Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Dominic's Proposal
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That evening, during the negotiations,
"We will dispatch our craftsmen to the Dragonia Empire and share technology related to firearms."
"...Dominic?"
"...!"
Dominic turned the negotiation table upside down with a single proposal.
Everyone in the conference room fell silent in shock,
"And I plan to head to the Empire with them."
"!!!"
His proposal didn't stop there.
"Dominic, what is this all of a sudden..."
Stephen called out Dominic's name in bewilderment at the declaration from the prince and firearms expert that he would go to the Empire himself.
"...Was this arranged in advance?"
Erika, who had been translating the dwarves' words, looked to Victor for an explanation, but Victor merely shrugged with an inscrutable expression.
Dominic stepped forward confidently.
"Everyone here knows I've been fully devoted to firearm development lately."
"..."
"To my shame, my research has made very slow progress recently. Despite having sufficient technical expertise and clear goals, I've kept running into practical difficulties."
The dwarves, surprised by Dominic's frank admission of his shortcomings, remained silent so as not to interrupt him.
"Then, I had the chance to discuss firearms with Victor from the Dragonia Empire."
Dominic nodded slightly toward Victor before continuing.
Contrary to our assumption that he wouldn't know much about guns, he possessed profound knowledge of manufacturing techniques and principles. In our subsequent conversations, he examined the firearms I've developed and offered fresh perspectives, which were tremendously helpful.
"...Tremendously helpful."
"It's regrettable that I can't demonstrate a finished product here. I believe that without Victor's help, development would have taken decades, or even longer."
"Hoo..."
Stephen stroked his chin, recalling Dominic's bold claims when he first developed the guns, and waited for what would come next.
"Thanks to that, I realized something. What I lacked wasn't technical skill or experience—it was imagination. The Dragonia Empire is sensitive to changes on the battlefield, and its craftsmen must be constantly striving to adapt. Exchanging ideas with them will benefit us as well."
"..."
"Moreover, since the Empire's Emperor returned our ancestral weapons, simply selling a few arms wouldn't balance the scales. It's impossible to secure the ordered quantities in time, so I propose exchanging technology with them to broaden our horizons, share our accumulated knowledge, and reciprocate the Empire's goodwill."
Dwarves, with their strong sense of pride and self-respect, always make sure to give as good as they get.
The dwarves of Anchester Kingdom murmured at Dominic's words but ultimately agreed that they should respond to the Empire's goodwill.
"I see... But we need you for mass-producing the firearms. The other craftsmen aren't as skilled as you yet."
"Of course, I can't abandon the urgent production of large quantities. I'll prepare the 8,000 rifles and 20 cannons His Highness mentioned yesterday, transport them, and head to the Empire along the way."
Stephen met Dominic's gaze as he looked up, confirming the firm resolve in his eyes.
"How long will you stay?"
"It depends on discussions with the Empire, but I'm thinking around six months."
He nodded after calculating the pros and cons in his head.
"...Hm. You could be away that long without major issues."
Anchester Kingdom wasn't at war, and relations with neighboring countries were decent, so Stephen felt Dominic wasn't strictly indispensable to the kingdom.
Stephen, who had felt indebted for receiving Bottis as a betrothal gift, agreed to Dominic's proposal.
"What does Sir Victor think of Dominic's offer? We'll transport the remaining 5,000 rifles and 10 siege guns as they're ready."
"..."
The Empire's delegation conferred briefly after hearing Erika's translation.
"Very well."
Victor expressed his clear acceptance after the discussion.
Over the next few days, they ironed out the details,
"Please sign here."
"Understood."
And the negotiations concluded with Stephen's bold signature.
With Dominic and the dwarven craftsmen coming to the Empire directly for technical exchange, we not only secured firearm production but also Anchester Kingdom's superior metalworking techniques.
They won't reveal all their trade secrets, and the Empire's craftsmen use different equipment and processing methods, so not everything will go perfectly.
