Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 65: A Night Encounter with a Vampire
After the first wave of attacks was successfully repelled, the north returned to calm again. No one knew when the next wave would come.
According to Viscount Jarvis, as winter deepened, the number and scale of the undead monsters would continue to grow.
At the end of winter, their final wave of attack would be the most frenzied and intense. For Bianshu Town, it would be the key battle that was the hardest to defend.
It was just like the darkest hour before dawn.
Because of this, the task of manufacturing cannons became extremely urgent.
As soon as he returned to the castle, Owen urgently summoned Jita and asked him to forge several reamers for boring cannon barrels.
He also handed over the relevant blueprints for the cannons. With the philosophy that “caliber is justice,” Owen planned to start directly with a twelve-pounder cannon.
According to the data provided by Winston, this cannon had an effective range of one thousand meters and very fierce firepower—much better than the disappointing catapults.
When explaining it to Jita, Owen said that a cannon was basically a scaled-up version of a musket. Geeta immediately understood and promised to produce it as soon as possible.
With that settled, Owen could rest assured and leave the rest to Jita.
Next, Owen summoned Fanny and Garcia and instructed them to assist in the blacksmith shop with steelmaking. Using high-temperature fire magic and the steel-refining method taught by Winston, they were to quickly produce a batch of steel ingots.
In the past, the steelmaking process at the smithy was rather primitive, relying on constant hammering of iron blocks, which was labor-intensive and time-consuming.
These steel ingots would be used to manufacture cannon barrels.
Cannons fire large shells, whereas muskets only fire small lead balls. The amount of gunpowder required is vastly different.
Thus, pig iron could still be used to make musket barrels. But as for cannons made of pig iron—Owen worried they would explode after just a few shots.
If a cannon explodes, the artillerymen operating it are the unluckiest—either dead or maimed. All that training of the crew would go to waste.
That’s why it was better to use steel to make the cannon barrels—it’s safer and less prone to bursting.
Additionally, steel cannon barrels are much lighter than bronze ones of the same size, making them easier to transport.
…
Rona was an ordinary livestock farmer who lived on the southern side of Bianshu Town. He raised just over a dozen cattle at home.
Between Bianshu Town and the Mysterious Forest lay a sizeable grassland where he would drive his cattle for grazing.
To be honest, ever since the start of winter, he had been living in constant anxiety, afraid that one day the undead monsters would break through the northern wall and rampage through the town.
Back when he first heard that the Holy Knights were going to be stationed at the Eastern Sunrise Fortress, Rona considered fleeing with his wife and children. But in the end, he stayed.
It wasn’t the lord’s speech or the terrifying explosion demonstration that gave him confidence—it was because he couldn’t bear to part with his cattle. After all, they were his entire livelihood.
He had no choice but to gamble. That was Rona’s initial reason for staying.
Only recently had he begun to feel at ease—because good news had come from the northern wall: the lord, leading various forces, had successfully repelled the first wave of undead monsters.
Of course, Owen didn’t keep such good news to himself. He immediately sent people to announce it in the town square to reassure those still anxious.
Verifying the truth of this news wasn’t difficult either—each week, some members of the militia were allowed to…
Returning home to visit family—just ask them and you’ll know.
It seemed the lord truly had a way to hold the northern wall. Only now did Rona begin to believe Owen’s speech wasn’t just empty talk.
With his mood lifted, Rona’s craving for alcohol flared up.
Sure enough, that very evening, he couldn’t resist bringing his homemade brew over to drink with his neighbor, Pipe.
Outside, fine snow drifted in the air and the cold was biting, but inside the house, it was warm and cozy—perfect for drinking and chatting.
“Ha—”
Rona set down his wooden cup, his face slightly flushed—clearly a little tipsy.
“Old pal, did you know? Those lizardmen are strictly guarding the northern border, not letting anyone get close. What’s up with that! It’s like they own the place or something.”
“That’s the winter living zone the lord allocated to them.”
Pipe, also taking a big swig.
“In exchange, the lizardmen also sent people to help guard the northern wall. Just ignore them—once winter’s over, they’ll leave, right?”
“True enough.”
Rona didn’t want to go near the north during winter anyway. Whatever the lizardmen were doing had nothing to do with him.
“Nick! Go to bed right now! You’ve got class tomorrow!”
Came the voice of Pipe’s wife from the other room.
Hic! Rona burped.
“Speaking of which, the lord also started some kind of school to teach people how to read. I don’t get it—most of us here barely use a few words our whole lives, so why bother learning? If it weren’t for the free lunch, I wouldn’t even bother sending my kid there.”
“Didn’t they say there’ll be a lot of high-paying jobs in the future that require literacy?”
Said Pipe.
“The future? Who knows what the future holds? What if the lord is just stringing us along with empty promises?”
How could there be that many high-paying jobs? Rona didn’t buy into the lord’s promises.
“You say that, but have you heard about the Abe family’s eldest daughter?”
Pipe put down his empty cup.
“She got a job at the town hall just because she could read a bit. Gets five silver coins a month—everyone’s jealous.”
“Really?”
Rona looked skeptical.
“Why would I lie?”
The two continued chatting for a long time. Only when the alcohol was all gone did Rona finally bid farewell and prepare to head home.
By then, the snow outside had mostly stopped.
As soon as he stepped outside, the cold wind hit him in the face. Rona shivered involuntarily, and the chill sobered him up a bit.
“Sheesh—it’s freezing!”
Behind him, Pipe raised his cup and called out.
“Watch your step on the way home!”
“Don’t jinx me, old pal,”
Rona turned his head.
“I live right next door—how could I possibly fall over in just that distance?”
“You’re already wobbling. Want me to walk you home?”
Pipe asked.
“No need. I’ve sobered up!”
“Haha, take it slow, buddy.”
Raising his oil lamp, Rona headed toward his house. The snow had piled up a bit, and the road was a bit tricky to walk on.
After finally making it to his front door, Rona was just about to push it open when he suddenly heard a noise coming from the cowshed.
Huh? Who would be there at this hour? Must be a thief!
Thinking someone was trying to steal his cattle, Rona decided to teach the thief a lesson. Grabbing a rake from beside the wall, he quietly crept toward the shed.
Suddenly, he flung open the cowshed door, raised his lantern high, and shouted.
“Who’s there?!”
By the weak light of the lamp, he saw a dark figure crouched on top of a sleeping cow.
The figure jerked its head up. A pair of eerie red eyes looked straight at him. Long hair covered most of its face, its exposed skin was deathly pale, it wore animal hides, had two prominent fangs, and blood stained the corner of its mouth.
Rona was a devout follower of Lumichael and attended Bishop Flynn’s sermons at the church every month.
And the creature before him perfectly matched the description of a monster from the holy texts.
“A vampire!”
He hadn’t expected to run into a creature of legend. Rona was so terrified he stumbled backward several steps, accidentally falling to the ground. The lantern went out as well.
The sudden darkness made him even more frightened, and he began shouting in panic.
“Don’t come any closer! Help!”
However, the vampire didn’t attack Rona. In fact, it seemed startled by his appearance.
It quickly scrambled out the cowshed window and bolted into the night, vanishing with astonishing speed.