Chapter 328: translated
I Killed the Demon King. It was a mistake.
Chapter 328
When facing a crisis one cannot handle alone, people will ally even with enemies, and technology advances rapidly.
Theon was amazed to see the ‘magic engineering weapon,’ which he had only designed in his head and never expected to actually build, reach the prototype stage in just one week.
Theon took a deep breath and aimed the sling launcher at the knight. The sling launcher looked similar to Earth's grenade launcher, but with a slightly larger caliber. And he pulled the trigger.
Thung!
With a small explosive sound, the sling projectile was fired toward the knight. The knight didn't stand still. As the sling projectile flew toward him, he naturally countered it with his sword.
The sling projectile didn't fly away, but the string connecting the sling wrapped around the blade and tied it.
"What? Is this the solution?"
Immediately, Theon pulled the trigger once more and moved the barrel to the side. Then, a pale green light enveloped the sling projectile, and it moved sideways.
"Whaaaat?"
The knight struggled to avoid losing his sword. He could prevent his body from being pulled, but he couldn't help being flustered by the stronger-than-expected resistance.
When Theon lowered the barrel, the sling projectile moved downward, and the sword became stuck in the ground. Just as the knight tried with all his might to pull out the sword, Pesson, who was standing nearby, aimed a net launcher. The net launcher resembled Earth's recoilless rifle.
Thung!
With a small explosive sound, the net launcher fired, and the knight fell over, caught in the net. The weights attached to the ends of the net, like the sling projectile, glowed pale green and dragged the knight trapped in the net back and forth.
The knight tried to tear the net, but it was tangled and difficult to rip apart.
"Okay, stop! Stop!"
Pesson and Theon released the triggers they were holding. Then the telekinetic magic operating on the sling projectile and the net stopped working.
Pesson spoke to the blacksmiths who were watching nearby.
"What do you think? Pretty good, right?"
How many people could deny Pesson's words? After all, they had just watched three ordinary elderly men completely subdue a knight.
Giggs stroked the net launcher and said,
"Not bad. It doesn't seem too difficult to operate either."
The knight, freed from the net, dusted himself off and said,
"It might be quite useful against the devils that come to Shalibi, since most of them are low-tier devils."
At that moment, a knight who had been watching quietly from behind approached Theon and Pesson.
"Oh my, it's Commander Luca."
"The mighty Luca has been watching us."
On Luca's armor hung a star-shaped badge symbolizing his commander rank. Luca stood in front of Pesson and said,
"So that's what you call a magic engineering weapon?"
"Yes. It operates using telekinetic magic."
"May I try using it?"
"Yes. Here it is."
Luca fired the pistol-shaped sling launcher toward a tree.
Thung!
The sling launcher flew in a flexible curve and wrapped around the tree. Luca pulled the trigger once more as Pesson had done earlier and moved it sideways.
Drrrrrr-
The sling projectile kept moving sideways as Luca controlled it, but the tree didn't move. Eventually, it became overloaded and stopped working.
Looking at the stopped sling projectile, Luca said,
"Not enough to topple a tree, I see."
"That would be difficult, I'm afraid."
"Hexagonal devils have enough strength to easily push and topple trees. I think this lacks the necessary resistance?"
"The amount of magic stone in the sling projectile is limited... That's its limitation."
Luca handed the sling launcher back to Pesson.
"It might not be bad for peacekeeping, but it seems unsuitable for facing devils."
"Ah... Well..."
As Theon fumbled for a response, Giggs stepped forward.
"Interim Commander Luca, this weapon isn't designed for one person to face a devil alone, but for multiple ordinary people to face devils together."
"What level of ordinary people are you referring to? Trained soldiers? Or did you intend to give this strange weapon to children?"
Luca spoke, looking at the holy knights who had come to watch.
"Devils can only be faced by holy knights. We have trained for decades to avoid falling for their wicked tricks. And you're saying people with just a day or two of training could hunt devils with these toy-like things?"
The holy knights nodded at Luca's words.
"It's quite an ingenious invention, but killing devils with that is nonsensical."
"It might not be bad for catching pickpockets or thieves."
