Kays Translations

Chapter 54: The Villainous Aristocrat Announces His Participation in The War.

This is the underground workshop in the residence of the Viscount Andain.

"Humans are ridiculous. Instead of waging war, spending time enjoying delicious food would be a more meaningful way to live."

"Dragons have a different perspective."

"Heh, praising me won't get you anything. Rather, serve me some food."

"You've already had lunch, haven't you?"

"You can have lunch as many times as you want!!"

Queria declared with a confident smirk.

This dragon girl is always asserting her appetite.

Well, she doesn't seem to mind enjoying the food I make.

"By the way, why is Kunou's uncle feeling down?"

"Oh, it's because the long-awaited railway project got postponed due to the war. The academy is on hiatus too."

"War is indeed a challenging situation. Ayano seems completely frightened and has shut herself in."

Recently, the Atralta Empire invaded the kingdom's border, and war broke out.

The sudden outbreak of war threw the capital into chaos, but the events unfolded in the frontier.

The citizens of the capital, perhaps lulled into a sense of peace, didn't seem too concerned.

In recent years, relations with the Atarlta Empire had also improved, and the excessive peace may have led to a loss of crisis awareness.

Too much peace can be a double-edged sword.

"By the way, what are you making, Kunou?"

"Gundam. To protect myself in case of war."

"Gundam? Doesn't sound like a very delicious name."

Is she really only thinking about food?

...Probably not.

"Well, it's more like a powered suit. It's just a skeletal structure without armor, and it's about 5 meters in size."

He used pseudo muscle fibers that simulate the spider silk that expands and contracts when magic is applied, covering them with armor.

It's like a larger and more robust version of the prosthetic arm He made for Katia before.

I realized it during the recent tournament.

In the end, I'm not suited for fighting directly.

So, I don't have to fight directly.

I've always wanted to make a robot like this, and now is the perfect opportunity.

"...But yeah, bipedal movement is difficult."

I can't make a sophisticated posture control device. I don't even have an idea of how to make one.

This is a problem.

"Hmm? Does it have to be bipedal?"

"!! That's it!"

"U-Um?"

Yeah, that's right. There was no need to force it into bipedal movement.

I hadn't thought of that approach.

"Reuse a magical tank... No, no, it's a good opportunity, so let's make it from a crawler. ...This is like Gundam."

Ah, the excitement is unstoppable. Might as well make the armor sturdy while I'm at it.

Can I borrow materials from my uncle's storage without permission?

...It probably won't be noticed right now.

"Install pseudo railguns on both shoulders, equip Gatling guns on both arms... Hmm, for a nice appearance, let's add a backpack and supply ammunition from there. Yeah, the possibilities are endless."

Yes, why not add transformation capabilities while I'm at it?

I think it would look absolutely cool if I further enlarge the railguns on this thing.

Transforming from a tank to a Gundam...

Isn't that just the best?

"Baron Draussen!! Is Baron Draussen present?!"

"Hmm? Who's there?"

"A message from Her Majesty the Queen!! She requests your immediate presence at the castle!!"

"Oh, come on. I'm busy right now."

"D-Do not say such things!! It's an urgent matter!!"

"Fine."

If it's an order from the Queen, I can't refuse, huh?

I quickly prepared and headed to the castle where Freya was waiting.

Upon entering the audience chamber, it seemed like a few dignitaries and Freya were in a somber meeting.

"Hmm, Kunou, good of you to come. I'm pleased."

"There seem to be fewer people than usual. Did something happen?"

"Something happened, huh. Let me make it clear; we're currently at war. It wouldn't be strange if some of the important figures escaped and holed up in their territories. It's truly lamentable."

"Oh, I see..."

"Well, thanks to that, I've learned about the nobles who lack the will to defend the country. In that regard, I can express my gratitude to the Empire."

Having said that, Freya shook her head.

"...No, this is not good. We had been building good relations with the Empire's Emperor recently, but I don't understand how things turned out like this. Starting a war out of the blue right after declaring war, it's something only barbarians would do."

"I sympathize with your situation."

There were severe dark circles under Freya's eyes, indicating that she hadn't had a decent sleep in days.

