Kays Translations

Chapter 56: The Villainous Aristocrat Launches Cluster Attack On Fort

We are currently heading towards the front lines where the Kingdom and the Empire are fighting, riding on something.

"Boss!! The fortress is coming into view!!"

"Yeah, I can see it too."

I respond to Hagane's voice coming through the speaking tube.

This time, Hagane is the pilot.

Why, you ask? Well, it's because I want to be the gunner!!

"But seriously, Boss, you make some unbelievable stuff!!"

"Of course, right? Give me more praise. Well, the most incredible one is Grandma, though."

What we made is a Train gun.

If I were to name it, it would be the Armored Artillery Train Juggernaut.

It's about 30 meters in length, with a main gun caliber of 500mm, equipped with 200mm secondary guns and 20mm machine guns.

We gathered ore from the mines owned by the Andain Viscount's family and consumed a massive amount to create this masterpiece.

The armor is made of a single iron plate, so you could say it's paper-thin armor in a normal sense...

However, in this armor, there's a small amount of leftover Orichalcum, a royal treasure that Freya used to make armor for the royal family during a martial arts tournament.

In other words, despite being paper-thin, it's incredibly sturdy.

Thinking about it again, shaping magic is really convenient. You can knead metal and create alloys with it.

Oh, and wondering how the artillery train is running without any tracks?

If you were to see it from the outside while it's moving, you'd understand, but tracks appear ahead of it, and once it passes, they disappear.

It's an application of the magic bag.

Thanks to an acquaintance of Reldo who was skilled in storage magic, we collaborated with that person to imbue the storage magic using enchantment magic.

This made it possible to deploy and retract tracks wherever the Juggernaut went.

"Well, to put it plainly, it's like that Den◯liner thing from a certain masked Rider show!"

“Uh, yes. It's an easy-to-understand analogy, but it seems like something that might get us in trouble... But still, it's surprising that you can make something like this. Isn't it supposed to take years to create such a thing?”

Ayanos' retorts and questions come through the speaking tube.

Well, I even find it surprising myself that we made something like this in just a month.

Normally, it would have been impossible.

But there's a monster in my family who can make the impossible possible.

None other than my grandmother.

That woman is seriously weird.

Even while working, I thought it was dangerous being alone in the workshop, but when Grandma gets serious, she's no longer human.

Without any blueprints, I conveyed the image, and she produced the necessary parts on the spot.

Sometimes she used an advanced form of shaping magic, which apparently changes the shape of things with just a touch, without kneading them by hand.

And, for some reason, she created clones at some point.

According to her, she's using some magical tools she made herself, but I don't know the details.

But as a fact, there were about fifty grandmothers.

Thanks to a small amount of Orichalcum, the cost and materials needed for the armor were reduced, and there were dozens of grandmothers who could create the desired parts on the spot.

Originally, I only intended to make a large tank, but I got carried away and ended up making something like this.

Honestly, even I am amazed at how well it turned out.

"Ayano, how's everything on your end?"

“Uh, well, it's okay, but... Is it really safe here?”

"Yeah. You're the engine of this thing, the heart, so it's the safest place."

“But, um, for some reason, I'm connected to the whole body with tubes, and it feels like I'm the final boss in a sci-fi movie.”

"Don't worry, don't worry. You're like the final boss in a fantasy RPG. It's similar."

Ayano is currently in the safest place inside the artillery train, connected to tubes throughout her entire body.

Through these tubes, she is channeling magical energy throughout the entire artillery train.

In normal circumstances, even with human magic or gathering all the magic stones in the royal capital, you wouldn't be able to move this thing. The reason it can move is because of this.

"I never thought you'd use Ayano-chan as a substitute for magic stones... That's an amazing idea, Kunou-kun."

"As expected of Onii-sama!!"

"Both of you must not leave the core. Please take care of Ayano there. You'll get a scolding from Mother when you return."

““Yes, we're sorry.””

Surprisingly, Wendy and Felsy ended up coming along.

More precisely, they had both been hiding in the warehouse where we stored supplies for the long journey.

Well, Felsy is still understandable.

Her reason was to make sure I don't go on a rampage again, which is a valid concern, though it's not ideal for her to accompany me into a war.

The real issue is Wendy.

What do you think could be her reason for secretly joining this expedition?

"Haa, never thought she'd run all the way to the royal capital just because she wants to fight strong opponents in a war."

"I-I wanted to become stronger and be more helpful to Onii-sama!"

"Just having you around, Wendy, is enough to comfort my heart. Please, don't turn into a battle-hungry berserker seeking conflict."

"Muu."

Wendy sulks over the communication channel. Cute.

I only noticed their presence after leaving the royal capital for a while.

In other words, it wasn't feasible to drop them off along the way.

Due to circumstances, they are currently taking care of Ayano, who is in the power unit.

"Hm, hehehe, Wendy-tan is sulking, so cute!! My favorite is nearby. This, this is bliss. The ultimate!!"

"Onii-sama, this person is scary."

"Ignore her. She's the type who won't make a move physically, so it's okay."

Ayano is originally the type of person who quietly supports her favorites.

Like, if my favorite is happy, it's okay.

If it's Wendy herself, my favorite, taking care of me, it's inevitable that I'd become a bit of a pervert.

...It's much better than getting sick with fear of going to war and having the power unit dirtied by vomit.

"Boss!! The Imperial guys have taken refuge in the fortress!"

