Demolition Artifact US
Demolition Artifact US
【M183 Demolition Bag】
【※Supply request available from Captain rank】
Most items don't tell you the unlock conditions.
But for placed explosives, the condition 'available from Captain rank' is attached.
'If the request authority differs by more than 2 ranks, or if the affiliation itself is different, the unlock conditions are not shown.'
For example, supplies requestable from Major rank only become visible once you become a Captain.
Also, the affiliation must be the same.
I became certain of this when I saw that even the most trivial Navy or Air Force items wouldn't show their unlock conditions.
"Lieutenant, do you truly possess such an artifact?"
"Yes. However, I cannot simply hand it over. I must also consider the intentions of my maternal family, who provided me with this precious consumable artifact."
"Naturally, this commander understands. What can I do for you?"
"I desire a promotion."
"...."
Hildea bit her lip and fell into deep thought.
She wasn't wondering 'Should I do this or not?'
Since Hildea is a flexible person of principle, she meticulously examines whether there are military legal grounds.
"I shall temporarily promote you to Captain. If you establish appropriate military merit, subsequent measures befitting it can be taken."
Drawing her sword, Hildea immediately conducted a brief field promotion ceremony.
"Now then, show me that method. Captain."
Captain... What a pleasant word.
A greenhorn officer who's been commissioned just a bit over 100 days has already become a Captain.
While my peers still can't even properly handle their bathroom duties in Diamond 1.
'If I could request things like napalm bombs or white phosphorus shells, it would be easy.'
Just in case, I checked the unlock conditions, but there was no 'available from Major rank' mark.
'It seems that because I was given Captain through a temporary field promotion, it still doesn't show me what's requestable from Major rank.'
Anyway, now that I'm a temporary Captain, I can request C4-series placed explosives.
Currently the only explosives I can use, and the weapon capable of the most powerful destructive force.
【Requesting supply of M183 Demolition Bag.】
【Requesting supply of M183 Demolition Bag.】
【M183 Demolition Bag....】
Out of a budget exceeding 500,000, I left exactly 7,000 and ordered nothing but M183 Demolition Bags.
Nearly 500 demolition bags piled up on the unclaimed supplies list.
'There are 20 days left until next month's budget comes in. I absolutely must keep a budget of 7,000 to give the farm soldiers their flour pay until then.'
Leaving just enough for one last swallow to keep my subordinates' trust, I scraped the budget utterly dry and received a massive load of demolition bags.
Needless to say, this is the maximum firepower I can bring to bear right now.
Pretending to pull them out from the bracelet, I received the demolition bags one by one, then began the remote detonation synchronization setup.
A demolition bag consists of 16 flexible plastic explosives and a detonator assembly.
"Does that artifact, which looks like a soft biscuit, really explode?"
"Yes, it does."
Amazing, this supply-starved Sword Master commander.
Seeing a plastic explosive and immediately thinking of biscuits.
"May I touch it?"
"Of course. It will absolutely not detonate."
I demonstrated crushing the block-shaped explosive with a rock.
"It will not explode even if thrown into fire, or struck with an Aura Blade."
"Understood. So it is an artifact that explodes strictly according to an activation magic."
Setting up remote ignition synchronization for roughly 500 demolition bags will take all day.
***
Night came.
Inside the trench that Hildea had dug with her sword, I busily completed the M183 Demolition Bag setup.
'Total destructive power is about 6.5 tons of TNT equivalent.'
Anyway, it's a living tree stump.
If we place roughly 500 demolition bags all around and detonate them simultaneously, the shockwave will shake it to its core and burn it fiercely.
"Now, take these and place them around the corrupted World Tree stump."
"Understood."
"And wear this."
"Isn't this your Magic Eye Glasses?"
"You will be able to see elf assassins who hide their bodies using Darkness Concealment Magic."
I fitted the night vision goggles onto Hildea's head.
When Hildea looked at me through the goggles, she let out a short, gasping breath.
"How can this be? I see red lines centered around your body."
