Instead of Self-Propelled Artillery, Knight Cannon (2)
The Gunlance is a weapon with an incredibly complex structure.
'Though the musket is quite complex too.'
The Gunlance needed to be far more robust and precise than the musket.
It had to withstand the full physical shock of piercing an enemy's armor with the lance tip and then detonating.
And as a weapon used on the battlefield, it had to function flawlessly in any environment.
It was basic that it shouldn't malfunction even in the rain or after rolling through a mud puddle.
'And it should be easy to maintain.'
Since it was a personal firearm, the wielder themselves had to be able to service it.
So I designed the core components—the chamber, the firing mechanism, and the spearhead—to be easily disassembled and reassembled.
'A design like this makes replacement easy if it breaks during use.'
In an emergency, you wouldn't need to grind a new edge onto the spearhead; you could just swap it out immediately.
The structure was also perfectly suited for mass production by dividing up the manufacturing process.
'Time to build a prototype.'
With the overall structure complete, I grabbed the blueprints in hand, I walked over to the blacksmiths.
"Alright, come over here and take a look at this."
At my words, the blacksmiths crowded around me.
'A bunch of bearded guys gathering around... makes me feel like Snow White.'
The master blacksmith scanned the blueprints, then spoke with a bewildered expression.
"Your Highness... What is this? A spear? Or a cannon? The shaft is hollow, and there's some strange device attached to the handle... Now that I look at it, it resembles that weapon you recently made, the musket."
"Good eye. It's a combination of the two. A weapon that pierces the enemy's armor and immediately detonates black powder inside them."
Upon hearing my explanation, the blacksmiths gasped in shock.
"S-such a crude weapon...! If you use that, the recoil from the explosion will shatter the user's arm first!"
"That would be the case for a regular soldier. But this is a weapon for knights. They can just endure it with their Aura."
"Ah. A weapon for knights, you say?"
"Exactly."
If a regular soldier tried to use this...
'That would be gruesome.'
Just imagining it conjured up a brutal scene.
Only then did the blacksmiths nod in understanding.
"If you understand, then it's time to get to work."
I pointed to the blueprints with my finger and began giving detailed instructions.
"First, you're going to forge the lance shaft and head from a metal sturdy enough to withstand the explosion. And since I need to be able to swap out parts individually later, you can't deviate from the specifications in these blueprints by even a fraction."
"If you need a damn strong lump of iron stamped out with zero error, that's our specialty! But what about these complex parts here?"
"I'll make the intricate parts myself for the prototype. After that, we'll need to set it up for mass production like the muskets."
Transmutation magic consumes far more mana the larger the object is.
When I first started learning magic,
'Does that mean, in theory, I could change the shape of a planet with Transmutation Magic?'
I once had an absurd thought like that.
Of course, I never got to try it because Rowen-hyung stopped me just before I attempted it.
'I wonder if I could do it once I hit the 10th Circle?'
Anyway, my mana isn't infinite, so it's impossible for me to single-handedly create several dozen large parts.
'Normally, I could make a prototype or two by myself...'
But having pushed my mana to its limits a few days ago, it doesn't feel like I've recovered completely yet.
Come to think of it, I've heard that training fanatics use up all their mana every single day in training.
'I can't do that.'
For now, my goal has slipped away, but what I really want is to live the life of a carefree noble.
Even if I can't avoid all of it, it's best to avoid the hardship I can.
"So, I'm going to entrust you guys with just the lance shaft and head. I'll handle the rest of the complex parts."
"Understood, Your Highness! I'll get the furnace blazing right this instant! Everyone! Back to work!"
With the master blacksmith's booming reply, the other smiths in the workshop began moving with perfect coordination.
'Alright. Time for me to start too.'
I returned to my workbench and began to draw mana up through my fingertips.
I carved the magic circle.
"Transmutation."
-Whoooom.
⟨ Transmutation ⟩
'Huh? It feels... smoother.'
The flow of mana extending from my hands was incomparably cleaner than it had been a few days ago.
As if some blocked meridian had suddenly opened up.
The complexly shaped parts I had visualized in my head began to materialize instantly on the lump of iron in front of me.
"Oh..."
Normally, this level of work would have taken a few minutes.
Now it took less than 30 seconds.
'Could this be... that?'
The trope that once you experience mana depletion, your mana vessel itself expands!
'So that's why Roxanna pushed herself to run on empty all the time.'
When I first saw her doing that, I just thought she was crazy.
But having experienced it firsthand, I can definitely feel it.
My mana efficiency seems to have increased by at least 1.3 times compared to before.