"Devils are so fast. Trying to catch them with such slow sling projectiles or nets would be suicidal."
Luca pointed to a mortar placed in the corner of the training ground.
"Rather than wasting time on this nonsense, you'd better make more mortars or bombs like that. Or even more swords or ballista arrows would be good."
"Commander Luca, if we had enough resources to make mortar bombs, wouldn't we have made them? The surrounding mining villages have been occupied, and our gunpowder supply has been cut off. We don't even have the capability to make bullets anymore."
Giggs poured the lowest-grade magic stones onto the table and said,
"Pesson's invention is innovation itself. He created a weapon that can subdue a knight using the lowest-grade magic stones that were previously mixed with coal. All we need to make this are magic iron and magic stones."
"Then use those lowest-grade magic stones to fuel the furnace and forge one more sword. Those who return having lost their swords..."
"I should give it to all the knights."
"Commander Luca, now the holy knights alone cannot fight against the devils. We need to enlist the help of the remaining blacksmiths and women here to withstand the battle!"
"That is absolutely unacceptable!"
Luca smashed the table. Magic stones spilled and scattered on the floor.
"One week later, all knights including myself will head to Sanctus Lumen. And we will find and destroy the source of this abnormal devil infestation."
The commander growled in front of Giggs.
"So, Master Giggs. Make swords, armor, and shields as I say. Make things that we can use. Then we will take care of this ourselves."
Luca took out an order from his pocket and pressed it against Giggs’ chest.
"Until now, I've been watching quietly out of respect and regret for you, Master Giggs, but I can no longer stand by. This is an official order as commander, so mobilize all resources and capabilities to make armor, swords, and shields. If you don't comply, you will be severely punished under military law. Please understand this."
With those final words, Luca left the laboratory with the holy knights.
Pesson threw down the net launcher in rage.
"Damn it! Does he know how long it takes to make a proper sword and still acts like this?! We're already pulling out rusty weapons from the hero's cemetery, and he's talking about swords and armor!"
Theon carefully dusted off the net launcher and said.
"...In a way, Commander Luca might be right. My invention hasn't been verified yet, has it?"
"Theon, what are you saying? We're just one step away from mass production!"
"It can only confront devils, not kill them, right? It's a device that needs knights' help to finish the job. This is just a containment weapon."
Theon said while handling the prototype.
"At least we've made an attempt, so that's something. Giggs, please follow the commander's orders."
Giggs silently looked down at the order.
"I'll think about it a bit more before deciding. You've worked hard, so take a break for now."
After Giggs left, the blacksmiths and onlookers also departed from the laboratory. Pesson lit his pipe out of frustration.
"Damn knights. They all think they're so great."
"I think it's quite a decent item, from what I've seen."
Theon turned his head toward the direction of the voice. It was Pio and Aurora.
Pio looked at the sling launcher.
"Can this be mass-produced now if we wanted to?"
Pesson exhaled smoke to the side and said.
"It's designed with the most basic telekinetic magic engineered, so it's quite simple. The launcher itself doesn't need rifling like rifles or revolvers, so the production difficulty is low. Of course, the range is shorter and accuracy is lower, but within 10m, even a woman can hit the target."
"So it's not something that only you or Theon can make?"
"I've already taught the magic engineering technology to the blacksmiths. The open-minded ones are learning, while old-fashioned guys like Luca refuse to even look at it, but we will definitely succeed in mass production within a week."
Pesson let out a hollow laugh.
"By the way, I never thought I'd be using the word 'mass production.' The very word 'mass production' used to be the most hateful word in the world to me."
Pesson emptied the ash from his pipe and opened his mouth.
"By the way, was it Olivia?"
"Excuse me? Are you talking about Lady Olivia?"
"I heard she's showing some interest in this work. Have you heard anything?"
"Lady Olivia, interested in smithy work?"
"Is that not right? Theon? Didn't you tell me something?"
Theon took out a small pocket watch from his chest and said.
"Lady Olivia seemed to have some interest in the magic engineering machines I was making. To be precise, she seems interested in the mechanical aspects."
"...Really? That doesn't seem like something she would like."
"No, she occasionally visited and learned from me how to handle machines. Look at this."
