Chapter 164 - 164 The Power of the Sniper Rifle
Bella perfectly shot through a jar located approximately three kilometers away.
The pierced jar exploded and scattered, engulfing the soldiers around it in the blast.
"Since similar jars should all be filled with explosives, go ahead and shoot them."
"Understood."
Bella pulled the bolt handle and ejected the cartridge. Then she pushed the handle back in. Once she caught the target in the scope again, she pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The next time it hit, the jar exploded into flames. Only then did Dressel's thoughts catch up.
"My Lord, what is this!?"
The question came with an intensity bordering on rudeness.
"It was developed so we can attack from outside the enemy's effective range to counter bombs. It fires steel bullets from within a barrel. Well, you probably can't see it with your eyes."
"Is it a magical tool using magic?"
"That is state secret, so I cannot answer."
Although he said "state secret," this was not even known in the Kingdom of Cascade, so it was not a state secret, but rather a secret of House Archibalt.
However, Dressel did not know such things, so he mistakenly thought that the Kingdom of Cascade possessed a terrifying new weapon comparable to that of the Kingdom of Saturate.
While such conversations took place, Bella continued to shoot the supplies prepared by the army of the Kingdom of Saturate one after another.
Leaving the attacks to Bella, Steve used magic to command a bird flying nearby to conduct aerial reconnaissance of the enemy from the sky. There, he discovered a man named Gaster.
This was at the time of Bella's first attack. Gaster and his group were at the rear of the army. Seeing the explosion flames rising right before his eyes, Gaster became angry.
"Did they drop the jars due to careless transport?"
The jars contained gunpowder and were intended to be fired using a catapult. If the jar broke, the detonator inside would activate, causing an explosion. Not knowing of the existence of guns, Gaster initially thought the jar had simply fallen.
"There were difficulties in the transport," Nils said.
The development of fuses was still immature, and the bombs prepared by the Kingdom of Saturate were dangerous items that would explode if dropped.
Gaster was angry because a precious shot had been wasted.
Then another explosion occurred.
"Again? What are you doing!"
Thinking they had dropped the jar once more, Gaster shouted. However, explosions continued to occur one after another. Seeing the axles of carts transporting components for siege weapons also break, he realized this was an enemy attack.
At the same moment Gaster noticed, others also realized this was an enemy attack. The General commanding the army ordered the soldiers to prepare for interception. However, they did not know where the enemy was attacking from.
"There must be a mage nearby! Find them!"
Such orders flew out.
However, no mage was found. The one attacking was Bella from a far distance, and it was not magic. So, it was natural that they could not find her.
Simultaneously with the General's order, the teleportation mage proposed a return to Gaster.
"Lord Gaster, let us return here for now."
However, Gaster did not nod to that proposal. As a researcher, he wanted to observe this situation further, seeing the unprecedented event before his eyes.
"Returning is impossible. The enemy is launching an attack we never imagined. Unless we confirm how this is being done, we cannot obtain means to counter it."
"But this is dangerous."
"If researchers fear danger, they can do nothing."
The mage looked troubled at Gaster's words. Nils spoke to him.
"Since it has come to this, even a lever won't move him. Shall we forcibly take him back?"
"It is my job to prevent anything unfortunate from happening to the Lord here."
The mage answered that way. However, underneath that lay the meaning that if something unfortunate did happen, he did not know what would become of himself either. While they would likely not execute a valuable teleportation mage, he would surely receive some penalty. And if another teleportation mage were found, he would become useless, and at that time, who knew what would happen to his life.
"Well, forcibly teleporting him here and then being told 'no strategy comes to mind to counter the enemy's weapon' would be troublesome."
"Yes."
Anticipating even what Nils said, the mage was troubled. However, he judged that it would be worse if something happened to Gaster, so he decided to persuade Gaster.
"Lord Gaster, let's go back!"
He shouted loudly. But Gaster insisted on not returning.
"If we return now, we will lose the opportunity for research! Researchers sometimes have to bet their lives!"
"That is not acceptable. Research results can only be produced if Lord Gaster is alive."
"Seeing this is my destiny!"
"Did the heavens reveal this to you!?"
The two began arguing about whether to return or not, and their voices gradually grew louder.
Steve's bird, which he was commanding, happened to pick up such a conversation.
He immediately directed the bird toward the voice. Flying nearby without being unnatural, he confirmed Gaster's face. He could guess that the young man with him was Nils. However, from the conversation at that time, he could not tell who the man arguing was. Steve informed Bella that he had found Gaster.
"Bella, I found Gaster. He is at the rear of the enemy, so I am going there now. Do not shoot there."
"Understood. But what will you do if you catch him?"
Bella asked without taking her eyes off the scope.
"For now, I will take him back. The response will differ depending on whether they were forced to cooperate under threat or volunteered to cooperate."
"Leave the difficult parts to me."
Dressel could not help but find Bella's blunt manner strange. He had heard that Steve was the Dragon Head Medal recipient of the Kingdom of Cascade. He had also heard that Bella was his attendant. However, listening to their conversation, he could not help but feel they did not seem to be in a master-servant relationship.
Steve teleported to the front of Gaster, whom he had spotted through the bird's eyes, caught the man called Gaster, and then teleported to the Kingdom of Cascade. The location was the Royal Castle. Due to the emergency, he teleported without permission. He then reported to the castle soldiers that he had captured someone resembling Gaster.
The news quickly reached the top, and Gaster was allowed to be held at the Royal Castle. Then, Steve returned to the Kingdom of Meizack once more.