"It detects and displays heat."
"Ah, I see. So that is why the evil elf mage's Darkness Concealment Magic did not work against these Magic Eye Glasses."
"Please be careful."
"I shall return."
Taking as many demolition bags as she could carry, Hildea swiftly vanished from the temporary trench.
She would have to make several more round trips.
Now, the only thing I can do is wait endlessly....
"It's done."
"Commander-nim?"
What, it's already finished?
While I briefly dozed off?
Flipping the night vision goggles' lenses up onto her forehead to reveal her eyes, Hildea smiled brightly.
Ridiculously, at this very moment, I thought it was fortunate the moonlight was so bright.
"Captain, what do we do now?"
"We will erase the traces of the trench, get as far away as possible, and then detonate it."
Because if we lurk nearby and get surrounded by an elf unit, that would be a disaster.
Anyway, giving night vision goggles to a Sword Master has turned her into a complete shadow assassin.
To breach that massive legion of tree monsters and install nearly 500 demolition bags so quickly.
***
Hildea followed 'Piel's instructions' and re-covered the dirt from the dug trench to clean up.
"I apologize, but I'll get on your back. It's for a rapid exit."
"I am aware. Do not mind it."
She carried Piel on her back and sprinted under the moonlight as fast as possible.
'What a truly unique talent.'
It's not just the supplies sent by his maternal family that are special.
The man named Piel himself was unfamiliar to Hildea.
The more she got to know him, the greater the greed grew within her heart.
'What can I do to make him drive a stake deep into my territory?'
Since the Battle of Rebecca Army defense, this thought had tormented Hildea's mind.
Now, with Piel's body heat on her back, the heated greed made her head even hotter.
"Please stop. This should be far enough."
Hildea halted and let Piel down.
He took out combat rations from the 'Subspace Bracelet'.
"Are we starting with a meal in this situation?"
"We couldn't eat properly during the day for fear of being caught, didn't we? After the explosion, we'll have to run like hell, so we should refuel our strength beforehand."
Hildea laughed.
It was something she herself said habitually: that eating is a form of preserving combat power.
The two quickly finished their meal.
Piel then grasped the hard, blunt-looking magical device (remote detonator).
"Commencing demolition countdown. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, fire!"
The moment Piel pressed the button.
From where the corrupted World Tree stump stood, a flash of tremendous brightness shot up into the sky.
A bright light, as if a small sun were surging up from the earth, was reflected in Hildea's eyes.
A moment later, an explosive roar that seemed to flip heaven and earth swept over them.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang! Ku-reu-reung! Ku-gu-gung!
The thunderous wave racing along the ground engulfed Hildea.
At the explosive shockwave that shook her eyes, ears, and entire body, Hildea involuntarily hunched over.
'It felt as if the very ground collapsed...!'
To feel the ground's collapse from this distance.
I had never imagined it would be this massive.
No attack magic had ever demonstrated such power before.
"Pi, Piel...."
"I think it was a success. Look."
Piel calmly pointed at the distant target.
"Do you see the bright light surging from the giant pit?"
"Uh-huh, I see it."
"The flash from the demolition bag... the explosive artifact is momentary. But the light is continuously growing now. That is proof that the tree monsters and the corrupted World Tree stump have caught fire."
"I-Is that so?"
As time passed, the surging light grew stronger.
As if a massive wildfire had broken out, the horizon was blazing brightly.
Hildea stood blankly, staring at the fiercely burning horizon.
Though not visible from here, the corrupted World Tree stump was surely engulfed in unquenchable flames and turning to charcoal.
"The corrupted World Tree stump, guarded by so many tree monsters... so simply...."
Tears streamed down.
With utterly soaked eyes, Hildea turned to look at Piel.
"Captain Piel, do you know? Success in disposing of a corrupted World Tree stump that has once taken root has been recorded only a single time."
"I apologize. I will familiarize myself with the war history as soon as we return."