Pio received the pocket watch that Theon handed over. Although a bit rough, the watch mechanism was running well.
"What is this?"
"This is a watch repaired by Lady Olivia."
"What? Really? How long did it take her to make this?"
"After learning for just one night, she mastered everything from disassembling to reassembling the pocket watch. She even identified a broken part and replaced it with a new one in one go."
Pio blinked in genuine surprise.
"Is this normally possible?"
"Even though this is a relatively simple watch structure, it's not common. I guarantee that she definitely has a natural talent in this field."
Cough! Cough!
Theon coughed dryly and wiped his mouth with a towel.
"To be honest, if she weren't a noble, I would want to teach her everything. Of course, she hasn't been coming lately as she seems to be busy..."
"Really?"
"Yes. So could you perhaps relay a message to her? If she's interested in learning this craft, I would teach her. No, rather than saying I'll teach her, please tell her that I sincerely want to teach her."
"You want to teach her?"
"I don't have much time left to live... And I'm starting to feel physically weak. I want to pass on this technology to someone, and I'd like to pass it on to a young and talented person. Would that be possible?"
Pio and Aurora looked into each other's eyes. They didn't speak, but they understood what each other was trying to say.
"I was actually planning to visit and see how you were doing. I will deliver your message."
"Yes. Thank you."
It seems I should meet Olivia.
***
Olivia wiped away the sweat that was flowing.
"Whew......"
The laundry was neatly hung on the clothesline. Seeing the laundry fluttering in the wind gave her a feeling of fulfillment.
"Lady Olivia, you've really worked hard."
Olivia managed her expression, not wanting to reveal her proud face.
"Ahem! Well, this much is basic. Lady Sirina."
"I must have heard the wrong rumors about you, Lady Olivia. You seem very diligent?"
"Yes. Well......"
Olivia scratched her cheek, seeming embarrassed. In reality, she never dreamed she would be doing such menial tasks.
"They said they won't give bread to nobles or anyone who doesn't work."
"But other noble ladies only pretend to work and don't really put in effort. Or some even say, 'I'd rather starve!'"
"Aren't you working hard too, Lady Sirina? Why do you work so hard?"
"Well, I... My father is out there fighting devils, so I feel too guilty to just live comfortably by myself."
"Hmm... I see."
When an awkward silence followed, Sirina spoke up.
"If it's alright, would you like to have dinner together? It seems like you eat alone in your room."
Olivia shook her head.
"No. I'll eat alone."
"Wouldn't it be better not to eat alone every time and join others?"
"I find it more comfortable to be alone."
Olivia took out a crude pocket watch and checked the time.
"Ah, I should get going now. I'll see you later, Lady Sirina."
"Oh, yes... See you later."
After receiving bread and soup from the distribution center, Olivia headed straight to her room.
Her stomach clock was constantly ringing from hunger, but she had something to do before that. Olivia took out a small cloth from inside her apron. When she opened the cloth, it contained large and small springs, tiny screwdrivers, and an oil can.
Olivia's face lit up.
"Finally...!"
This was the reason Olivia had been diligently carrying laundry. When Olivia went to collect laundry, she deliberately stopped by the blacksmith's shop.
After lingering there for a while, she stole tools and supplies that had fallen on the floor of the blacksmith's shop.
To get more tools and parts, she needed to visit the blacksmith more often, which naturally made her more diligent. Olivia took out a small wind-up doll that she had hidden in the drawer.
"Hmm... It's still a bit too big."
Olivia began to file down the spring with a file she had recently acquired. After some time, the spring was reduced to a size that fit perfectly into the wind-up doll, and she tightened and arranged various parts.
"...Done."
Olivia took a deep breath and wound up the spring.
Then the wind-up doll she had made began to spin and dance. As the wind-up doll danced according to her calculations, Olivia felt a fulfillment that she couldn't express in words.
"So this is what you've been making."
"Aaaahh!"
Olivia was startled by Pio's voice from outside the door and hurriedly hid the wind-up doll.
"What, what is it! Why are you coming into someone else's room!"
"The door was open. And I called for you several times."
Pio and Aurora said with a smile.
"May we come in for a moment? We have something to tell you."