On the other hand, the mage who had seen Gaster snatched away before his eyes panicked. The method by which he had taken Gaster away from the Kingdom of Cascade had been reproduced right before his eyes. Moreover, it was by someone whose identity was unknown. In this case, there were no clues to search for Gaster.
He thought so, but Nils made an unexpected remark.
"The mage just now seemed to be the Dragon Head Medal Lord."
"The Dragon Head Medal Lord, that of the Kingdom of Cascade?"
"Yes. I have never seen him in person, but there were paintings of the Lord all over the town."
Even in the town where Gaster and Nils were conducting research, Steve's popularity was immense. Therefore, bookstores had many books praising his achievements, and boxes of products made in the Archibalt Territory even had Steve's face drawn on them. Thus, Nils knew Steve's face.
"I see. If that was him, it makes sense that he teleported to a place with no landmarks. Let us return to the country once. If Lord Nils is also taken away, it will affect the production of the secret medicine."
Nils nodded at those words. If they were taken back to the Kingdom of Cascade here, the noble status he had worked so hard for would be lost. Even without Gaster, Nils still had value as he could produce explosive materials, so the Kingdom of Saturate would likely cherish him.
Thus, the two returned to the Kingdom of Saturate once more.
Upon returning, the teleportation mage was ordered to return to the battlefield again. Losing Gaster and failing to conquer the Kingdom of Meizack meant the current operation had failed. Therefore, the First Prince, who planned the operation, insisted on victory at all costs, ordering the teleportation mage to send soldiers carrying bombs into the city.
The mage still had magic power remaining, so it was possible, but sending a large number of soldiers into the city was difficult. He offered this opinion, but the First Prince would not back down as his pride was at stake.
"Teleport near the city gate and detonate the bombs. If the gate opens, it will work somehow."
"However, the soldiers who detonate it will be caught in the explosion. They will certainly die."
Who would volunteer for such an operation? The mage thought so.
However, the First Prince would not listen.
"Sacrifices are inevitable in war. One should be happy to die for the country."
In his heart, the mage thought, "Then why don't you die yourself?" But if he spoke that, he would die, so he desperately swallowed those words.
And so, giving up on persuading the First Prince, he returned to the battlefield.
He then conveyed the First Prince's order to the General commanding the unit.
"He says he will teleport soldiers to the city gate with magic, and there they are to detonate bombs and destroy the gate."
"Are you ordering a strategy where they are guaranteed to die?"
"Yes."
The General made a grim face.
Ordering a strategy where death is certain is something he cannot do to his subordinates who have followed him until now. However, if he does not do it, he faces dismissal at best, or execution for disobeying orders at worst, upon returning to the country.
While he pondered what to do, the explosives they had brought continued to explode one after another due to enemy attacks. There were very few left, and even if they destroyed the city gate, they would no longer be in an overwhelmingly advantageous situation.
"Shall I personally carry out that strategy? Mage, please escape immediately after teleporting me. After confirming the explosion, the troops will retreat. However, we must create a record of having attacked the enemy's Royal Capital at least once."
The General gave that order to the Deputy Commander standing next to him.
"In that case, I will accompany you."
The Deputy Commander said so, but the General stopped him with his hand.
"If both of us die, who will give the order to retreat? I will be held responsible for the defeat anyway. The only difference is whether I die early or late. In that case, dying through some strategy is more befitting of a soldier, isn't it?"
The General showed a resigned smile.
"Overconfident in the power of the new weapon, we failed to consider that the enemy might possess even stronger weapons. That was the cause of our defeat."
"What kind of weapon was that?"
"I have no idea at all. However, there are multiple reports of seeing light on the city walls. That is likely the enemy's new weapon. If the Kingdom of Meizack had such a thing, they would have used it in the previous battle. And if it is true that the Dragon Head Medal recipient is here, then the Kingdom of Cascade possesses it. If it can exert power at this distance, the advantage of bombs disappears. That is, assuming it is not magic like the bombs."
This was a thought that could only arise from a General operating weapons that did not use magic, like bombs. And although he hoped it was not so, the weapon was actually being operated by Bella, who was not a mage.
"Well, we must prepare."
Saying that, the General ordered preparations for the remaining bombs. Assuming the enemy would attack from the Royal Capital, they prepared a large amount of cloth, pierced both sides with spears, and hastily created a blindfold.
At that time, no one paid attention to the small insect attached to the back of the teleportation mage.
Steve, who had returned to the Kingdom of Meizack, grasped everything through the insect.
"The enemy's final attack is coming."
"They are blindfolded with cloth and cannot see. Target the spears."
Unable to confirm the attack target due to the blindfold, Bella became irritable.
Steve permitted Bella's proposal.
"I will use the Sense Enhancement magic. If the target is a spear, it will be harder to hit than a jar."
"Please."
With enhanced vision, Bella's shooting accuracy increased. She estimated the position of the spears behind the cloth from the tips protruding from it and shot to snap them off.
Dressel, watching the scene through the telescope he had borrowed from Steve, felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He was already surprised that even a jar could be hit at this distance, but if even such thin spears could be sniped, he realized that if this sniper rifle were mass-deployed, almost all soldiers would be defeated before even engaging the army of the Kingdom of Cascade.
Of course, that was only possible due to Bella's skill, but Dressel, having no comparison, thought all soldiers could do that.
At the same time, he had a premonition that the defense of the Royal Capital, which seemed like despair, would end in a one-sided victory.
Thank you always for your typo reports.