The Crossbow Revolution — Robon 002 and 003 Take Shape
The crossbow—also called a arbalest—was a bow that used a mechanical catch to lock and release the string.
With an ordinary bow you had to keep the string drawn the entire time you aimed, which burned through strength and stamina. The arrow also arced through the air, so anyone who wasn’t an expert had a hard time hitting what they were aiming at.
The crossbow wiped those weaknesses clean away. You could cock the string, lock it on the catch, and carry it around ready to fire. The moment an enemy appeared you shot without needing to draw. Because it took almost no effort to hold, aiming was easy, and the bolt flew in a flat trajectory that made accuracy far higher. That was why hunters in ages past had loved the thing.
“Haa… These were the materials I stockpiled for Robon-003, but there’s no helping it.”
Robon-002 and Robon-003 still weren’t finished products. Robon-002, in particular, had its string tension set so high that the frame couldn’t take it and had cracked. Burgess had used it on the last mission, come back with a slightly warped body, and dumped it on him to fix.
No time. Later. First he had to finish the supply-model crossbows; the other two could wait.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The hammering seemed louder than usual today. One of the trademarks of Iron Cliff Territory was that every village, no matter how small, had a smithy. And in Iron Hall, the central city of the territory, the smithies clustered together on a single famous stretch of road: Iron Street.
“Everyone’s working hard.”
“Young Master Robon’s here!”
“Welcome!”
The blacksmiths greeted him warmly. He hadn’t realized it, but his reputation on Iron Street wasn’t half as bad as he’d thought.
“How about a mug of beer?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Eh? Young Master Robon turning down beer?”
“Well I’ll be damned! He really has cleaned up his act!”
“That explains the weird commissions lately—none of them are ordinary!”
The smiths buzzed with surprise. So the old Robon had liked beer? The guy had spent his days in the workshop studying so he could build Gundam-style robots, yet somehow he’d still gotten along with the blacksmiths.
“I got the blueprints thinking, ‘What’s he want with another bow this time?’ and nearly sprayed beer across the table. Where do you even come up with ideas like this?”
A hairy middle-aged man whose face was half beard lumbered over, reeking of liquor. His face was already bright red; he’d clearly started early.
“What’s it called again?”
“It’s a crossbow. This one’s the Robon Crossbow—Supply Model.”
“Robon Crossbow, Supply Model… I like it! And with these you’re going to protect the miners?”
“Yes.”
“That’s why we’re sweating like this! Right, lads?!”
“Damn right!!”
“If the miners die, what do we eat?”
“Those beasts already piss me off—hope we wipe every last one of them out with these!”
“See? The only one who ever thinks of us is Young Master Robon!”
The blacksmiths of Iron Street were filling the orders the Bladewyn family had placed directly. Their skill level was high enough that the work flew by.
By the third day, fifty supply-model Robon Crossbows were finished.
And then—
Robon, you go yourself.
His father’s sudden order sent him straight to the mining village.
Rattle-rattle—
He’d wanted to ride BlackTerraHall R1, but his father forbade it, so he ended up in a carriage. He still wasn’t used to horses, so he’d frantically bolted suspension onto the carriage at the last minute.
“Ooooh… so this stuff works on carriages too!”
Wendy came along as his escort.
I want to go too! Me too! It’s dangerous if Oppa goes alone!
She’d thrown such a tantrum that they’d finally let her join.
“Haa…”
“Why are you sighing? I’m excited!”
“Why are you excited? If we get back sooner I could put more time into the generator power research—”
“Again! Again with the research! You research pervert!”
“…Is that ‘pervert’ label ever going to go away, no matter where I go?”
She was a little annoying, but having Wendy along still put him at ease. Twenty family soldiers rode with them; none were knights, but he’d heard Wendy was stronger than most knights, so he felt secure enough.
“Pervert Oppa! Look over there! The mine!”
“Just once… never mind. The mine, you say?”
Through the window a sizable mine entrance came into view. Nestled deep in a canyon, flanked by towering cliffs—the scenery was pure art.
“Hail!”
