Chapter 22
Akion’s assignment from the Saint was as follows.
“The Evil-Slaying Light I used─.”
“Let’s call it the Holy Ray Irradiation Device.”
“Wouldn’t that be too long? And a little stiff─.”
“Holy ray. Irradiation. Device.”
“Ah, I understand, so please back up a little…!”
The flashlight with which she had fired that devastating holy beam.
She wanted it slightly enlarged so that holy knights could use it while wearing it on their heads or shoulders.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Saint Akion. I’m involved in developing the Evil-Slaying Light─.”
“It’s been renamed the Holy Ray Irradiation Device. By order of the Saint.”
“Mmm. If that’s the Saint’s wish….”
The fuel was the holy knights’ divine power.
According to the Saint, the flashlight had absorbed holy power on its own, so there would be no problem with its fuel supply.
Next came ease of use.
- Clang!
“Oh dear… It fell off again.”
“It’s difficult to secure, too, since it moves so violently.”
When mounted on the shoulder, it shook too much and fell off whenever its wearer swung a sword or halberd.
But the glue or cords available in this era were far too unstable.
The flashlight’s head shook this way and that whenever its wearer moved.
“Then let’s put it on the head.”
“The head? Surely you don’t mean putting this inside the holy knights’ skulls?!”
“Their helmets, helmets! I mean we should modify it into a headlamp!”
So they decided to put it in a helmet.
More precisely, they decided to mount it on top of the head.
“Oh-ho. After making a cylindrical hole like this….”
“And securing it tightly with this thing called a thread! Oh-ho, fascinating! Truly fascinating!”
They made a cylindrical frame to hold the flashlight and secured it to the helmet through a groove drilled into it.
They made the groove in the helmet with a power screwdriver, then fastened the frame to the helmet using a method similar to riveting.
The researchers from the main headquarters, all of them former clergy, had been watching the process.
Their eyes sparkling, they asked,
“What is this thing that pierces even metal with this racket?”
“Ah, it’s a power screwdriver. It’s a tool we mainly use in our workshop.”
Since existing helmets could not be modified at all, the accepted rule of the era was that whenever something needed to be changed, an entirely new helmet had to be made.
Yet the genius alchemist who had been called incompetent only at the beginning of last year had effortlessly drilled holes in the helmet, created rivets and threads, and attached the flashlight in no time.
- Vroom! Vrooom!
“It’s not heavy at all…! Good heavens!”
Even though the small incandescent bulbs ordered from Akion’s workshop had not arrived yet, it was incredibly light for a holy knight.
“W-what is this?!”
“The light!!!”
And once again, the researchers were astonished by the science performed by Akion’s hands.
“The light is bending?!”
To focus the incandescent bulb’s light for use in the flashlight, Akion showed them the principle of a convex lens.
“You know eyeglasses. They use a similar principle to this….”
But eyeglasses existed here too. That was why he could borrow a lens and show it to them.
Akion found it difficult to understand why the researchers were making such a fuss.
“We never even thought about the principle by which we see objects! Who would know that sunlight created by the Heavenly Lord was reflected off objects and entered our eyes!!”
“And we just wear glasses because they work!!”
“Ah….”
It turned out to be what programmers called, ‘Why does this work?’
Akion understood at once. After all, wasn’t he operating engineering products with mana instead of electricity himself?
Even though he did not understand how mana replaced electricity.
“Then shall we first supply it to a squad of holy knights? Assembly is easy, so we should start with the helmet modifications, which will take longer….”
“I know just the knight order! Wait here!”
Anyway, once the incandescent bulbs arrived, all they had to do was mount them behind the lenses and attach them.
The groundwork required considerable effort, so Akion and the researchers at the main headquarters stayed up all night.
*
About a month passed like that,
- Tramp, tramp.
In a remote part of the empire.
“Krrk, krrrk.”
A group of green-skinned creatures was crossing the forest.
“Krrk, krrrk!’
Their apparent leader was a six-meter-tall ogre.
A few weeks earlier, it had nearly been subjugated by the territorial army within its domain.
But it had used the ogre’s characteristic rapid recovery to heal completely.
And despite its low intelligence, it had sharpened its thirst for revenge….
