Magical Defense Bureau Rising (4)
I decided we would get married after the civil war ended.
The moment I woke up and saw Hilt still burning with fever, I realized I couldn’t put it off any longer.
‘I’ve made her wait far too long.’
Especially these past two years. I’d been so neglectful while building the mage corps that I couldn’t help but think this was all karma coming back to bite me.
…Looks like I’m about to dive headfirst into the grave of marriage before I even turn twenty. Just thinking about it makes me even more depressed.
Whatever. Time to get to work. Sigh.
“Hans. We’re running low on magic stones. Can you bring me some more?”
“Understood.”
What I was working on right now was the development of a new artifact.
Wasn’t our firepower already sufficient? Sure, the raw power was enough, but our tactical flexibility was lacking.
‘Compared to knights, it feels a bit disappointing. There’s too much delay between firing and impact to provide immediate fire support exactly where it’s needed.’
That’s when the idea hit me: what if we mounted an Altar Cannon directly onto a saddle?
The concept was inspired by dragoons from the early modern era and mortar trucks from the modern period.
When people from Korea hear the word “dragoon,” they might immediately think of a certain famous RTS game, but I’m referring to the original historical unit that gave the name its meaning.
They were mounted gunmen who used the speed of their horses to strike fast and withdraw, slaughtering enemies with weapons that were the ancestors of the shotgun.
And now we were slapping mortar-level firepower on top of that.
‘Even shotgun-level firepower at close range would be a disaster for medieval infantry. But what if, instead of buckshot, we rapid-fired Fire Balls?’
Just imagining it was fantastic. Assuming, of course, that I was on the friendly side.
If I had to face them as an enemy, it would be an absolutely nightmarish unit.
‘It feels less like a dragoon and more like a vulture. Though the firepower would be closer to a tank.’
The biggest advantage of this tactic was that the need for controlled, indirect fire would drop dramatically.
Our current primary method involved staying far from the enemy, using high-angle fire, observing the impact, and making corrections. Naturally, that required a massive amount of skill and experience since the shooters had to aim into empty air at targets they couldn’t even see.
But if we fired at close range like true dragoons, it would be as simple as the original mages throwing spells with their own eyes. No complicated calculations or procedures. Just hurl fireballs and be done with it.
‘How the hell are you supposed to catch up to sixty kilometers per hour without an internal combustion engine… Plus, hit-and-run tactics from a distance would still be perfectly viable.’
In the end, only knights would be able to stop this kind of unit.
Even stationary altar cannons were already annoying to deal with. How much harder would it be to catch ones that were galloping around while shooting?
‘Of course, it’s not an all-purpose unit. There’s a limit to how many magic stones you can carry on horseback.’
Just as artillery needed shells to exert its power, we needed magic stones to fire our spells.
Since we wouldn’t be wearing full plate armor like knights, there would be some weight to spare.
But if you had to ride, shoot magic, and constantly swap out magic stones like changing batteries, I had a feeling most people’s brains would fry and they’d collapse before long.
‘I suspect the main tactic will end up being the same as the historical dragoons—ride in close, shoot, retreat, resupply, and repeat.’
Flap!
The tent flap lifted and Hans walked in.
“I’ve brought them.”
Thud!
The pouch Hans set down landed with a heavy sound that made the desk tremble.
When I opened it, sure enough, there was a decent amount inside. This should be enough to fire for half a day without issue.
“Want to take a look at this?”
“What is it? It looks like some kind of saddle…”
“It is a saddle. And it’s also the artifact you’ll be testing.”
“Excuse me? A saddle that’s an artifact?”
Hans examined the object with an expression that said he’d never seen anything so bizarre in his life.
Well, it really was strangely shaped.
Stuffing altar cannon functionality into a saddle had resulted in a truly ugly design. It reminded me of a camel. The front of the saddle had a big hump-like protrusion, just like a dromedary.
…If I had to defend the design, I’d say that during a ride you needed to be able to swap magic stones without any shaking. Putting it on the side would make it hard to see, and there was a high chance of dropping the stones while galloping. This was the best compromise for stable replacement while holding the reins.
Of course, if my design sense had been better, it probably would’ve come out much cleaner. But this was the limit of my ability.
“Take turns with the other unit members and fire it for half a day. Check thoroughly for any problems. If there aren’t any, we’ll officially adopt it starting with the next operation. Oh, and while you’re at it, have them test it while riding as well.”
“How exactly do you use this?”
I thought I’d designed it pretty intuitively… Was I wrong?
I gave Hans a rough explanation of how to operate it. Maybe because it worked on principles similar to the altar cannon, he understood quickly and left.
Looked like the testing would proceed on its own. In that case, maybe I could finally get some rest——.
Flap!
“Bureau Chief! Are you in?”
“…What kind of idiot announces himself while opening the flap? You’re supposed to do that before opening it.”
