After eliminating the Solemne Army that had occupied Denebulate, I moved the 2nd and 3rd Squadrons of the Order and the 4th Squadron of the Saber to Lichtenfels.
It’s troublesome that we have to go through Alka every time, but it’s convenient because we can travel long distances in a short amount of time.
However, pre-preparation such as registration with the Gate Crystal is required, so I might need to seriously try to learn Traveling.
When I returned from Lichtenfels, Emperor Reinhardt and Hilde had just finished their meeting with Urs, the Dwarf councilor and mayor of Denebulate. The march towards Solemne began immediately.
The 4th and 5th Squadrons of the Order and the 5th Squadron of the Saber were left behind in Denebulate to maintain vigilance.
It’s fine for them to be used for maintaining public order and reconstruction support, but in terms of military matters, Mayor Urs cannot use them as he pleases, as the 4th Squadron’s First Order is in charge.
It wouldn’t do if they were dispatched to a nearby bridge city without permission.
Well, their main mission is to guard against Solemne, who are nesting in other bridge cities, so they will fight if they approach.
Oh, it seems that the bridge cities of Libertà elect their mayors.
A General Governor is selected from among those mayors, so if the General Governor retires, the mayor also retires.
The term for General Governor is five years, and in recent decades, they have retired on average after three years. However, since the mayors of many bridge cities are hereditary positions held by several families, they are almost like nobles.
The Allied Forces, which had safely crossed the border and entered Solemne, engaged and defeated the occupying forces in Barbarossa, the easternmost city of Solemne, and then proceeded along the coast.
Barbarossa seemed to have not anticipated any invasion from Libertà, and the occupying forces were not particularly strong. Worse, they had been acting with impunity, which was problematic.
As planned, the hunters and Sabers from Torencia also fought, but because the opponents were too weak, the battles were one-sided, resulting in no sacrifices on our side.
The occupying forces were annihilated without giving them time to escape, so the deterioration of public order in Barbarossa is a concern. However, since Solemne declared war, they should handle it themselves.
I have already informed the governor of Barbarossa about this, and within a few days, the invasion of Solemne by the Allied Forces will be known in Deseo, and the remaining Steam Battleships will likely be dispatched.
In fact, that’s the objective, so it would be problematic if they weren’t sent.
We continued through the wilderness of Solemne for another three hours and decided to make camp here for the night.
Torencia prepared food, but there are limits, and if it’s not enough, we have to pay out of our own pockets. So, regardless of whether they are from the Order, Saber, or Hunters, everyone has prepared a large amount.
The reason Torencia took time with their preparations was not so much for the Sabers and Hunters, but for the complexity of preparing the meals.
We couldn’t just rely on Torencia, so Amister naturally also prepared meals and even rare ingredients, which were distributed per Beast Carriage.
Today is the first day of the march, and we also succeeded in liberating Denebulate, so a small amount of alcohol is permitted.
A very small amount, about one cup.
“I heard from Certina, but you really are a child.”
“But he’s Ancient Human and level 80+, so if you’re fooled by his appearance, you won’t have enough lives.”
As I was eating while keeping watch on the deck, three hunters approached from a Beast Carriage lent to the Torencia Alliance.
One of them was Certina, but the other two were unfamiliar.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Yamato. Many other hunters wanted to talk to you, but I thought it would be rude to intrude during mealtime, so I compromised by bringing these two!”
“I am Cole Celestal. As you can see, I am a Dragonewt and a disciple of Certina.”
“I am Shran Celestal. I am the daughter of Certina Celestal and a great-aunt of Emperor Hildegard. Cole is my husband. Ah, it may be confusing, but I am a Human-half Lamia.”
So, Certina’s daughter and son-in-law appear.
And Human-half Lamia, what a rare race.
Although like Half-Undine, even with transformation magic, their legs don’t turn into tails, they still have scales on their legs, and their facial features inherit the characteristics of their race.
Incidentally, Shran’s older brother married Hilde’s grandmother.
“Nice to meet you. I am Yamato Hydrangea Mikami. You are both P-rank hunters, correct?”
“We are, for now. We aim to surpass our mother, but we are still far from it.”
Due to the change in the ranking system, Certina is now an M-rank Hunter.
