5
Chapter 5
"Your Highness! Is mass production of the weapon you showed us yesterday possible immediately?"
"What is the production cost? It will be a problem if it requires expensive mana stones like existing magic tools!"
"How does it work? Does it require a special talent, like Aura or magic?"
The day after the demonstration.
A barrage of questions flew at me in the royal council chamber.
I had been too exhausted yesterday, so thanks to Brother Rowen's mediation, the detailed Q&A was pushed to today's meeting....
'I'm just glad they didn't storm my room last night.'
But thanks to the deep sleep, my mind was clear.
I raised my hand slightly to quiet the crowd before speaking slowly.
"I will answer you one by one. First, immediate mass production is not possible."
Groans of disappointment erupted throughout the room.
You have to listen to the end.
"However, the process design for mass production is already complete. To implement this and establish a large-scale production system, full budgetary and manpower support from the state is required."
I saw the Finance Minister's face stiffen slightly at that.
'War is a money pit; it can't be helped.'
"Initial setup will be costly, but once the factories are running, the unit cost per weapon will be incomparably cheaper than existing magic tools. Furthermore, no mana or special talent is required to operate them."
Upon hearing this, the Finance Minister's expression softened slightly.
The fact that no mana or talent was needed meant a reduction in military expenditures.
"In other words, even a commoner conscript freshly drafted from the farmland could shoot and kill an Aura-clad knight after just a few weeks of training."
As if they perfectly grasped the implication of my words, the room fell deathly silent in an instant.
Breaking the silence, my father, seated at the head of the table, spoke.
"Ian. Could this weapon pierce through the Imperial Army in Karvan?"
"It is possible."
At the firm answer, my father closed his eyes and fell into thought.
"Karvan.... If we can only reclaim Karvan, we can turn the tide against the Empire."
As my father slowly opened his eyes, they were filled with longing.
"B...but, Your Majesty. The justification...."
"The Leber Pact. The Empire's occupation of Karvan is a violation of the Leber Pact."
At the Chancellor's words, the Foreign Minister, who had mentioned justification, shut his mouth tight.
The Leber Pact.
A mutual defense treaty between the Empire and the Kingdom, named after the kingdom's capital.
It contained a clause stating that if an overwhelming enemy appeared that threatened the existence of a nation, they could dispatch troops to assist each other's territories.
'The Empire exploited that clause.'
The Empire used the appearance of magic beasts in the Karvan Estate as a pretext to push in a massive army.
And even now, with the situation long since resolved, they have yet to withdraw their forces.
The Kingdom had no choice but to lose Karvan, one of its largest granaries.
'If Roxanna had gone, things might have been different.'
But she cannot leave the capital.
If an Archmage from another nation were to launch a wide-area attack on the Kingdom, she is the only one capable of stopping it.
'She's essentially the Iron Dome of my previous life.'
With the Kingdom's greatest asset tied down, the knights alone were unable to drive out the Imperial Army.
"The Chancellor is correct."
My father spoke, confirming the Chancellor's words.
"An unauthorized occupation disguised as assistance. Since they were the ones to violate the treaty first, there is no issue with us reclaiming our territory."
No one in the council chamber dared to object to his statement.
'They probably all felt the same way internally.'
Father glanced over the stern-faced ministers before issuing his orders.
"Finance Minister, Military Minister."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Allocate the budget, land, and manpower Ian requests as the absolute priority. The campaign to reclaim Karvan will begin the moment mass production is complete."
"...We shall follow your orders."
As the order was given, the atmosphere in the room grew thick with tension.
'Monarchy really is convenient at times like this.'
Father looked back at me and spoke.
"Ian, we are pouring a vast amount of the national budget into this. You must prove that the weapon you created can wipe the Imperial Army out of Karvan."
"I will keep that in mind."
I bowed my head calmly.
The war had already begun.
@@@
Right now is the perfect time to go to war with the Empire.
The original novel never provided specific dates, so I wasn't sure of the exact timing.
However, after seeing Ayla at the last Imperial social gathering, I became certain.
'The protagonist was still timid.'
Ayla, the female lead of The Tyrants are Obsessed with Me, was a timid person in the early stages of the story.
A country girl who looked like she had stepped right out of a painting.