“Kwooooooaar!!!”
“Keryaaaaaak!”
“Kyakkyakkyak!!”
After subjugating the countless monsters living in the forest and making them its minions, it decided to invade the territory.
“Khu, khu.”
Even now, monsters filled every place within the ogre’s sight.
Perhaps it was because even the master of the forest had been forced to submit; countless creatures had come crawling in of their own accord.
“Khu-huhuhu, kwaaaaaaah─!!!”
With this many monsters… it could slaughter the human bastards who had dared to harm it.
“Kwoooaar!!!”
“Kyakkyakkyak!!”
“Gwooooh!”
Thus, at sunset, the ogre ordered more than three thousand monsters to advance.
Goblins, orcs, kobolds, cockatrices, venom snakes, and more….
It was an army large enough to make any adventurer shout, ‘We’re doomed!!’ and take their own life.
“As expected. The intelligence was right—the minions of evil are stirring.”
“Krrk?”
Yet there was a group of humans who did not retreat even after seeing them.
There were roughly a hundred of them.
And behind them stood a female human who looked like their commander.
“Khu-fuh-fuh-fuh….”
The ogre could count that many. It soon sneered at how few they were.
Even if they fought better than orcs, overcoming such a numerical disadvantage would be difficult.
And above all… the ogre coveted the woman behind them.
“Kwoooooar!!”
Swept up by the urge to take her, it ordered another advance.
“Kyararak!!”
“Huff, huff!”
- Thud thud thud!!
And the hundred knights standing in the darkness
stared at the charging monsters without saying a word.
“Their train of thought is so short that they probably won’t even assess our strength properly.”
The Saint had suffered a partial failure during her last sortie.
And to make up for it, she had even provided direct support for this operation.
Of course, most of the clergy, including the Pope, had opposed it….
“AHAHAHA!! You stuuuuupid baaaastards!!”
“S-Saint?”
After confirming the power of the Holy Ray Irradiation Device Akion had made, the Saint became certain.
“This device made by Saint Akion!! It is the crystallization of the pinnacle of human intelligence and our pride!!”
“Saint, you’re too excited. Please calm yourself first….”
With this alone, they could annihilate every monster vulnerable to holy power!!!
The Saint grew increasingly excited at the chance to avenge what had happened to her at the hands of the vampires.
- Kiiiiiing!!!
“Eat this!!! A new anti-monster weapon!”
“Kyaak?”
The Saint picked up the large flashlight she had brought.
- Click!
- Ziiiiiing─!!!
And shone it at the goblins charging at the very front.
And then,
“Holy Ray Irradiation Deviceee─!!”
“Kyaaaaargh?!!!”
Day returned to the forest once again,
- Rat-a-tat-tat!
- Fwoosh! Sizzleeee!!
“Eeeeeeeek!!!”
“A-hahahahahahaha~!!”
The monsters all began burning beneath the holy rays pouring from the irradiation device.
“You demonic scraps!! Trash without even parents because the demons disappeared!!”
“S-Saint! Please watch what you say!”
One rational holy knight tried to calm the Saint down, but
“Hahaha!! You look just like your parents boiling in hellfire!!!”
“Of course, those parents were demons, you demonic one-night mistakes!!”
“Good heavens.”
The other knights had gone completely mad after seeing the device’s effectiveness and went berserk, so that knight’s wish was not fulfilled.
- Grab!
“Kryaak….”
“Hm?”
Something had seized the knight by the ankle.
“Eek, kryak….”
“You’re… a goblin?”
It was a goblin whose entire body had been burned by the irradiation device and which had crawled over on all fours.
But perhaps because it had been burned less, tears still pooled in its remaining eye.
“Krrk, kuk….”
- Drip, drip.
It looked as though it were begging the holy knight to spare its life.
Seeing that, the holy knight
- Click, whoosh!
- Fwoosh!
“Kyaaaaargh!!!!”
“Take that filthy hand off me, you demonic scrap.”
had lost all reason, just like the others.
How dare a monster ask for sympathy?
- Fwoosh! Crackle crackle…!
- Thud thud thud!
“W-wrooo….”
And the ogre, which had been watching all of this,
“Kill them all!!!”
“Prove your innocence through the flames, monster!!!”
