Chapter 160 - 160 Weapons Development Begins to Move
Steve, who had secured an appointment with Aurora, visited her.
Aila greeted Steve with the same bewitching smile she always wore.
"Welcome. You are here for information regarding a former Royal Research Institute researcher who went missing."
Aurora's bright red lips moved.
"Yes. I am not asking for their whereabouts, but if I can learn the details of their research, I thought I might be able to trace something from there."
"If that is the case, I would like to say it is a bargain, but it is quite expensive."
"I have no choice. Then, I will hand over a special pocket watch as payment."
Steve took the pocket watch out of his sub-space. Pocket watches with mainsprings were also being prototyped in the Kingdom of Cascade. The accuracy of keeping time changed depending on the precision of the gears, but the pocket watch Steve created with magic kept accurate time. Furthermore, the design of the gears was done by a researcher at the Royal Research Institute, and Steve had simply created it using magic based on that design.
The glass covering the surface of the pocket watch was also made with magic, and the dial inside could be seen without a single speck of haze.
It was truly a special item.
Aurora took it and observed it carefully as if appraising it.
"A clock using music box technology, and one small enough to carry around. If you take this to a public place, there is no doubt you will receive envious gazes."
"As for the decoration, please feel free. Since I made it for research purposes, I suppose it is insufficient in terms of design."
"Since I received something like this, it is more than enough as payment for the information. In fact, there will be change left over."
"Then, consider that carried over to the next time."
"Oh my, unfortunately, it is settled individually each time."
Aurora smiled brightly and placed the watch on her desk. Then, she selected a report about Gaster from the documents on her desk.
"This is information we investigated independently, but the researcher in question was studying a chemical like matches. Something with strong firepower. The materials they were buying up were saltpeter, sulfur, phosphate rock, iron ore, copper ore, magnesia, various oils, and grass water (kuso-zu). I am an amateur in this area, but could anything be made with these?"
"I think it is possible. Regarding how far they carried out combustion experiments, they may have reached a level usable by the military."
The materials listed by Aurora were for making gunpowder. Hearing this, Steve speculated that Gaster might have succeeded in manufacturing bombs or firearms.
Therefore, his face grew grim. Aurora naturally did not miss this.
"Anyway, the country has likely brought the same information to the Royal Research Institute to confirm what can be done. If this were used domestically, Your Highness Alex might be confined for the rest of his life."
"Is that the case now? Is Your Highness Alex in a state of confinement?"
"Yes. It is already becoming a rumor, didn't you know?"
"Not at all."
Aurora let out a light sigh at Steve's reply.
"I see. My Lord is not interested in such things. It seems the capital is in an uproar over dismantling the faction supporting Your Highness Alex."
"Regarding the power struggles between nobles, that is my father's work as a lord. I think it is too early for me. Besides, if I move, it will only increase my father's headaches."
Hearing this, Aurora chuckled.
"I cannot help but sympathize with your father."
"I will pass that along."
"Anyway, to return to the topic, is it possible to create a new weapon with the current raw materials?"
"In my prediction, probably. If I could confirm the laboratory, that would be good."
"That will be difficult since it is under the country's management."
"Besides, if there are movements of buying these materials in large quantities, it means either Gaster is there or someone who took out the research results is there."
"Unfortunately, I cannot grasp the situation in all neighboring countries."
Saying that to Steve, Aurora folded the report and returned it to the desk.
"That is sufficient. I understand this is a serious matter."
"I am glad I could be of help."
"Then, I will take my leave."
"Please come anytime."
Steve bowed and vanished somewhere with teleportation magic.
Aurora, left alone in the room, gave instructions to Harry.
"Buy the current materials immediately and begin development of the new weapon."
"I understand. But will we not be hated by His Lordship?"
Harry was worried about this. Steve had judged that a new weapon could be made from the materials Gaster bought, and Aurora was now trying to make it. He thought Steve might get angry that his judgment was used without permission.
"As a lord, there are things one must do even if hated. I do not want to be hated either."
Harry sensed a cheerful aura from Aurora who said that.
He admired that she could even enjoy this situation, but upon further thought, he realized it must be fun precisely because it was a game of wits with Steve.
"Stop the research on matches and prioritize this. In some cases, Separation Mages should be assigned to the research even if it reduces the production volume of matches."
"Yes."
"Also, pay the utmost attention so this does not leak. Not only will the boy be angry, but Your Majesty will also glare at us. Regarding the purchase of materials, use multiple trading companies and buy a little bit in various cities. Naturally, since we are investigating Gaster's whereabouts, our eyes must be on the purchase of these raw materials."
Investigators from countries chasing Gaster's whereabouts would naturally be watching whether the materials Gaster used for research were being purchased. Under such circumstances, procuring raw materials meant Aurora's scheme could easily be exposed.
However, since this was the Salieri Trading Company, which had served the Margrave Sowell family for many years, he decided to take action, believing they would meet Aurora's expectations.
However, there was a high probability that the Salieri Trading Company did not have information on Gaster's disappearance, so Aurora was worried about that point.
Thus, the research into gunpowder began in the Archibalt Territory as well.
At the same time, Isaac Holiday, the Director of the Royal Research Institute, was holding his head in his hands after confirming Gaster's research content. When he conducted experiments using the materials Gaster had purchased for his research, he was able to confirm an explosion. The King felt a sense of crisis regarding this and issued an order to make the research of gunpowder and weapons using it the highest priority.