"...I can only say it's impressive. To move those stubborn dwarves."
"We couldn't have achieved this without the betrothal gift Your Majesty prepared."
"Do you think I wouldn't have tried? This is entirely your achievement, so no need to be modest in front of me."
Securing technical exchange with Anchester Kingdom's dwarven craftsmen was a major success.
Luise praised us privately upon our return and bestowed personal rewards.
The delegation dispersed to their respective posts,
"Artisans from Anchester Kingdom for exchange...? I never imagined it."
"To think I'd live to exchange techniques with dwarves..."
Before the dwarven craftsmen and weapons arrived, I arranged a meeting with the artisans responsible for producing firearms and related consumables.
Knowing I had led the deal with Anchester Kingdom, the artisans were very receptive toward me.
"I'd like to share what I learned from talking with Anchester Kingdom's craftsmen."
"Oh, really?"
After priming them by calling it the dwarves' ideas, the artisans held their breath in anticipation.
"The most impressive thing was the shape of their bullets. They used to use these lead ball projectiles like we do, but they had several issues."
"Mm..."
It's a shame we can't use rifled barrels yet, as grooving them is beyond our current technology.
Instead, I mentioned bullets that could yield quick results with relatively low technical demands.
"For maximum power, the bullet needs to engage the barrel fully, so they were made with a diameter equal to or slightly larger than the bore. This allowed them to harness the full explosive force for great power, but loading was slow, and repeated impacts damaged the barrel."
"...I've seen soldiers ramming bullets in—it looked grueling. They shoved a long rod down the barrel and pressed hard; it took tens of seconds just for that."
"The barrel's interior was in bad shape... So that's why."
The artisans who had seen demonstrations with pre-made guns chimed in, and the others quickly grasped the point.
"Exactly. To solve this, they tested various bullet shapes, and one dwarf developed a new design."
I showed them a meticulously drawn sketch of the bullet.
"...?"
"That's an unusual shape."
"They say this pointed tip flies farther and more accurately."
"I see. Hm."
Unlike traditional round lead balls, it was conical with deep grooves along the sides, drawing all eyes.
"This bullet is smaller in diameter than the barrel, making it easy to load."
"Won't a smaller bullet fail to harness the explosive force properly?"
"Correct. But the grooves on the side cause the powder to compress it front-to-back upon explosion, engaging the barrel. When fired, it expands to fit perfectly and launches in its conical shape, delivering high accuracy and penetration."
The artisans pored over the blueprint, discussing it animatedly,
"...Since it's from Anchester Kingdom's artisans, it's worth trying."
They quickly made temporary molds and began experiments.
A few days later.
We headed to the firing range with bullets made to the blueprint.
"Oh, what brings the artisans here?"
"We're testing new dwarven technology. Care to watch?"
"Sure."
"Hey, Legion Commander! Mind if I watch too?"
As we arrived, those training at the range gathered to observe the test.
I loaded the new bullet instead of the lead ball.
"It'll be tough, let me..."
"Smaller bullet? Hmm..."
The Red Dragon Legion officers and soldiers watched with interest as I loaded it effortlessly.
After loading, I aimed at plate armor 50 meters away and pulled the trigger.
-Bang!
A massive explosion echoed as the bullet fired,
"...My god."
"How...?"
"That was a smaller bullet, wasn't it? What..."
Unlike the lead ball, the new bullet punched clean through the armor.
The stark difference shocked everyone, especially the cavalry who wore such plate armor.
"We just need new molds, so mass production won't be too hard."
"Compressing the bullet with the powder's explosion—dwarven ingenuity is truly remarkable."
The watching artisans discussed the new bullet.
And then,
"Legion Commander Victor, what's this bullet called? Or could you tell us the name of the artisan who developed it?"
One artisan approached and asked about the bullet's name.
Out of respect for the original creator,
"It was designed and produced by the 'Lorenz Workshop' and is called the Lorenz Bullet."
I announced the name to the gathered crowd.