She had suffered severe injuries, losing all four limbs along with her familiar, Friezas Tiger Ku-ra-ru, during the Slume Lord’s attack. However, Sayuri, upon hearing about it, went to Krater and healed both Ku-ra-ru and her lost limbs.
It was apparently difficult to use Reviving on a familiar, as I heard she slept for a whole day.
Reviving is a healing magic that only O-rank Healers can use, and since Sayuri is the only O-rank Healer, there’s nothing that can be done about it.
Even Mako, who is currently an A-rank Healer, said that the path to becoming an O-rank Healer is arduous.
“I assume you’ve heard, but the hunters of Torencia, while recognizing the usefulness of Flying, hadn’t grasped the utility of Scaffolding. I apologize for not acknowledging it promptly.”
“No, I wasn’t the one who submitted the proposal for Scaffolding. But it can’t be helped. I also confirmed the text at the Priests’ Guild, and the explanation was unhelpful.”
The explanation for Scaffolding only stated that it creates a pseudo-footing with magical power.
Even Prim and the others who were with me said they understood after hearing Mako’s explanation, so it’s understandable that the hunters of Torencia, who knew nothing about it, would deem it incomprehensible.
Well, even if it was incomprehensible, I wish they had at least tried to use it once.
“Many people thought it was useless magic without ever trying it. We were similar, only using it on snowy ground with poor footing.”
Using it on snow means they considered it an extension of the ground.
Certainly, that is one way to use it, but if even P-rank Hunter Cole couldn’t think of anything more, was it the same for Libertà?
Torencia has perpetual snow, and Libertà is called the country of rivers, so there might be many wetlands, which could be a reason.
“That’s a possibility. Because that kind of usage spread, other applications were not considered.”
“It all depends on how you use any magic, and I believe that by changing your perspective, you can even develop Unique Magic.”
We can easily level up, and one of the reasons for this is the use of Unique Magic.
Unique Magic is magic that an individual creates by combining elemental magic and Divine Magic in a way that is easy for them to use.
Of course, it can be taught to others, but since Unique Magic can be a trump card, very few people do so.
Due to its nature, developing Unique Magic requires precise control over one’s magical power. Therefore, there is a significant difference in magical power control between those who develop Unique Magic and those who do not, which is believed to be reflected in their levels.
Based on Cole and Shran’s accounts, it seems that not only in Torencia, but among the hunters of the Helios Orb, few people understand the importance of Unique Magic.
The hunters of the Amister Alliance quickly leveled up after I taught them a few tricks, so the general idea seems to be correct.
Also, for those of High Class and above, metals other than Divine Metal degrade quickly and become unusable. I theorized that they unconsciously restrict their magical power when using Unique Magic, resulting in slower leveling, and this was proven with the development of Jade Silver, Blue-Gray Iron, and Lapis Lazuli.
“I believe so. Fortunately, all those mobilized this time are High Class, so they all use Unique Magic to some extent. Their weapons are made of Magic Silver and Adamantine Steel, so they can’t be as effective as Amister’s hunters, but eventually, more people will level up.”
Ah, come to think of it, although the talk of alloys has spread in Torencia, it hasn’t permeated due to the timing.
There’s no problem with Magic Silver because of the Guardian Mithril Colossus in the Instant Labyrinth, and there should be a decent stock of Adamantine Steel and Crystal Silver.
Perhaps I should ask Ed… no, there are Crafters in other Unions, and it would be problematic to make this decision solely on my own.
I’ll confirm with Emperor Reinhardt later.
“Huh? So, Cole and Shran, you don’t use alloys?”
“Shran uses Jade Silver, but I’m still using Adamantine Steel. Certina is also lenient with her daughter.”
“I’m grateful for that. That’s why I want to get Cole’s weapon sorted out quickly, but since that couldn’t be done before joining the war, I had no choice but to bring a lot of weapons.”
Yeah, that’s not good at all.
I don’t know how many she prepared, but hunters were commissioned to participate in the war just over a week ago. Preparing weapons from scratch within that timeframe might mean Torencia’s metal supply is insufficient.
Torencia has Magic Silver mines, but in winter, the heavy snow makes mining impossible, and they rely on imports from Amister. They don’t even have Adamantine Steel mines.