Now, the Royal Research Institute was overflowing with research themes, and there were many things that had not been touched. In such a situation, they were forcibly changing the priority of research.
Who could do that?
Of course, being excellent is a prerequisite. At the very least, one must have the ability to achieve results at least on par with Gaster to meet the King's expectations.
"Should I recall Airheart?"
Holiday muttered softly.
Cyril had no clear research theme. His job was to report new ideas conceived by Steve at Steve's place. In other words, if he did not have to make that report, Cyril's hands would be free.
However, if that happened, the Archibalt Territory would be like a dog off its leash. By the time they noticed, there was a possibility that technology would develop so far that the kingdom could not catch up even with its full strength.
However, if the practical application of gunpowder was delayed to other countries, no one knew what kind of responsibility would be shouldered.
In the end, Director Holiday weighed the monitoring of the Archibalt Territory's technological innovation against the arms race with other countries and chose to prioritize the arms race.
He immediately issued a transfer order for Cyril to return to the Royal Research Institute in the Royal Capital.
Cyril, who happened to be in the Royal Capital for work, received the order immediately. Upon receiving it, Cyril was confused.
The research content was weapons development, which Steve disliked. Cyril was also a member of the organization, so the organization's orders were absolute. If he quit the Royal Research Institute, he would not have to follow orders, but in that case, he would lose his privileges as a noble. Considering that Aila and the children would be left wandering the streets, he had no choice but to follow the order.
The transfer to the Royal Capital was ordered immediately, so Cyril decided to stay in the Royal Capital alone for the time being. Aila and the children would follow later.
Before transferring to the Royal Capital, he wanted to greet Steve, but since he had no time to return, he decided to send a letter instead.
At that time, Steve was at the home of his sister and brother-in-law in the Kingdom of Merda. Steve had come to tell King Abel and Sherry about Gaster's research content.
Facing the two, Steve explained the situation.
"A former researcher from the Royal Research Institute of the Kingdom of Cascade was developing weapons in the former territory of the Kingdom of Meizack, receiving financial support from Your Highness Alex. However, that researcher suddenly went missing. Judging from the status of the research, the development of weapons was either completed or on the verge of completion."
The faces of the sister and brother-in-law listening to Steve grew grim.
King Abel asked Steve.
"Brother-in-law, what kind of weapon is it?"
"I speculate it is something that causes explosions."
"If so, is it not much different from a mage of the fire attribute?"
"Mages are few in number and have an upper limit called mana. However, what causes explosions is chemicals, and once the method of detonation is learned, anyone can use it. Moreover, they can use it as many times a day as they wish. The threat is not comparable to that of mages."
The more Steve spoke, the grimmer the faces of Abel and Sherry became.
"That mage disappeared from the east. So, do you not know where they went?"
"Sister, that is currently being investigated in the Kingdom of Cascade. I am an outsider, so I do not receive information. However, since the possibility of this new weapon being used is high in the surrounding areas of the Kingdom of Merda, I came to warn you. After all, the longer the distance for teleportation magic, the more mana is consumed. Also, I do not think a country at the edge of the continent would go to the trouble of setting up a large-scale intelligence network in this region. One should consider that while searching for information in the surrounding areas, they stumbled upon information that Your Highness Alex hired researchers."
Steve's reasoning was based on distance. Even if kidnapping, there is a limit to mana, and it is unlikely to set up an expensive intelligence network in a distant country just to obtain basic information. In the current Earth, there are transportation and communication means, so an intelligence network could be set up even on the other side of the globe, but in a world where travel takes days by horse carriage, even if an intelligence network were set up in a distant country, the information would arrive two or three months later, and the freshness would be lost.
That was the basis of Steve's thinking.
"But even if you tell me to be on guard, I do not know what to do."
"Possible scenarios are the assassination of key figures or use in war. If they intend to use it in war, I think they will provoke us. Well, regarding assassination, perhaps always keeping a teleportation mage by their side."
"There is no time to rest."
Sherry looked up at the sky and sighed.
Abel embraced Sherry.
"For now, I will instruct the soldiers guarding the border not to attack even if the enemy nation provokes them. Regarding assassination, it is difficult. I will refrain from foreign trips, but I cannot avoid meeting important figures from foreign countries who visit."
Abel looked at Sherry with a troubled face. Sherry also looked at Steve with a troubled face.
"Could they be hiding within our country? I need clues to search for them."
"With the information I have, there are none. I have not even obtained a likeness."
"No clues is tough. But even so, you must be thinking of something."
"There is the option of tracing the purchase of raw materials used in the research, but with my power, it is difficult."
"What kind of things are used?"
"Regarding that, it is a confidential matter."
Since Steve said that and did not reveal the raw materials, Sherry clicked her tongue in her heart. Like Aurora, Sherry also wanted to try making this new weapon. However, if the Kingdom of Merda were to start on it, she did not know what kind of sanctions they would receive from the Kingdom of Cascade.
Nevertheless, if other countries obtained powerful weapons, she thought they should at least conduct that research themselves.
And shortly after returning from the Kingdom of Merda, Steve learned through a letter from Cyril, who was in the Royal Capital, that he would be working in the Royal Capital for a while.
Thank you always for reporting typos.