Preparing for Departure

Ferda officially announced to all the nobles of the Far East that he would be going to provide support as an official member of the Empire.

-You set the troop strength at 500—100 knights and 400 regular infantry. Are you really going with these numbers?

Count Consilus, one of Ferda’s closest aides, asked.

Ferda sensed the concern in his voice and asked him,

“Is it too small after all?”

-The Empire will openly show its displeasure. There should be at least 30 soldiers for every knight, so they’ll ask why there are only four infantrymen per knight…….

“That’s because our army has characteristics they can’t see. If we prove that a force of this size is superior to an army of tens of thousands, what can they say?”

-That is true as well.

Consilus voiced his concerns, but he did not press the matter.

Ferda was someone he trusted.

-Then I’ll simply tell them for now that we intend to send 100 knights. Rather than give them an opportunity to nitpick in advance by mentioning the total of 500, you can prove it through the course of the battle.

“Do that.”

-I’ll recruit the knights myself.

Consilus was put in charge of recruiting the 100 knights who would form the front line, while Ferda began recruiting regular infantry from Hestia Village.

Surprisingly, Penelope took charge of that task.

“You, a member of Hestia! You, who have walked the path dreaming of success! And you, who now have the chance to seize success! Grand Duke Valdrova needs you! Enlist right now!”

She shouted like a clown in the town square as she recruited volunteers.

Her distinctive, boisterous manner of speaking made Ferda wonder whether it would actually work, but unexpectedly, many people gathered.

“Perhaps because she’s appealing to people who want success and lowering the barrier to enlistment, she’s getting results.”

“Hmm…….”

Why was that?

She was doing something good for the town, but the more good she did, the less Ferda liked it.

In any case, all the soldiers who enlisted were trained by William.

William had officially become a knight, and he now bore the title of the Far East’s Guardian Knight rather than captain of the guard.

As their training commander, he repeatedly drilled them in tactics, making them capable of pulling their weight in a short time.

‘The departure is three weeks from now.’

Mastering the drills through repetition was only slightly more difficult than wielding a spear, but its effectiveness was many times greater, so by the time they departed, the soldiers would be capable of pulling their own weight.

“Oh, right.”

Isabella said,

“There’s someone who wants to meet Ferda-nim. You’ll be surprised when you hear who it is.”

Isabella told him the man’s name, and Ferda was surprised exactly as she had said he would be.

“Where is he?”

“He’s sitting and waiting in the town hall’s conference room.”

When he headed to the town hall at her words, a man was standing quietly inside.

He was standing because no chair could support his weight, and his attire made that understandable.

What covered his body could easily be called a fortress.

The Moving Fortress, Alberto.

This man was so heavy that he could not even climb to the second floor, so they had to meet on the ground floor.

‘I’d heard he was staying here without leaving the village…….’

He had somehow become the new Armored Knight, replacing the armored knight who had suddenly vanished without a trace.

However, he did not help with any of the village’s construction work.

He had created his own territory in a corner of the stable and simply stayed there, coiled up.

Ferda had never seen him eat or drink anything.

Recently, a chicken had apparently begun circling him, and rumors had even begun circulating that it was the pet chicken he was raising.

The fact that this motionless man had relaxed his stance and requested an audience with Ferda gave Ferda a fresh impression of him.

Given the timing, Ferda could guess at his purpose.

“I wonder why you said you wanted to see me.”

“I heard you were going to fight the demons.”

He spoke in a heavy voice.

“What is your purpose?”

“To kill demons. Nothing more.”

No further explanation was necessary.

“Alberto, the Moving Fortress. You are a free spirit.”

Ferda asked politely,

“It is difficult for me to understand why you, a free spirit and an agent of justice who moves to kill demons, have come to me to say that you’re going to kill demons.”

Whenever he set out to kill demons, he usually simply vanished.

There had been no reason for him to explain himself to Ferda like this.

Ferda even wondered whether he had somehow noticed the existence of King Heinkel’s magic.

“Gokma.”

Alberto summed it up in a single word and offered it first.

“I set out to kill him, but Gokma has magic.”

“He possesses spatial magic that allows him to cross the continent.”

“Even if I had the power to smash the skulls of all demons, I could not surpass the power of magic.”

Ferda understood what Alberto wanted.

“In short, you’re interested in magitech.”

“Yes.”

“But magitech is Hestia’s property. You can’t use it unless you’re a member of Hestia.”

“Would becoming a knight be enough?”

His willingness to agree so readily made Ferda feel even more uncomfortable.

Ferda continued with his questions.

“Would that make you swear loyalty to me?”

“I thought you didn’t want my loyalty?”

“That’s right. All I need is for us to pursue a common goal.”

From the beginning, Ferda had neither wanted to obtain this man’s loyalty nor been confident that he could obtain it.

Even when he had first offered Alberto a knighthood, Ferda had done so on the pretext of asking him to watch over him.

“That reminds me, where did your mission to kill demons come from?”

He answered,

“Why do you think we breathe?”

“To live.”

“It’s the same. It’s something we have no choice but to do even if we don’t want to, something we have no choice but to do even without being conscious of it.”

“If the things that need killing keep increasing, there could be nothing better.”

“Don’t speak so carelessly, Regent.”

He warned him in a low voice.

“Even without a mission to serve humanity or the continent, I am not a murderous maniac who desires chaos.”

“Sorry for provoking you.”