"Yeah, confirmed. The Kingdom's army... Oh? They noticed the Juggernaut and cleared the way. The commander is excellent. Thank you!!"

The Juggernaut passed through the Kingdom's army territory and came to a stop in front of the fortress.

Then, using a megaphone I had prepared in advance—a sound amplification device using wind magic—I addressed the Imperial army barricaded in the fortress.

Ah, ah, mic test, mic test.

"Attention, Imperial forces! Immediately release the fortress and return to the Empire. Otherwise, you'll face a very painful experience."

The goal this time is to drive away the Imperial army. 

If the enemy is intimidated by the Juggernaut and retreats, there's no need to launch an attack to minimize casualties.

At that moment, a loud boom echoed.

Almost simultaneously, the Juggernaut's armor rebounded with a clang against something.

Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be a cannon-like object on top of the fortress's defensive wall.

They fired a shot, huh?

Well, they have guns, so it's not surprising if they also have cannons, right?

More importantly, is everything okay? I hope there are no scratches on the armor.

"I gave them a warning, after all. Well, if they're that determined, I guess there's no helping it! Katia!! Load that special shell!"

"Understood."

In the top part of the Juggernaut, in the gunner's seat, there's someone else besides me—Katia.

Her role is to load the shells.

And one more thing.

"...A bit higher, maybe?"

"Oh, right. ...Like this?"

Katia nods silently.

Perhaps because she was originally an excellent archer, she's an amazing elf who can predict the trajectory of the shells at an intuitive level.

After adjusting the angle, I put my finger on the trigger.

"Juggernaut main cannon and secondary cannon!! Fire!!!!"

Boom!!!

A deep, low-frequency sound resonates throughout the area as the shells soar into the sky above the fortress.

This strike isn't intended to obliterate the fortress.

If we did that, it's almost certain that a massive number of Imperial soldiers would die.

This is, so to speak, a cluster shell.

However, what's packed inside isn't explosives but an extract of extremely spicy chili peppers.

By the way, Iori is the one responsible for obtaining the chili peppers.

It seems she had a wide-ranging agricultural operation in the village, with quite a sizable farm.

Chili peppers were one of the crops she grew there.

The explosive burst of extremely spicy chili pepper extract in the sky resulted in a rain of bright red.

All of it pouring down onto the fortress.

"It's going to turn into a hellish scene."

"Cry!! Scream!! Shout!! That's fitting for you guys!! Katia, load the next shell!"

"Understood."

Relentlessly showering them with cluster chili peppers.

I use a microphone and a sound collector I prepared simultaneously to hear the screams of the Imperial army.

"Ahhhh!! Wh-what is this!!"

"It hurts!! My eyes hurt!!"

"Take shelter in the buildings!!"

"I can't open my eyes, I can't see!!"

"My eyes, my eyes!!"

Kukuku.

"It's enjoyable to hear their screams!"

"Oh, yes. Just from that, you sound like a complete villain."

"I may be a villain, so what?"

Ignoring Ayano's retort, I continue to unleash a barrage of cluster chili peppers.

This would probably be considered a level of mischief that could get you arrested if done in my previous life.

Well, it's war, and they initiated it, so it can't be helped, right? Fire!!

"All right, next is the electric shells!"

Of course, it's far from over. I've prepared plenty of things to efficiently render the enemy combat ineffective.

I tried it myself, but things like this really need to be tested on the opponent!

The cluster electric shells are a success, and screams echo from the fortress.

"Uh, um, is that thing okay?"

"Who knows? They probably won't die, most likely. It's the same kind of 'barely not lethal' as the one I used on Kito."

"Th-that's too nonchalant!"

"Even with that, electric shells and chili peppers are on the gentler side. There are shells that cause earthquakes upon impact, destroying buildings, and there are legit cluster bombs."

"Huh? Does hearing that make it sound somewhat more merciful?"

"Right?"

I don't talk about it much, but I've also created cluster shells that disperse poisonous substances.

These won't kill directly, but it's monster poison, so it'll probably bring someone close to death normally.

Well, I don't use them in situations where there might be prisoners since they're indiscriminate.

Huh? Would I have used them if there weren't any prisoners?

...Don't make me say it, hehe.

"Hmm?"

At that moment 

The Kingdom's army, which had been in formation, began to advance ahead of the Juggernaut.

At the forefront was a young knight.

Perhaps they were acting out of a desire to achieve military merit.

"Now's the time!! Scatter those Imperial bastards! Cough, cough, wh-what's this!? It hurts like hell!!"

"Oops."

Naturally, the cluster chili peppers don't have a function to distinguish between friend and foe.

If you enter the area where the red rain falls, the pain mercilessly strikes, friend or foe alike.

Did they think it wouldn't affect them?

Hmm, what should I do...

"Hey!! Can you hear me?!"

The sound collector picks up the voice of a middle-aged man. I use the megaphone to respond to that voice.

"I can hear you."

"Well, that's a relief!! Sorry for the young ones advancing without permission!"

"No problem at all. I forgot to explain on our end, too."

"I appreciate you saying that!! By the way, can you break down the gate of the fortress?"

"Is that okay?"

"Yes. We can't even get close!! Go ahead and give it all you've got!!"

He's likely the commander, given that he's wearing the most expensive-looking armor among the knights.

They bought us a month's worth of time without a complaint.

It's only fair to grant them a few requests.

"All right, Hagane!! Charge!"

"Roger that, boss!"

The Juggernaut advances through the rain of bright red.

Full speed ahead☆ GO★ J.A☆

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