She only begins to transform into a strong-willed woman after awakening through a contract with a Great Spirit mid-way through the novel.
The fact that she is currently timid means...
'It means we're still in the early stages of the original story.'
In the beginning, the Empire is described as being in a state of extreme political instability.
Just as the novel's title suggests, the people meant to lead the Empire are all complete sociopaths.
They are divided and clashing, split between the dissatisfied Noble Faction and the Imperial Faction.
'Ayla is the one who resolves this conflict.'
Later in the story, the awakened Ayla solves everything and achieves harmony in the Empire by taking the Crown Prince—who becomes Emperor—and the Northern Grand Duke, the key figures of both factions, into her reverse harem.
Once that happens, winning a war against the Empire would be impossible, no matter how much I advanced my weaponry.
'Ridiculous things like Grand Sword Masters appear. I wonder if even nukes could stop something like that....'
But right now, it's still the early stage.
The Empire is on the verge of splitting in two, and they are so preoccupied with internal power struggles that it's hard for them to properly focus on what's happening beyond their borders.
It's the perfect timing to reclaim Karvan and shake the Empire to its core.
With those thoughts in mind, I walked until I reached Brother Rowen's office.
"Brother, I'm here."
"Ian.... You've come."
Two weeks had passed since the royal council meeting.
A mountain of documents awaiting approval was piled high on Rowen's desk.
Between preparing for war and establishing weapon factories simultaneously, my brother, who oversaw the practical operations, looked like he hadn't slept properly in days, with dark circles under his eyes.
"You don't look well. Are you getting enough sleep?"
"...The work never seems to end. Still, it's bearable knowing the Kingdom can become a better place."
My brother smiled while massaging his stiff neck.
"More importantly, how is the factory coming along?"
"It's going smoothly since we have a large budget. Elisha is helping out too."
"How many units have been secured?"
"Five hundred muskets have been assembled so far. We're cranking out ten thousand bullets a day. The defect rate is under five percent."
"To achieve that in just two weeks... you're fast."
"I broke the process down and simplified everything. Even without advanced skills, they just need to make their assigned part and assemble them."
Just as the conversation was continuing.
Bang!
The rhythmic sound of gunfire drifted in from the open window.
"They're training."
"Yeah."
I stepped toward the window and looked down to see commoner soldiers, conscripted a few weeks ago, lined up across the wide drill ground.
The soldiers were training according to the commands of the instructors.
'Reminds me of the old days.'
"Brother, isn't it a bit noisy?"
My brother, who had stepped up beside me to look outside, spoke.
"It is. But every time I hear that sound, it feels like a weight is being lifted from my chest, so I just left them be."
"That's a relief."
I smiled faintly, watching the gunpowder smoke drift over the drill ground.
"The training pace is incredibly fast. Compared to learning swordsmanship or magic, this is nothing. All they have to do is load, aim, and pull the trigger."
My brother added, looking out with a satisfied expression.
Indeed, the soldiers' movements looked far more proficient than when they were first conscripted.
'I just hope there aren't any accidents.'
I looked away from the window and got to the point.
"By the way, what happened with the declaration of war?"
"I've already drafted it. We have the justification.... But they'll probably just ignore it."
"Probably. The Empire looks down on the Kingdom, after all."
Rowen couldn't deny it and gave a bitter smile.
'From the Empire's perspective, the Kingdom probably looks like nothing more than a barking puppy.'
And it would be even more so once they heard intel that a unit composed entirely of commoners was heading for Karvan.
"That's why, Brother."
I spoke, glancing at the parchment on the desk filled with long, sophisticated phrasing.
"The declaration of war. Can I write it?"
"You?"
"Yeah. They won't even read it properly if we send something polite. We might as well send something that's a proper provocation."
An agitated enemy is easier to catch.
My brother looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"Exactly what are you planning to write?"
"Something that will make those Imperial bastards fly into a rage the moment they read it."
My brother's face stiffened at the answer.
"I... Ian.... It's still an official document being sent to the Empire. Being too blatantly provocative might actually...."
"Aw, I won't be that blatant."
"...Sigh. Fine. It's true they're underestimating us anyway. Do as you wish."
"Great."
With his permission, I grabbed the parchment and left the office.
It was time to show off the trolling skills I'd honed in modern online communities.