God of the Battlefield (2)
God of the Battlefield (2)
"Ah, it's nothing! I just lost strength in my hand and dropped it!"
Luna shook her head vigorously, denying there had ever been any bug.
Hildea, clearly excited, urged her on.
"Hurry, hurry! I want to see the true power of this 155mm howitzer!"
"Ah, yes. Well, first, a simple operating manual...."
Using the Tactical PDA issued by default to colonels, I explained the operational methods I had diligently studied every day.
"These two winged flying vehicles are a type of weapon called drones. They are named V-Bat...."
The MQ-35 V-BAT unmanned aerial vehicle.
With two fixed wings and a ducted fan engine, it is capable of vertical takeoff and landing, horizontal flight, and even hovering.
After arriving in the operational area via horizontal flight, it can switch to vertical hovering to hold a fixed position.
The Ground Control Station and the two drones serve as three base stations, creating a pseudo-GPS effect within a limited range.
Meaning, even without GPS satellites, you can accurately drop an Excalibur precision-guided shell right onto the target.
"Then I'll launch them."
"Okay."
I activated the Ground Control Station and gave the flight command to the two drones.
As the drone, standing vertically with its nose pointed at the sky, took off, Hildea clapped in amazement.
"Really amazing!"
"Astonishing, truly astonishing."
"I-it's a pretty decent Flying Spell. Haha...."
Lord Deville and Luna also clapped and cheered.
The drones, which had been ascending vertically, tilted horizontally and began flying rapidly.
"What? Luna, it seems much faster than you?"
"Hmph! What? I can fly way faster than that on my own!"
In the blink of an eye, the drones vanished from sight.
I pointed at the reconnaissance footage from the drones appearing on the Ground Control Station and explained.
"Through this device, you can share the perspective seen by the V-Bat."
Lord Deville was horrified.
"This can't be! I've never even heard of such magic, Colonel Marshall!"
"Truly amazing. Luna, can ordinary magical devices do this sort of thing too?"
"Th-there's no way they can. Even communication magic tools have a max range of barely 100 meters...."
I called Hildea over and handed her a standard 155mm high-explosive shell.
"Here, Hildea-nim. I'll teach you how to load it."
"It's definitely bigger and heavier compared to the 105mm shell."
After completing the breech loading,
I adjusted the firing angle toward the confirmed target.
Just adjust it exactly as the Ground Control Station AI instructs. It's very simple.
'The unmanned systems are evolving, so it's nice that soldiers don't need to rack their brains studying so much.'
Since you just have to follow the AI's orders.
"Now, fire."
"Fire!"
Hildea pressed the firing button excitedly.
Kwaaaang!
A tremendous roar burst from the muzzle.
"Amazing. The shell's velocity is incomparably faster."
"Soon, you'll see the moment it hits the target."
A moment later, an explosion appeared on the Ground Control Station monitor.
The first round missed the target completely.
The following adjusted round,
didn't hit the target exactly, but it was caught in the scattering fragments.
Lord Deville clicked his tongue.
"The accuracy of the first and adjusted rounds is a bit disappointing. Still, the fragments hit it...."
"Lord Deville, how far do you think the target is?"
"Well, about 5 kilometers?"
"It's 27 kilometers."
"What? That's impossible! In that short time, you precisely calculated the firing angle for that immense distance? Commander Luna takes many times longer to acquire a firing angle for just 5 kilometers...."
Mid-sentence, Lord Deville quietly shut his mouth.
Luna, with her arms crossed, said calmly.
"Speak freely. Lord Deville is a Sword Master now too, isn't he?"
"...Still, you're a Duke."
Hildea was clearly excited about something.
"Colonel Piel, didn't you say earlier that 40km is the maximum range? Show me more!"
"Understood."
【Requesting supply of M982 Excalibur shell.】
【Budget: 100,000】
"This shell is called Excalibur."
"...That's quite an intense name. It definitely doesn't seem like a normal shell."
"Commander-in-Chief, even its appearance is on a different level from ordinary shells. Its intensity is incomparable to mere 120mm mortar shells...."
Hildea and Dvil carefully inspected the Excalibur shell, turning it over and touching it with cautious eyes.
"The price of one of these shells is 100 tons of flour."
"Heeik!"
Lord Deville jumped back, startled.
Hildea, holding the shell, turned pale and looked at me, trembling.
"100 tons? Not 100 kilograms?"
"A 105mm shell costs 1 ton, so how could it possibly be 100 kilograms?"
"The price of a single round is 100 tons of flour... this can't be...."
"In return, the accuracy is quite remarkable. Try firing one."
Trembling, Hildea breech-loaded the shell according to my instructions.
"I'll change the target. Range, 40 kilometers."
A large tree designated as the target appeared on the monitor.
It seemed sufficient to demonstrate the Excalibur's performance.
Kwakwakwang!
The forcefully fired shell was precisely guided by the positioning signals measured by the two V-Bats and the Ground Control Station acting as temporary base stations.
It accurately slammed vertically down onto the tree, triggering an explosion.
Lord Deville, who had grown accustomed to beyond-line-of-sight shelling with the 120mm mortar, shuddered.
"A distance of 40 kilometers... hitting a tree-sized target... accurately with the first round...."
To me, hitting a target hundreds of meters away accurately with bare-handed mortars without a sight was more impressive, but
I didn't miss the rare opportunity to show off the power of the American-made supply.
"There's a reason it costs 100 tons, right?"
