Chapter 400 - Episode 383: Winter's Changes and Achievements
February of the year 223 by the royal calendar of the Kingdom of Roadberg, which is the fourth year of the Public Era.
Last year had been tumultuous, with the discovery of ruins and the dispatch of troops to the northern part of the continent, but fortunately, no major incidents occurred from winter onward, and Noein spent the turn of the year in peace within the Grand Duchy of Arqvist, his ideal utopia.
After passing through a quiet winter where social activities slowed down significantly as they did every year, reports were brought to Noein regarding the changes both domestic and foreign that had occurred during this winter.
On this day, the person Noein was meeting with in his office was Cecilia, the vice-captain of the Claymores. Matilda and Noein's close aide, Baronet Yuri Granat, were also present.
"I'm glad you were able to return early. Good work on your long expedition mission."
"Thank you very much. As a member of the Claymores, this is simply my duty."
As reinforcements for the Kingdom of Revelant, where the situation had not yet stabilized, a single platoon of Claymores from the Grand Duchy of Arqvist had been sent on a rotational basis to be stationed there. Noein first offered words of appreciation to her, who had just returned from a somewhat long stationing during the winter.
"Well then, shall I hear the report?"
"Yes. However, there have been no particularly major changes since before winter. First, regarding the progress of the annexation of the former Marquisate of Dale—"
Noein listened to Cecilia's concisely summarized report, while beside him, Matilda wrote down the contents of the report.
A large portion of Cecilia's report concerned the current state of the Kingdom of Revelant and the surrounding regions. That said, the content was peaceful.
The Kingdom of Revelant had suffered considerable damage in last year's war, but the damage sustained by the Kingdom of Virgoa and its vassal states was far greater, and furthermore, that coalition was in a state of collapse, so there was not a shred of sign that a re-invasion would occur.
The neighboring countries of the Kingdom of Revelant had not been in hostile relationships to begin with, so no country would attempt to attack the Kingdom of Revelant at this timing, after it had blocked Kaia Virgoa's path to hegemony and protected the peace of the region. If they did such a thing, that country's credibility would plummet.
Under such circumstances, with a single platoon of Claymores stationed there, there was even less chance that any country would try to interfere unnecessarily, and it was said that the Kingdom of Revelant was able to concentrate on post-war reconstruction.
Additionally, regarding the Marquisate of Dale, which had lost its entire ruling class, it was decided that the Kingdom of Revelant would incorporate it.
The people of the Marquisate of Dale had once had their men conscripted by the Kingdom of Virgoa, and a not-insignificant number were killed by the attacks of the Revelant royal army, but currently, it was said that most of the people were showing an attitude of submission to the kingdom.
The knights who had handled all decision-making until then were gone, and while they were at a loss because food had been requisitioned for the war, the Kingdom of Revelant extended a helping hand. They accepted the Revelant royal family, who gave them the means to survive the winter before them, as their new rulers.
"Also, the provision of crossbow manufacturing technology is starting to show results. Though in small numbers, Revelant-made crossbows are now being produced, so I believe the day when a crossbow unit of a certain scale is formed is near."
At the same time as stationing a single platoon of Claymores in the Kingdom of Revelant, the Grand Duchy of Arqvist also taught the kingdom the manufacturing technology for crossbows and provided ten actual units. Using a single platoon of infantry accompanying them as guards for the Claymores as instructors, they were training the Revelant soldiers in the method of operation.
The stationing of the Claymores in the kingdom would end within this year. For the Kingdom of Revelant to maintain its military power independently after that, the fastest and most certain method was to deploy a certain number of crossbows to raise the combat power of the conscripted soldiers.
"I see... everything seems to be going smoothly."
"Yes. It seems that entering winter shortly after the war, allowing them to focus slowly on internal affairs, actually worked out for the better. It is said that the start of potato cultivation also contributed somewhat to the stabilization of the situation... post-war reconstruction is firmly on track. I was asked by His Majesty Gabriel Revelant to convey his repeated gratitude to Your Excellency."
"Ahaha, I'll have to reply by letter saying that thanks aren't necessary... Cecilia, good work on the report. Please take a good rest for a while."
Noein offered words of appreciation once more, and after letting Cecilia leave the room, he turned toward Yuri.
"...With this, our connections to the northern part of the continent have become more rock-solid and substantial."
"Yeah. With the momentum of future reconstruction, the Kingdom of Revelant will certainly increase its presence in the northern part of the continent. We've gained the people of the Marquisate of Dale as a labor force, after all. On top of that, we gave them a great favor, and moreover, from that country's perspective, the Grand Duchy serves as the trade intermediary connecting them to the southern part of the continent. This friendly relationship will not crumble."
The Grand Duchy of Arqvist did not support the Kingdom of Revelant out of pure goodwill. They extended a helping hand anticipating profit, and thus were actually obtaining profit. Not only material profits such as resources sent as thanks, but also long-term political profits.
In the northern part of the continent, where stability was maintained by a delicate balance because the powers of small countries were evenly matched, and where that stability sometimes collapsed easily, the Grand Duchy of Arqvist had gained a firm connection with the Kingdom of Revelant, which had become a powerhouse standing a head above the rest.
In terms of connections to the northern part of the continent, the Grand Duchy of Arqvist now possessed power that did not fall behind the Kingdom of Roadberg or the Kingdom of Lancel. For a small country, this advantage was great both economically and politically.
Satisfied with the current state of maintaining a friendly relationship with the Kingdom of Revelant that yielded immense profits, Noein wore a gentle yet fearless smile.
.....