Ferda needed to look into what he was truly thinking, even if only a little.

“Once we eliminate our common enemy, what do you plan to do afterward? Wouldn’t that be the same as stopping breathing?”

“If you stop breathing, it is impossible to remain alive.”

He meant that he would ultimately die.

“I’m tired of this questioning. I’d like to stop. Is there anything else?”

“Nothing.”

Ferda rose from his seat.

“Since you likely don’t enjoy making a spectacle of yourself all over town, I’ll hold a simple investiture ceremony. Can you spare me some time before then?”

“What kind of time?”

“Shouldn’t I show magitech to someone interested in it?”

Ferda also needed to confirm whether he was truly interested in magitech.

Ferda decided to take him to Burnell.

* * *

Valdrova Castle, Research Wing.

The wing was known for its constant research and development, as well as the endless explosions and screams that rang out there.

“Welcome, Regent. And the person beside you is……?”

“This is Alberto. He’s the man known as the Moving Fortress.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Burnell seemed to take him for some sort of important person.

At the same time, he clearly disliked the outsider’s presence.

The nobles who had met Burnell always tried to assert their status and gain the upper hand.

That distaste had been intensified by Ureas.

Ferda glanced up at Burnell’s head and said,

“You’ve lost a lot more hair than before.”

“The good news is that I’m not the only one. To pass the Malcom Standard, one must endure this kind of pain.”

“The Malcom Standard?”

“It’s a shortened form of ‘Malcom Intelligence Standard.’”

That was why screams never ceased in the castle.

Malcom of Peach Hill.

The mysterious country bumpkin whose reason for becoming an Imperial knight had been revealed, yet who remained a mystery.

He was now the nightmare of every researcher.

The only thing that idiot had done while sitting in the position of a knight was test and operate weapons.

Since almost every magitech weapon had to meet the standard of being usable by Malcom, the researchers faced nothing short of a Wall of Lamentation.

It had to pack serious firepower while having a simple structure, and it had to be something that first-time users could master without taking too long.

Their efforts to achieve that ideal were burning away their hair at the roots.

Of course, Ferda did not pity Burnell as he suffered.

Future Burnell had already gone bald, but for now, he still had a fairly full head of hair.

“It’s our ambitious project, the result of constantly improving the magitech rifle. To reduce reload time, refined magic stones are loaded and swapped in the form of magazines, while the magic circle’s power is also drawn from the magazine so the weapon can fire immediately.”

Recalling what he had read in the report, Ferda realized that they were working not only to improve performance but also to reduce production costs and simplify the manufacturing process.

Ferda looked down at the improved rifle.

Unlike the initial model, which had things dangling all over it, this one had a simple appearance and even featured a proper design.

“May I try it?”

“Of course.”

Burnell was full of confidence, and he had every reason to be.

The question of whether it would really fire was rendered meaningless when Ferda attached the magazine and pulled the trigger. With a sharp report, a blue streak flew forward.

The magic stone in a single magazine could fire 30 mana bullets, and changing it was simple as well: he merely pressed the latch to detach it and then attached it again.

‘Humans capable of firing thirty mana bullets…….’

Even Ferda himself found the result unbelievable.

If one person carried six magazines, then in theory, a single commoner could perform the role of 36 First-Circle mages.

The magic stones created by filtering and condensing water polluted by demonic energy continued to pile up in the warehouse, so there was also an ample energy source.

Ferda wore a satisfied expression, then glanced to the side.

Alberto was quietly looking down at the weapon.

“Would you like to try it?”

“…….”

Alberto stared at the weapon for a moment, then picked up the rifle with his massive hand.

He shouldered it and took aim even more skillfully than Ferda.

Papapapang!

His aim was equally impressive; he struck the exact center of the target several times in a row.

The researchers watching could not help but marvel at his skill.

But Alberto soon seemed to lose interest, placed the rifle on the table, and said,

“It’s weak. And light.”

“Th-this isn’t exactly weak…… And it isn’t particularly light, even among ordinary people…….”

Burnell muttered without seeming to realize that his life was precious.

But he must have felt Alberto’s gaze through the helmet, because he soon fell silent.

“The efficiency of tactical infantry keeps improving by the day. Is there anything else worth introducing?”

“O-of course there is.”

The item presented this time was unlike the rifle. It was a small object that fit in one hand and was shaped like a fruit.

“It’s a magic grenade. Like the mana bomb you know, Regent Ferda, it spreads shock and pure mana throughout the entire area.”

This time, Burnell demonstrated it himself.

The shockwave spread 20 meters, and mana burst throughout the area.

It appeared to be effective enough to hinder the movements of nimble targets.

It seemed valuable as a strategic weapon for infantry.

But Ferda wondered what Alberto would think of it.

“What do you think of this?”

“Hmm…….”

He gave a thoughtful hum, then fastened all three grenade samples to his belt.

Burnell muttered quietly, “You’re not supposed to take those…….”

Seeing that, Ferda realized for certain.

What this man needed was a single blow—in other words, firepower.

“Could you introduce something else as well? Something with good firepower.”

“Something with good firepower…… We do have one, but it’s still in beta, and its efficiency isn’t high…….”

“That shouldn’t matter.”

The item Burnell brought out was similar to the magitech rifle.

However, unlike the rifle just shown, which had a long, thin barrel, this one had a thick, short barrel—and there were two of them.

Burnell described it this way:

“It’s a magitech shotgun.”