As they drew near, a Bladewyn guard posted at the entrance snapped a salute. Behind him, miners labored under loads of ore.
“You’ve arrived!”
A middle-aged man spotted them, sprinted over, and bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.
“Name’s Mark!”
His face was caked black with soot, as if begging them to notice how hard he’d been working.
“Robon Bladewyn. You’re the one in charge here?”
“Yes. I’m the mine overseer. It’s an honor to meet you!”
Energetic fellow. First impression: pass. What really mattered, of course, was whether he actually worked hard. Robon hated loafers and shirkers more than anything.
“Then mind giving us a tour?”
“Understood.”
Mark called someone over.
“Miner! Get over here and attend the young master.”
“Me, sir?”
This one was just as black-faced—clearly he’d been rolling around the mine all day. His clothes were filthy and torn in places. Unlike a certain someone.
“If not you, then who? Heh-heh. Young Master, this boy will explain everything properly.”
“You’re the overseer. Why’s he doing it?”
“Ah, well… hahaha! He’s been handling the new hires forever, you see! When it comes to introducing the mine, this kid’s the expert. And since the young master himself has come all this way, we ought to give a proper tour, don’t you think?”
The words were polished smooth.
“All right. What’s your name?”
“Miner, sir.”
“Good. Mind showing us around?”
“Uh… yes.”
“What? You don’t want to?”
“No, it’s not that—”
“You little—! The young master is speaking to you! What kind of attitude is that, huh?!”
Mark’s roar crushed Miner’s spirit; the boy hastily nodded.
“I—I’ll do it!”
“Come on, hurry up. I want to go inside already!”
Wendy’s whining got Miner moving; he led them into the mine.
“But… mines are dangerous places. They can collapse any time—”
“You little—! What useless garbage are you spouting?!”
“Quiet. I put Miner in charge of the tour, so go be somewhere else.”
“Pardon? But I’m the overseer…”
“…Are you the one defying me now?”
“N-no, sir! Enjoy your visit!”
Mark forced a smile onto a face that had gone rigid and turned away. The moment he was gone, Miner’s expression relaxed.
“Relax. I already know it’s dangerous, so let’s just go in. If anything happens, Wendy will protect us.”
“Heheh. Pervert Oppa’s finally recognizing my true worth!”
“Drop the ‘pervert’ when we’re outside.”
“Then I’ll begin the tour.”
Quite a few miners were already working deeper inside. The entrance alone looked a good ten meters across, and the interior was even wider. Rails ran along the passages, though many sections were damaged or broken.
“Why hasn’t this been fixed yet? Hauling ore must be a nightmare.”
“Ah… well. It breaks often, and we don’t have the specialists or the money to repair it.”
“No money? The Bladewyns would cover something like this.”
“I don’t really know, sir. I just heard a lot of money goes out in every direction.”
“….”
A sigh escaped him on its own. The farther they went, the worse the management looked. Miners worked without any safety gear, and their picks were so blunted many should have been thrown away.
“Whoa! What’s this black shiny stuff? It’s pretty!”
The situation grew grimmer by the step, yet this girl remained completely carefree. Haa… what had he expected from Wendy in the first place?
“This is as far as we go.”
“Is it really okay to tell me all this? Won’t Mark chew you out once we’re outside?”
“…I have one request.”
“What is it?”
“I heard Young Master Robon brought weapons he crafted for us. Please… help us.”
Miner’s hands trembled as tears spilled down his cheeks.
Scared… is that it?
“Please, I’m begging you. Our people die every day—accidents, raids. Hic… They all have families and people they love back in the village…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”
“R-really?”
Since he’d come all this way, he might as well clean house. So these bastards were the reason his ore shipments had been so meager. Daring to skim off his research budget?
“Yeah. So spit it out. Who’s the cancer cell around here?”
After a thorough inspection of the mine they headed to the nearby village and called the local self-defense force together. About thirty young men showed up; he handed each of them a crossbow.
“All right, I’ll teach you how to use this weapon. It’s simple. Hook your foot in this stirrup, pull the string back, and lock it on the catch. That’s it.”
