Chapter 155 - Episode 150: Better Safe Than Sorry
"I see, a non-lethal weapon modified from a crossbow! Noein-sama, you really do come up with the most interesting ideas!"
One day, as spring was moving into its latter half. Damian, a retainer called to the Lord's office, had received such a consultation from Noein and spoke in his usual energetic voice.
Matilda cast her usual cold gaze at the unnecessary high tension and loud volume, but Noein didn't seem to mind and was grinning along with Damian.
"Even so, why do you need something like that?"
"You know, I mentioned before that skirmishes have been breaking out recently around the border of the Northwestern faction and the Southwestern faction, right? I thought it would be better to have a weapon like that in case I get caught up in it."
If he ended up having to fight nobles of the Southwestern faction as a member of the Northwestern faction, he couldn't just slaughter the opponents as he had during past bandit subjugations or last year's war.
It would be one thing if it were the era of the founding when the nation hadn't yet unified as a state, but currently, there is a consciousness of being compatriots of the same country, even among nobles of opposing factions. Since marriages are sometimes concluded across faction lines, situations like "there was a relative of a faction ally among the enemies I killed" are possible.
Therefore, in armed conflicts between domestic nobles, it has become common sense not to kill the opponent indiscriminately. It is often settled by hurting them enough to drive them away without killing them, or if the opponent is a member of a noble house, capturing them alive and handing them over in exchange for money.
"True, if used in those situations, a crossbow's lethality is too high... But those skirmishes are happening further south than here, right? Is there any chance Noein-sama would be involved?"
"Not for now, but I have a feeling I might get dragged in... There are various noble social obligations and such."
Noein had achieved military merit in the previous war and had even been promoted in rank, making him stand out excessively as a military noble against his own will. Nobles who want to use that power to counter territorial infringements by Southwestern nobles might appear, and depending on the case, he might have to respond and provide assistance.
Noein's position as a powerful local noble exists because of the Northwestern faction, and if he is told to lend his strength to maintain the Northwestern faction's influence, it is difficult to refuse.
"Being a noble is tough... In that case, I'll do my best to prepare what you want as quickly as possible!"
"Thanks. By the way, do you have any ideas in mind for the modifications?"
"Let's see, for starters, I'll weaken the tension of the string."
Well, that makes sense, Noein thought. Since a crossbow, like a bow, is a weapon that launches an arrow with the power of a string, it is natural that the power decreases if that tension is weakened. Noein had thought of the same thing.
"I figured it would be that... Since the power will be weaker, I thought it would be more effective if we combined it with 'Angel's Honey' instead."
Of course, he wouldn't bring out the undiluted 'Angel's Honey,' which leaves paralysis for a long period, for a mere faction clash. He would dilute it to an appropriate concentration, coat the arrows, and utilize it as a paralytic to temporarily numb the opponent.
"Ah, there was that. In that case, shall we just go ahead and modify the arrows on the premise of coating them with 'Angel's Honey'?"
"Modify the arrows? How?"
While various ingenuity is often applied to bows, Noein didn't know much about modifying arrows. In crossbows, he only knew that short iron bolts were used, unlike normal bows.
"I just thought of this now, but... for example, how about bundling several ve~ry thin arrows together and firing them so they scatter all at once? I thought that might be more effective if there's no need to inflict deep wounds and it's enough just to hit the opponent."
Hearing that idea, Noein's eyes widened slightly.
"That's... amazing. That certainly seems effective."
The thinner the arrows, the lower the risk of a fatal wound, and if the number of arrows fired at once increases, the probability of hitting somewhere on the opponent's body rises. Since 'Angel's Honey' works as long as it enters the body, this might be the best approach when combining it with a crossbow.
"But, wouldn't just nocking several thin arrows in a crossbow prevent them from flying straight? Due to the structure of the crossbow."
"That's where a craftsman's ingenuity comes into play. I'll try various things and report back to you."
"I see, then I'll leave it to you."
Saying "leave it to me," Damian left the room.
.....
Less than two weeks after Noein consulted him about the non-lethal crossbow, Damian brought a prototype of the scatter-shot arrows (as he named them).
Since it was, for the time being, a latest secret weapon, the test firing was to be conducted in the depths of the mansion grounds, away from prying eyes. The shooter was Rick, who possessed the best skill in the territorial army for crossbow and ballista firing, and Chief Retainer Yuri was also present at the test site.
"Hmm, I see, you modified the crossbow itself a bit."