And since Saber also needs it, it’s a level where one might genuinely worry about Torencia’s stockpiles of Magic Silver and Adamantine Steel depleting.
“Yamato! Wait, aren’t you His Highness Maruca?”
While I was thinking about such things, His Highness Maruca emerged from the Mirror Room, accompanied by Lucas and Lyra.
It seems she has business with me, is something the matter?
“It’s been a while, Your Highness Maruca.”
“It’s been a while. How was the ride in the Beast Carriage?”
“It’s comfortable. I was assigned a VIP room, so perhaps that makes it even more so.”
Indeed, the second prototype vehicle has two VIP rooms.
“I’m glad to hear that. I’ve ridden it myself, and it has many useful features for long-distance travel.”
“I agree. Cole and Shran were also assigned VIP rooms as my assistants.”
There are two VIP rooms. One is for Certina, and the other is for Cole and Shran.
Well, considering their strength, it’s natural.
Our sleeping quarters are locked with a locking mechanism, so I apologize if they are a bit cramped.
“That’s true, but the guest rooms are also well-received. They particularly praised the beds, saying they were extremely comfortable.”
That’s good to hear.
The guest rooms in the second prototype vehicle have 50 rooms, each 6 square meters.
There are 42 Torencia Hunters, and since Certina, Cole, and Shran are using the VIP rooms, the remaining 39 people are using the 50 rooms.
Given that many are couples or partners, they must have connected rooms by operating the partitions.
“Those beds must be the reason.”
By the way, Your Highness Maruca, didn’t you have some business with me?
“Ah, that’s right. Rai is calling for you. I’ll take over your watch, so can you go immediately?”
“I understand that, but will Your Highness Maruca be taking watch?”
“Yes, but is there a problem?”
“Even with guards, the Queen taking watch is a problem in itself.”
Certina, who gave a wry smile, fully agreed.
As proof, Lucas and Lyra also wore wry smiles.
“Understood. Well then, Certina, Cole, Shran. I’m sorry to interrupt our conversation, but…”
“It’s fine.”
It’s the first day of the march, and there will be other opportunities to talk, so after promising to continue later, I descended into the Mirror Room.
The reason Emperor Reinhardt summoned me was about the weapon issue on the Torencia side, so I thought it was timely.
Hilde had also intended to bring it up during dinner tonight, so it seems my being assigned to watch duty was the problem.
As I predicted, Torencia’s Magic Silver and Adamantine Steel reserves are indeed in a precarious state, and it’s possible they might not last until spring.
Therefore, at Hilde’s plea, Emperor Reinhardt decided to prepare alloy weapons.
Normally, this would be considered an import, but it’s wartime, and more importantly, Torencia has already suffered damage. For these reasons, it was decided that Amister would provide the Magic Silver and Crystal Silver for the alloys, while Torencia would bear the cost of the Adamantine Steel.
Since there are many people involved, the designs will be uniform, but they will produce all commonly available weapons such as swords, spears, axes, and sickles, keeping Ed and the others extremely busy.
The Amister Alliance has many Crafters, and the Beast Carriages of Lily Wish and Gracious Lynx are equipped with workshops, just like ours, so there will be no disruption to their work even while traveling.
There’s also the last resort of sending them to the Crafting Hall in Alka.
First, we will proceed with the refining of Jade Silver and Blue-Gray Iron. Ancient Crafter Me, Ludia, and High Crafters Flam, Ed, Marina, Fiana, and Sayuri will all be involved in preparing them, and they will be explained to the Crafters belonging to Amister first thing tomorrow morning to request their production.
Sales will follow, but since a situation where it’s first come, first served would be problematic, we will ensure secrecy until a certain quantity is produced.
Incidentally, Sabers will be provided by the state. However, Hunters will continue to use them in the future. The sales price at Amister will be applied, and traders will handle the sales.
The revenue will be split between the involved Crafters and Traders at a 7:3 ratio.
The larger proportion for Crafters is because they are the ones actually doing the work, and since it’s a direct sale, the Traders have no procurement overhead, which is also taken into account.
Well then, after dinner, I’ll dedicate myself to refining Jade Silver and Blue-Gray Iron until bedtime.