"—I see. It certainly seems that they've succeeded in downsizing while keeping the performance as it is."
Another day. While muttering this, Noein was looking at a prototype of a magic carriage made by the Grand Duchy of Arqvist, which used jet-black steel for the axles.
Beside Noein, Daphne, a magic item craftsman and one of the creators of this prototype, nodded.
"Yes. The production cost will increase somewhat, but with this, we can create magic carriages that are easy to use. There will be many situations where this is more convenient than always using a large carriage."
Due to the quality of magic paint in the southern part of the Adleon continent, until now, even if they tried to imitate the magic carriages of the Republic of Betumia, they could only make carriages for four horses or more, where the magic circuits were enlarged to allow sufficient magic power to pass, and the axles were enlarged accordingly.
However, if jet-black steel—which perhaps because it uses magic stones as a raw material, allows magic power to pass more easily than other metals—is used for the axles, downsizing becomes possible. The performance still cannot rival those made by Betumia, and care is required in its use so that the secret of the jet-black steel is not known outside the country, but the magic carriages made by the Grand Duchy of Arqvist will evolve another step further with this.
"It's a sufficient result. Daphne, Damian, you both did well."
When Noein praised them, Daphne smiled while saying "I am humbled," and Damian, who had been operating the prototype carriage himself, scratched his head while laughing bashfully.
"How is the verification regarding other uses?"
"Regarding that... first, as for golems, I suppose it's a case of 'theoretically possible, but practical utility is low'."
Of the two asked, Daphne answered.
"With the magic conductivity of jet-black steel, if we carve magic circuits of the same size as those ceremonial golems, I believe we could achieve enough power to move the entire body. However, if we do that..."
"...Considering the amount of magic power, I'm probably the only one who could move it. And since the weight increases compared to wood, the operating time would be even shorter than the current ceremonial golems."
Seeing Daphne's subtle expression, Noein also spoke with a faint bitter smile.
"And the production cost would be outrageous!"
"That's right. If we make a golem of that size entirely out of jet-black steel, it would require costs that must be called expensive even with Your Excellency's financial power. If we ask whether there is a profit commensurate with spending that much money..."
Beside the energetically speaking Damian, Daphne's expression became even more grim.
"Ahaha, there probably isn't. Giant golems are strictly for showing at ceremonies, and even if we were to deploy them in actual combat, it would be sufficient to at most apply additional armor to the current wooden ones. Rather than investing a massive amount of jet-black steel and manpower into golems, it's absolutely better to divert it to the production of soldiers' armor."
Golems were merely magic items, replaceable weapons. If they were ceremonial golems with already low practical utility and an extremely low possibility of being taken on expeditions, it would suffice to at least prepare spare parts. There was almost no meaning in spending an exorbitant cost to create a golem of full jet-black steel whose already short operating time would be further reduced.
"Therefore, I believe that for the utilization of jet-black steel regarding golems, simply producing additional armor for charging shields or weak points like the back would be sufficient."
"That's true. I'll leave it to you two to proceed in that direction."
"Understood!"
"I'll consult with Christy-san regarding the budget and put together a concrete plan."
At Noein's instruction, Damian and Daphne nodded and said so.
"Oh right, what about weapons made with jet-black steel as the material?"
When Noein asked, remembering suddenly, Daphne's expression became subtle again, while Damian's expression, conversely, became even brighter.
"We can make things with wonderful performance! Swords, spear tips, battle axes—the quality will be top-grade! They look great too!"
"...Regarding quality, it is as Damian-san says. If we use jet-black steel, we can make weapons that should be called masterpieces. However... here too, there is the problem of cost-effectiveness."
According to Daphne, while swords, spears, and axes made of jet-black steel certainly finished with wonderful quality, she questioned whether there were advantages beyond the appearance even if the weapons for all soldiers were equipped with jet-black steel.
"Well, that's true... no matter how good a magic metal jet-black steel is, it's not as if it can slice or pierce through iron just by being swung by human strength."
"Yes. Since the way of fighting—'aiming for vital points by sewing through the gaps in the enemy's armor'—does not change even with weapons using jet-black steel, I believe it is better to keep the manufacturing unit price down and increase the number of weapons made of ordinary metal. If there is an advantage to using jet-black steel... perhaps preparing a small number as arrows for crossbows or ballistas to be used when facing monsters with bodies so hard that ordinary weapons cannot cope."
"Ah, that might be an option."
In the previous wyvern subjugation, setting aside the ballista, the crossbows were not effective unless they aimed for vital points like the eyeballs. If there had been jet-black steel arrows at that time, they would have passed through the crossbow even in areas with thin defense like the wyvern's belly, and with a ballista, they could have pierced deeply even through the back.
"Alright, although the occasions for use might be few, let's prepare jet-black steel arrows. But the priority will be low; first, as expected, let's prioritize the soldiers' armor. Also... regarding weapons, the Grand Duchy army won't manufacture them, but I'll allow individual soldiers to request them from Damian at their own expense. Especially the martial nobles and retainers, they'll want to equip masterpieces for the sake of their own dignity."
When Noein spoke, Damian, for whom the path to making jet-black steel weapons remained open, beamed with joy. While smiling bitterly at his innocence, Noein offered words of encouragement to the two once more and left the workshop's experimental grounds.
"...With this, the long-term utilization plan for jet-black steel has also reached a stopping point. Everything is going smoothly, Matilda."
"Yes, Noein-sama."
Since the dispatch of troops last year, he had been able to spend gentle days focusing on internal affairs like this, and Noein was satisfied with the current situation.
A few days later, an event occurred that threatened that peace.