Even while the Queen worked herself to the bone, the dignitaries seemed to be doing poorly.

"So, do you need anything?"

"Hmm. Is something bothering you?"

"No, not at all. I was just called in while I was busy making things with lots of ideas."

"I apologize for that. Due to the urgent matter, I had to summon you."

"Don't worry about it. I was just joking."

"Hahaha, it doesn't sound like a joke when it comes from the Andain lineage."

The Queen laughed happily.

"Now then. The reason I called you here is none other than about the Empire."

"Is something wrong?"

"The border fortress has fallen. The Empire's army, numbering 500,000, captured several hundred soldiers and knights who were defending the fortress and is gradually taking down fortresses across the border as they advance towards the capital."

"Wow."

The situation was worse than I had thought.

"The troublesome part is the Empire's state-of-the-art equipment. We've captured some and had our capital's engineers analyze them for reproduction, but it takes time as they're something we've never seen before. I'd like to hear your opinion."

"Me? If it's about weapons, my uncle is more knowledgeable, I believe."

"Hmm. Seeing is believing."

Saying that, Freya had one of her subordinates bring in a gun.

Yes, a gun. A musket gun.

...

I fell silent.

Certainly, if it's about guns, I might have an advantage over Reldo.

But why did Freya know that I have some knowledge about guns?

"I understand that you don't want to publicize the weapons you've created."

"How did you find out?"

"You captured a demon named Kito, right? The one who recovered from injuries told me. That you were using a weapon that shoots lead bullets."

"That cat..."

Well, I figured it would be exposed sooner or later.

"I intended to respect your wishes. However, the situation does not permit it. It's a royal decree. Tell me what you know about these weapons."

"..."

Freya had the eyes of a queen. Looking into those eyes, for some reason, I felt an irresistible urge to comply.

"...This is the simplest structure among guns. It's a musket using a flintlock mechanism."

"Hmm?"

"It uses gunpowder... a substance that explosively burns when ignited, to propel lead balls. It's quite different from mine."

"Different? How so?"

"I enchant the bullets and the inside of the gun with explosive magic. This serves as a substitute for gunpowder. Just to make it clear, mass production with this method is also challenging."

I explained the basic mechanism of the gun.

Freya caught on quickly, and she soon understood its operational methods.

"Hmm. Forming a line in groups and continuously firing to eliminate the gaps in reloading seems to be the most ideal usage. Maybe arranging in two, no, three rows and alternating reloading and firing could work well."

Is she Oda Nobunaga or something?

"Hmm. I thought that once the structure and usage were understood, it could be mass-produced, but there's no gunpowder. It's fortunate to learn that it's inconvenient to handle in rain or storms, but the situation doesn't seem to be improving."

"That's true."

"..."

Freya pondered something, her lips sealed.

Anticipating what she wanted to convey with that, I made a suggestion.

"Shall I drive away the Imperial Army?"

"What? Can you really do that?"

“If I were to say whether it's possible or impossible... well, there are conditions I'd like to discuss first."

"Go ahead and tell me."

I made three requests to Freya.

"One, I won't allow anyone to be killed. Two, treat prisoners humanely. Three, keep everything that happens this time confidential."

"...I can understand the third one, but what do you mean by the first two?"

"It's simple. I'm not a good person to the extent that I can bear the burden of someone's death. Torturing someone to death would leave me with a bad feeling. Above all, it's not like me."

So, I won't kill, and I don't intend to.

I am committed to non-lethal methods. There's no need for Felsy to stop me anymore.

"The opponent is 500,000, you know?"

"One day."

"...Eh?"

For a moment, Freya showed a slightly dumbfounded expression.

"I'll end the war in one day for you. I'll need time for preparation, though. In return, I want you to provide materials for free."

"...Understood."

Freya nodded.

"I'll arrange everything. How many days do you need for preparation?"

"About a month."

"Very well, Kunou von Draussen. I hereby command you. Win. Contribute to the victory of the kingdom."

"As you command."

I'll say it upfront; this isn't an action driven by a sense of justice.

This is my way of venting.

The folks from the Empire chose to attack just when I was about to make some male friends.

I'm going to thrash them.

And so, with all preparations in place, I headed towards the battlefield.

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