“I have a question.”
“Questions are great. Go ahead.”
“Why do we put our foot in it just to shoot a bow?”
“Sharp question. This bow has way higher draw weight than a normal one. Your arm strength alone won’t be enough. So you brace with your foot and haul with everything you’ve got to cock it.”
The method was simple enough that the men started trying it one after another. They were all young and full of strength; none of them failed to cock the string.
“Now look down the sight line, seat the stock against your shoulder, and fire.”
It was a modernized crossbow. He’d designed it so even ordinary people could use it easily; he was confident.
“Fire!”
Ten bolts streaked toward a log a hundred meters away.
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!!
Five of the ten hit.
“Not bad.”
The self-defense force members’ eyes went round. They were stunned that they themselves had actually hit a distant target with a bow.
“Whoa… I—I hit it!”
“Holy crap. The rush on this thing is insane.”
“Shit. With these we can finally get those rat bastards.”
“Damn, how do I even use this?”
Watching them murmur among themselves, he allowed himself a satisfied smile.
“Next group!”
They trained in squads of ten. The results were excellent.
“So the rumor that Young Master Robon built some kind of automobile was true.”
“Who the hell started the rumor he was a good-for-nothing?”
“He doesn’t seem like a wastrel at all. How can someone who makes weapons this incredible be a wastrel?”
“Does this mean I can hunt monsters now too?”
Their joy over the crossbows’ performance lasted only a moment.
“Too much noise over there! Third squad, hit the dirt! Discipline’s gone soft!”
Under the sudden drill-instructor version of Robon they were forced to roll until they were dizzy.
“Backward rolls! Forward rolls! Too slow! If you signed up for the self-defense force you need at least this much stamina!”
The training ran a full three hours. In that short time the light in the men’s eyes completely changed. They looked grimy, yes, but the sharp military bearing was nothing like before; they finally looked like real soldiers.
“All right—you are now the Robon Self-Defense Force. Understood?!”
—Yes, siiiiiir!!
A roaring cheer. He liked it a lot. Even if he didn’t look the part, he’d once turned down a research post and enlisted just so he could serve as a drill instructor.
A man ought to do his military service!—that’s what he’d believed back then.
“Troops! Fall in! Dress the ranks!”
Snap! Snap! Snap!
They even timed the left foot perfectly now. These bastards had picked up the discipline surprisingly well.
“Troops! As members of the Robon Self-Defense Force, can you take pride in yourselves and protect this village and this mine?!”
—Yes!!
“Are you certain?!”
—Yes!!
“Good! All together—battle cry!!”
—Yaaaaaaaah!!
Satisfying. It felt like he’d stepped straight back into those days.
“This instructor is very pleased with our trainees’ attitude. Can you do even better from here on?!”
—Yes!!
Military-style education really did deliver results. Now if only he had a red cap…
Meanwhile Wendy and Miner sat perched on a boulder watching Robon’s training session. The real-time transformation of the self-defense force was endlessly fascinating.
“What’s with him? Why’s he suddenly like that? Are self-defense forces normally like this?”
“No, ma’am. The self-defense force I know never looked like that.”
“When did that pervert brother of mine learn something like this? Did he watch the knights train? We never do it that way.”
Wendy tilted her head.
“All right! Time for heart-to-hearts. Everyone wait here, then come in one at a time for counseling with Instructor Robon.”
With that, Robon disappeared into a small hut. Miner stepped forward to organize them.
“Then starting with the person at the front, please enter one by one.”
The men went in one after another for their private talks with Robon. But the ones who came back out were acting strangely.
“Hic… uuu…”
“I never knew Instructor Robon was that kind of person…”
“From now on I’m following Instructor Robon for life.”
“Someone that amazing… hic! If anyone ever calls Instructor Robon a wastrel again, bring them to me. I’ll half-kill them!”
The loyalty of everyone who left the hut only grew stronger.
—Robon! Robon! Robon! Robon!
They were practically fanatics.
“W-what the… that’s scary…”
Wendy took a step back at the sight of them.