy in perception. A tsundere is a woman who cares about someone but can’t be honest about it, so she usually takes a cold attitude. So…. fight on Master.”

“well… eh… ha…?”

What, is that what tsundere means? Wait! wait! wait! Galatea used to call Vigna Tsundere when she first met us. Then, she’s been talking about that from the beginning? 

“Sorry to keep you waiting, let’s go.”

“Huh, yeah…..”

Vigna stares at me a bit weirdly because of the suspicious expression on my face due to the shocking fact I just learned. It looks cute for some reason, though it looks the same as it always does……

Then, we said goodbye to the smiling Galatea and went home together.

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