'But I still don't want to do it again.'
Anyway, my work efficiency has gone up, so let's get to it.
At the same time Ian was hard at work.
Tension filled the Crown Prince's Palace in the Imperial Capital.
With the Emperor bedridden from a chronic illness,
the Crown Prince of the Empire, Kallian, sat in the office chair in his stead, staring down at the intelligence report that had just come in.
The report contained the news of Karon Territory's fall and the commander's death in battle.
A report of defeat—the Empire's regular army had been defeated by the Espada Kingdom.
But what truly caught Kallian's eye was the report's final line.
"So... it was Black Wizards, was it."
—Whooom.
The moment Kallian opened his mouth, his blood-red aura weighed down upon the office.
The head of the intelligence department, pinned to the floor, trembled without even daring to lift his head and stammered out his reply.
"Ghuhk... Y-yes... The commander of Karon colluded with Black Wizards, offering up the residents of the nearby territories as sacrifices."
"..."
Silence descended at his answer.
'How dare they. Black Wizards, in this Empire?'
In the Empire, allying with Black Wizards suicide.
The reason was that Kallian had personally beheaded all those who had cooperated with Black Wizards and hung their heads on the city walls.
Even the families of those involved.
"The Noble faction. So those bastards dragged Black Wizards into Imperial territory."
Kallian spoke in a low voice, his hand stroking the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Illian, the head of the Noble faction, would surely hear this news and immediately try to cover his tracks.
Then he would have to move before a letter full of excuses arrived from the North.
"Has any correspondence arrived from Illian?"
"...Not yet. The news has likely just reached the North as well. He will probably... send a letter immediately to cover his tracks."
"Then we finish this before the letter arrives."
With those words, Kallian slowly rose from his seat.
'grown too soft since meeting Aila. It's time for a bit of a cleansing.'
"Summon the Imperial Knights and the Praetorian Guard. Arrest every key figure of the noble faction currently staying in the capital."
"Shall the official charge be collusion with Black Wizards?"
"Yes. If they resist, cut their heads off on the spot."
"...!" "Yes, Your Highness."
The head of the intelligence department answered hastily, fearing for his own neck.
Kallian's eyes were glowing a terrifying red.
Kallian looked down at him with cold eyes and continued.
"And. I can't just let the matter of Karon slide... The closest territory to Karon was the Margrave's territory, wasn't it?"
"Yes, that is correct of Margrave Kraus."
"Instruct the Margrave. He is to march on Karon with his army immediately."
The head of the intelligence department answered instantly at his command.
"Yes, Your Highness. If it is the elite knight order of Margrave Kraus, driving out the Espada Kingdom will be a simple affair."
"That goes without saying."
Kallian scoffed.
"The commander this time was simply incompetent. That is why he resorted to relying on Black Wizards. A minor kingdom wielding mere metal sticks cannot hope to luck out twice against the Empire's elite knights."
"I will keep that in mind. I will dispatch a messenger to the Margrave immediately."
Having finished his report, the head of the intelligence department hastily rose to leave the office.
"Wait."
head of the intelligence department flinched and stopped in his tracks, turning back.
"How do you think we should handle those who surrender in Karon?"
At his question, the head of the department pondered for a moment before composing his voice and answering.
"We need to secure information about that unidentified metal weapon they've been using. If there are those who surrender, I believe it would be appropriate to take them prisoner, transport them to the capital, and interrogate them—"
Before he could even finish, Kallian opened his mouth.
"No. That won't be necessary."
A smile like a child playing a game hung at the corner of Kallian's lips.
His red eyes flashed with a chilling madness.
"Wipe them out."
The next day.
The workshop in Karon.
"Now, just engrave the lightness magic circle and insert the sustaining mana stone... and... Completed!"
After working through the night, I had completed the prototype of the Gunlance.
'Ha... It's beautiful.'
With its thick steel shaft integrated with the firing mechanism, the weapon boasted a brutal and imposing appearance.
Furthermore, a combination magic circle engraved using a mixture of gold and mana stone dust made it slightly lighter than a normal lance.
With this, even on a violent battlefield, one could dash around while holding this Gunlance with ease.
My weapon, fully imbued with my romantic ideals, had finally been brought into this world.
'What should I name it...'
The musket was named An-01 together with Elisa.
But thinking about it now,
'In Korean, that means "An Young-il"... I'll just call it the Gunlance for now.'
I decided to come up with a name later if one popped into my head.
I turned to Elisa, who had been assisting me from the sidelines throughout the night.
"Elisa."
"Yes, Master."
"Please call Seria. It's time for a test."
"Understood."