"It was a feat achieved by the Asran Empire. To avoid losing the fertile plains that sustained the empire, over 150,000 knights and soldiers sacrificed their lives to accomplish the subjugation."
"...."
"What you have done now is tantamount to saving the lives of 150,000. Do you understand how great a merit this is?"
Hildea strode over, gripped Piel's shoulders tightly, and conveyed her overwhelming emotions to the fullest.
"Those precious artifacts you poured out completely! I will certainly repay you for them! What do you wish?"
"For now, since pursuers may come, how about we get moving?"
"Ah, right. Quite so. Let us move immediately."
***
Seeing Hildea's reaction, I realized.
Personal firearms are okay, but starting from serious explosives, I could attract a 'dangerous gaze' from the central authorities.
'If the M183 Demolition Bag gets this reaction, later if I bring out a tank, they'll foam at the mouth. Wait, would just taking out a portable rocket get me treated as a potential traitor?'
Unless I have a firmly loyal private army answerable only to me, I must be cautious in utilizing the Supply Cheat.
First, I need to make Hildea a definite prisoner of taste.
"There seems to be no pursuit. Does your Magic Eye Glasses show anything?"
"Nothing."
"It's still burning fiercely. It's like the sun is rising."
As time went on, the light emitted by the flames grew even more intense.
This was proof the corrupted World Tree stump was burning extremely well.
We finally found a safe rock cave.
I took out barbecue charcoal and grilled chicken skewers, and Hildea's expression melted into a soft mess as she swallowed dryly.
'Commander Hildea, I'll turn you into a body that absolutely cannot live without the US Military Diet, the one that sets up a restaurant buffet in the field.'
Outside the barracks, this time with just the two of us.
I must actively seize this precious opportunity to corrupt Hildea's tongue.
I'll make it so that even a light gesture from me will make her immediately think of delicious food and salivate.
"It's all ready. Please, enjoy."
"Heu, heueu... How can such delicious food possibly exist in this world...."
First, I filled Hildea's stomach full of charcoal-grilled chicken skewers, reducing her resistance to me into the negatives.
Then, I brought up the main topic about rewards for merit.
"So, will I be able to be promoted to an official Captain?"
"Of course. It is an unprecedented promotion speed."
Aren't you the one with three stars at age 20 who has no room to talk?
Sensing my gaze, Hildea laughed awkwardly.
"This commander was deployed to the front after receiving a countship as a Sword Master. Your case is different, rising from Second Lieutenant to Major in less than four months purely through military merit."
"Major, not Captain?"
"With your military merit, a special promotion of 2 ranks is possible. By this officer's own heart, I'd like to grant you Lieutenant Colonel or even Colonel.
But since regulations explicitly state a special promotion can only be up to 2 ranks at a time, it's truly regrettable."
If I go home for my 'half-year leave' wearing Major's rank, everyone will be completely overturned.
But there was something bothering me.
"To get the special promotion to Major, we'd have to report to the central authorities that I destroyed the corrupted World Tree stump with a magic artifact, correct?"
"Of course. Do not worry. I will report your military merit without hiding anything."
A fair and just commander who doesn't steal credit from her subordinates, what a good leader.
But....
"I wish to keep the existence of the explosive artifact I used a secret from everyone except you, Commander-nim."
"Hmm? Why is that?"
Obviously because I don't have any private army to protect me.
If the existence of the Supply Cheat is carelessly revealed right now, I become endangered.
"My maternal family does not wish to attract the central authorities' attention. But if the explosive artifact I used becomes known, it will reach the central authorities through my peers as well."
"It seems there is a story behind this. Surely it's not entangled in something like treason...."
"My maternal family was unjustly swept up in the False Treason of the Third Prince 25 years ago and fled abroad for refuge."
"Ah... That was a truly tragic false accusation. I understand. I shall keep the existence of the explosive artifact known only to this commander myself."
I am the son of a fallen noble lady.
My maternal family didn't flee for refuge; they vanished long ago, forever.
So no matter how deep you dig, nothing will come out.