"Yes! I tried several methods, but I think this is the best one!"
Facing the scatter-shot crossbow that Damian was showing off proudly, Noein nodded with admiration.
Normally, loading a crossbow only involves placing the arrow in the groove of the base. However, the modified crossbow for scatter-shot arrows that Damian brought had a metal tube attached to the front half of the nocking area, in a position that did not interfere with the string, and it was designed so that the fired arrows would fly relatively straight by passing through that tube.
Each scatter-shot arrow was extremely thin, and it would be more accurate to call them thick needles rather than arrows. These were bundled in groups of seven with paper string, and according to Damian, string of this grade would naturally break from the impact of firing.
"Which means, we just need to nock this bundle into the crossbow and fire?"
Yuri also asked this midway while listening to Damian's explanation with interest.
"Exactly! So you can fire rapid shots at almost the same speed as firing a normal crossbow!"
"I understand the handling and rapid-fire performance, but what is the effective range?"
The next to ask was Rick.
"The ideal range is probably around 15 to 30 meters. I think the arrows will scatter too much beyond that."
"I see, understood... Then, may I try firing it right away?"
"Yeah! Please try it! I'm sure you'll love it!"
It's a test fire to confirm if it's useful, not if I'll love it, Rick thought with a wry smile, but he nocked a bundle of scatter-shot arrows into the modified crossbow and took aim.
The target was a wide wooden board with a drawing of a person on it, placed about 20 meters away. Behind the board was the stone wall surrounding the mansion grounds, so there was no worry about stray arrows flying somewhere.
Rick glanced toward Noein and Yuri as if asking for permission, and the two nodded.
Having confirmed this, Rick closed one eye, took a sharp breath, held it, and pulled the trigger of the crossbow.
A firing sound slightly different from usual echoed, and simultaneously, the arrows flew. The seven arrows scattered slightly beyond the range of the drawing of the person and pierced the wooden board.
"How was it!?"
"...I think it's good. The feeling when firing isn't that different from a normal crossbow, and I think the way the arrows scatter is just right. The loss in initial velocity due to the weakened string tension is compensated for by the number of arrows."
"Yeah, if they pierce a wooden board normally, there's no lack of power, and if they don't penetrate through the board, they probably won't kill someone even if they hit a human body. Most of the time, the head and torso are protected by armor, anyway."
Both Rick, who performed the test fire, and Yuri, who watched it, gave the modified crossbow a favorable review.
"If there are no problems from your perspective, I have nothing more to say. Damian, can this be mass-produced in a certain quantity quickly?"
"Let's see... The crossbows only need a few adjustments, so I can increase them quickly, but the arrows will take time if we want to gather a certain number! After all, they require seven times as many as normal arrows!"
Damian answered Noein's question energetically, as expected.
"Then... for now, I'll want 30 crossbows, and a hundred times that for arrows, 3,000 bundles. How long will it take?"
"Umm, in that case..."
"The crossbows can be done in two weeks, but gathering the arrows will take about three months. If we temporarily reduce the production of normal arrows by half, we can shorten it to two months."
A dignified female voice answered instead of Damian. Everyone present turned toward the source of the voice.
"Oh, Christy."
"I apologize for speaking without permission, Noein-sama. I was taking a break and heard Damian-san's loud voice, so I came to take a look."
It seemed that today was a day she worked in the retainer's office at the mansion rather than reporting to the workshop.
"It's fine, it's fine. Rather, it's faster to consult Christy directly about these kinds of administrative matters."
Until now, the craftsmen, starting with Damian, had proceeded with work roughly in the workshop, but since Christy began managing the production schedule formally as a civil official, such things could be grasped more accurately.
"Yuri, will the territorial army be okay even if the production of normal arrows decreases?"
"No problem at all. Since the war ended, we've only used arrows for training and monster hunting for the past year."
"I see... Then, let's go with the two-month plan. Prioritize gathering the scatter-shot arrows."
"Understood. I will make adjustments accordingly."
"Man, it really helps having Christy around!"
The meeting for the future production plan concluded with Damian, the party actually doing the manufacturing, giving a carefree impression as if it were someone else's business, and everyone present couldn't help but smile wryly.
We have finally reached episode 150. Thank you very much for accompanying me this far.
The lives of Noein and the others will continue. Many big events and small daily occurrences will take place.
I would be happy if you continue to stay with us for a long time to come.[Author's Note]