Hildea groaned.
"Certainly... if 100 tons of flour came crashing down from 40km away, anyone would lose their mind."
"Whether they're an elf or a human."
"When you hunted the Wyvern Lord, you used a Stinger, correct? The destructive power and range seem to far surpass that."
"The Stinger is optimized for hitting moving flying objects, while the howitzer shell is optimized for striking ground targets. Their operational purposes are different."
The two V-Bat drones returned proudly.
They flew in horizontally, slowly pitched their noses up, and gently landed vertically.
Seeing this, Hildea and Dvil clapped.
"A superb reconnaissance artifact."
"Astonishing, truly astonishing."
"I-it's quite useful. Haha...."
I was concerned about Yuzel's reaction, so I glanced at her,
but she was completely absorbed in her apple.
She had no interest whatsoever in what we were doing.
"Now, let's cut off the barrel."
"Huh? W-wouldn't that be a waste? If you cut the barrel, you won't be able to accurately hit distant targets, right?"
"But for Hildea-nim to fire directly at close-range targets, the barrel must be cut."
"I can do it without cutting it! I'll show you!"
Suddenly, Hildea forcefully lifted the recoil mechanism to angle the barrel for direct fire.
'Whoa, she just lifted over 4 tons like that?'
"But if you only grab it by that part, the firing impact won't spread evenly, and later the spades... I mean, the baseplate will be ruined."
"I can solve that with my Aura Field!"
Instantly, light burst from Hildea's body.
Was that the advanced form of Aura Armor, the Aura Field?
The field formed by her Aura supported the spades diagonally, as if the gun had been placed on a tripod on a sloped surface.
The barrel angle achieved a beautiful horizontal line.
Hildea looked at me triumphantly.
"How about that? Now I can fire directly at close-range targets without cutting off the barrel."
"Hildea-nim... when exactly did you complete the Aura Field Dome formation?"
My jaw dropped involuntarily.
Before I knew it, my gaze had drifted to Hildea's chest.
Unaware of my burning feelings, Hildea boasted excitedly.
"I trained hard because I wanted to use the 155mm howitzer without separating it. Now, regardless of the terrain, I can support the entire gun and fire directly."
"...."
"This way, I can fire directly, and I can also fire indirectly to maximize the original performance, right?"
At her expression that seemed to ask, 'I did well, right?', I couldn't bear to express this pitiful feeling.
I hid my sigh and quietly praised her.
"Well done...."
She completed the Aura Field Dome technique without me knowing?
No wonder her chest stopped growing from a B+.
'Or not? Should I be grateful it didn't get smaller?'
For maintenance, I put the V-Bat drones and the Ground Control Station into auto-repair mode.
Since they weren't broken, it would be done in a day.
'To increase maintenance efficiency, I'll eventually have to learn maintenance techniques anyway.'
I glanced at Luna, who was still depressed for a long while about dropping and not being able to finish her mint choco cake.
Learning maintenance methods would naturally be perfect for a smart mage, right?
"Luna, here's a mint choco cake."
"Huh? Wh-why are you giving th-this to me?"
"What do you mean? Don't tell me you're sick of mint choco?"
"N-no, that's not it... Ah! Are you giving it to me in advance because you're going to return by palanquin now?"
Whenever I made Luna lift the palanquin, I felt sorry and would give her one mint choco cake each time.
But giving her the cake now wasn't for that reason.
"You seemed distressed this whole time because you dropped yours earlier. I'm giving you this to eat and feel better."
"...Thank you."
Luna accepted the cake, but for a long while, she just fidgeted and didn't unwrap the packaging.
'She's probably planning to eat it at the table later in case she drops it while holding it again.'
If I had GPS satellites, I could do overwhelmingly many things, but I was satisfied just with being able to fully utilize the 155mm howitzer.
In my opinion, satellites would require me to become a minister at least.
'If only I had at least a Hawkeye reconnaissance plane... but the pilot... though the US military is probably attempting to make that unmanned too....'
***
Several days passed.
Piel taught Hildea, Dvil, and Luna the operational methods of the 155mm Howitzer Independent Field Package.
In particular, Luna intensively learned how to handle the V-Bat drone, along with its specifications and functions.
She also gradually learned minor maintenance techniques.
Luna found the concept that communicating location to the Excalibur shell through mutual communication from three points to be extremely shocking.
'Even though I've been looking down at the ground with a single glance from high in the sky, I've never once come up with such an idea.'
A profane thought that must not be entertained.
Just what kind of great mages gathered in the Marshall family to whip up such magical devices?
'Sheesh. At this rate, I'm nothing but a freeloader who wastes mint choco. How am I any different from Yuzel?'
For the artillery firing practice, Luna glared at the V-Bat drone hovering vertically with eyes layered with resentment, regret, and a sense of inferiority.
While opening the packaging of the mint choco cake Piel gave her yesterday, due to her gloomy feelings....
"Ah!"
She dropped the cake again.
Flustered, she chased after it belatedly, but a bird of prey monster appeared from nowhere and snatched the cake away.
Angered, she was about to pour attack magic at the bird of prey but was stopped by a radio communication.
-Luna, firing is commencing.
"Yes, I'm ready too."
For all the preparation involved, it was just standing guard to ensure flying monsters didn't attack the V-Bat drone.
Biting her lip firmly, Luna recalled the bird of prey that had snatched the cake and rubbed her reddened eyes.
"Geez, why is the wind so sharp...."