“It’s urgent. Really urgent.”
Tsk. I was just about to rest, too.
The person who entered after Hans was Bruno.
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing else, but… didn’t you say you attached an altar cannon to a horse saddle?”
He already knew even though Hans had only left a short while ago. It seemed like he’d run into Hans and asked him immediately.
“That’s right. Just think of it as an altar cannon you can fire while riding.”
“In that case… could I possibly try using it?”
“Huh? You really want to?”
“I’ll do my best! Just leave it to me!”
This guy wasn’t usually like this. What exactly had hooked him about that artifact?
“Well, if you want to. It’s only a prototype so there’s just one. Go talk to Hans and listen to what needs to be done——.”
“Thank you!”
Whoosh!
The bastard ran off without even listening to the rest of what I was saying the moment he got permission.
…Good grief.
That ridiculously simple idiot. The moment something catches his interest, he charges at it like a wild boar.
After Bruno left, I thought I could finally rest, but something felt off.
‘But… that Bruno guy seems suspicious. He’s not going to cause an accident, is he?’
Hmm… Hmmmmmm…
This wouldn’t do. I had no choice but to go out and supervise myself.
The test turned into absolute pandemonium.
Clop! Clop!
“Yah! Hehehehehe!”
Shwooo— Boom!
Bruno was laughing nonstop while galloping like a madman. I had no idea what was so fun.
‘He’s been at it for nearly two hours. He should be getting tired by now… Good grief.’
The crazy bastard showed no signs of fatigue.
“I am Bruno Barenfeld! I am the ruler of the battlefield! Yah! Fire Ball!”
Shwooo— Boom!
And despite all the nonsense he was spouting, he was still hitting the ridgeline we’d set up as targets perfectly. It made it hard to scold him for abandoning the test.
‘No, he is technically doing the test properly. It’s just that he’s running around screaming insane things at maximum tension.’
Neigh! Prrrt!
Still, it was obvious the horse was getting tired. I figured he’d start calming down soon.
“Hey, someone bring another horse! You! You’ll do!”
“M-me, sir?”
“Yeah, you. Hurry up and bring it!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
This crazy bastard. He was really going to keep going?
“Hey! Shouldn’t you stop soon? Why don’t you get off the horse and finish the rest on foot?”
“Isn’t testing it while riding more meaningful? I’m testing it according to its intended purpose!”
Tsk… He wasn’t wrong. Why did that annoy me so much?
“Hey! I said that’s enough, get down here!”
“Yah!”
…He definitely heard me, right? He just ignored me, didn’t he?
“This bastard’s lost his mind! Hey! Have I been too nice to you lately? You think you can ignore me now? Get over here! Hey! Hey, you bastard!”
Clop clop clop!
But it was impossible for a human to catch up to a horse, and he only grew more distant.
I briefly considered using flight magic to chase him… but nah, forget it.
I never should’ve come out. I should’ve just stayed in the tent and rested. Damn it.
“Are you alright, sir?”
When I turned toward the voice, Hans was standing there.
“No, I’m not. Because of that Bruno bastard.”
“I do think Bruno is in the wrong this time, but… I’d appreciate it if you could be a little lenient with him.”
Huh? Hans used to call him “Lord Barenfeld” formally. When did they start speaking casually?
Never mind that—what did he mean by lenient?
“What are you talking about? Lenient?”
I was planning to give him a good scolding once he came back anyway.
“Haven’t we had back-to-back training and battles lately? Everyone’s been holding it in, but I think a lot of stress has built up.”
Especially for someone like Bruno. Hans added that last part.
Hmm, now that I thought about it, we had been taking it relatively easy back in Weistenfel.
I remembered seeing Bruno go hunting in the nearby forest with Helmut whenever he had free time.
But lately there hadn’t been any time for that, so the stress must have piled up.
Maybe this rampage was his way of blowing off steam.
‘Still, no matter how I look at it, his behavior is infuriating.’
What should I do…?
‘…Come to think of it, no matter what, that saddle-altar-cannon thing—whatever we end up calling it—Bruno seems to be the one handling it the best.’
Perfect timing.
The tactical concepts and unit reorganization I’d been planning to handle myself? I’d dump all of it on that guy.
‘Then if I don’t like how it turns out, I can just chew him out for it. Nice.’
“…You’re really not going to punish him?”
“Huh? Yeah? Why would I? He’s stressed. We should let it slide this once.”
“Stressed?”
“Never mind. It’s nothing.”
Just you wait until you get back, Bruno Barenfeld.
I’ll give you plenty of the things you like, so don’t even think about backing out.
“Uhehehehe!”
“…You’re really not going to punish him?”
And so, the day before the civil war broke out passed in anything but peace.
All thanks to a certain someone.
‘You’d better brace yourself, Bruno.’