“Hahahaha!! Die! I said die!!”
- Slash!
- Bubbling…!
- Sizzleeee!!
began backing away as it watched the holy knights carry out their sacred battle.
- Thud!
“Wok?!”
Then it accidentally collided with a tree and made a loud noise.
- Swish swish swish!!
- Sizzle!
“Gwooo?!”
Perhaps that was the price it had to pay.
The Holy Ray Irradiation Devices began turning toward the ogre one after another, burning its skin.
“Come to think of it… that fellow gave me a lecherous smile while looking at me.”
“Oh-ho, perhaps he lusted after the Saint’s exquisite appearance.”
“If that’s the case….”
- Kiiiiiing!!
- Sizzle!
“Gweeeek?!”
The output of the Holy Ray Irradiation Devices increased, and they began burning the ogre’s skin even more fiercely.
From the ogre’s perspective, it could no longer hold out against those lunatics!
Realizing this, the ogre turned and began fleeing in a hurry.
“Burn off all his limbs─!!!”
“Burn everything but his head, then offer the head of the one who died in agony, his face contorted, to the Heavenly Lord!!”
“God wills itttt─!!!”
“Gwooooh! Gwoooh!!”
The ogre’s mournful cries rang throughout the forest.
*
“Hmph, I’m mad at you, Young Master.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I said I was sorry.”
“I’m hurt too. I carved out and carved out time for you and finally managed to make a holiday….”
“Uhh… Then shall we have a one-on-one tutoring session sometime soon?”
Akion was diligently soothing Goldie and the Tower Master, who had been unable to go on their date in the capital.
“One-on-one tutoring…? Oh-ho, that is an intriguing proposal.”
“Huh?! No, Young Master! Then the Tower Master will eat you up in more ways than one─ Waaah!! Don’t pinch Goldie’s cheeks pleeeaseee─!”
“Mind your words first.”
Of course, Goldie had once again spoken without filtering herself, and the Tower Master was stretching her cheeks longer and longer.
- Whirr whirr~
“Good thing I developed this in advance.”
A ceiling fan was spinning round and round above the leisurely Akion.
Spring had arrived quickly as the weather warmed.
The household attendants opened the windows they had kept firmly shut and turned on the ceiling fans to ventilate the mansion.
A slightly chilly but refreshing breeze brushed past Akion’s cheeks.
“It’s nice and peaceful.”
“Goldie’s cheeks aren’t peaceful at alllll~!!”
“Isn’t that the fruit of your own karma? Accept it sweetly.”
Researching while holed up in the workshop was nice, but taking time like this to air out his mind and body was an important matter.
As Goldie had said, he was taking it easy.
The bathhouse business was not urgently time-sensitive, either.
More importantly, with so many mages available, they could finish by summer even if they delayed it a little.
‘Should I take Goldie and the Tower Master to Ridasid tomorrow? I hear the street-stall district has gotten a bit bigger at night.’
Then there was no need to hurry.
Akion was planning an itinerary that would delight Goldie and the Tower Master when….
- Bang!
“Y-Young Master! It’s a big problem─!”
“Oh, please.”
Had saying it was peaceful raised a flag?
An attendant had barged into Akion’s room again.
“What is it this time… Please leave me alone. Please….”
“Oh dear. Akion has shriveled up.”
“We’ve really worked Young Master hard, haven’t we~!”
Akion hoped it would be something as peaceful as last time—just develop something and return home.
At least it would not make his name known far and wide.
Traveling back and forth was still difficult, though. Anyway.
“The head butler also ordered us to bring Young Master out immediately!! It’s a real emergency!”
“It can’t be… The old head butler must be making a fuss….”
“Please get up! A letter has come from the imperial familyyy!!”
“Fuck, from where?!!”
It was important enough to make even the shriveled Akion spring to his feet.
“The chief lady-in-waiting of Her Highness the Seventh Princess is here! She wants you to make something for her…!”
- Grrrgl!
“Y-Young Maaaster?!”
“Oh no, Akion! Breathe, breathe!!”
At the heart of the great Khalid Empire stood the imperial family, where beings bearing dragon blood and descendants of heroes gathered.
One member of that imperial family had sent Akion a request.