Teams 3 and 5, go around from the left!
“Ha!”
Using the banner and the golden drum, I sent a group of demons a short distance away forward to block the path of the demons. The terrain is slightly hilly, but it’s not particularly bad. I guess we don’t need to pay attention to it.
A pack of hunter wolves senses our presence and runs towards us. Eight of them. That’s about what I expected.
Stay calm and take down the enemy squad by squad. After that, you’ll be in charge of your squads. I’ll take the one in the middle.
“Copy that.”
Let’s go!
I step forward as if to stand in front of you… and a hunter wolf bares its fangs at you. I stop and catch my breath. The next moment…
Push!
“Olyaah!”
You son of a bitch!
When they get within range of our attack we all move in unison and slam our blades into the demons. My spear surely kills one of them, and I take the life of the other one with my spear.
Well, this Warrior’s Spear that you can buy around the middle of the game should be able to hit enemies around King’s Landing with it. It’s also a useful weapon in the Poida Desert, further from the Tower of Stars.
Neurath is down by himself next to me. Schunzel seemed a bit slow and was killed after the rest of the squad joined in. The individual demons vary a bit, so I guess that’s a blessing in disguise.
Anybody hurt?
Everyone is unharmed.
All right, just make sure you collect the magic stone.
“Ha.”
Of course it’s a squire’s job to take it out. The knights will be in perimeter guard mode without me saying a word. Yeah, yeah, I’m getting used to it.
The other day, about two weeks ago, I submitted a hastily drafted proposal to my father. He told me, “You’re getting involved in a lot of unnecessary things.” I don’t know whether to be impressed or appalled.
But they still said, “We’ll submit it as the Countess.” I’m relieved. The name of a viscount and the name of a count are completely different in the eyes of the recipient.
And now, I am engaged in security activities at the aqueduct construction site, which is my original job.
But I’m getting bored simply doing guard duty… so I’ve decided to turn things around and use it to train an organization.
The Countess Zehrfeldt’s Knights are currently divided into four squadrons. Today, I’m leading the first squad, which is actively hunting monsters. The third, under the command of Augen, will be patrolling near the aqueduct. Valarkey’s fourth squad will be on night duty tonight.
Max was on the night shift the other night, and today is his day off. So my unit will be on patrol tomorrow.
I don’t remember if it was Oda Nobunaga or Tokugawa Ieyasu who said that falconry is good for training, but it’s true. Especially judging whether your voice is reaching your opponent at a distance and whether your instructions are getting through is something you have to experience.
There are many things you can learn just by leading a large group of men to hunt in a large field like this. There’s nothing like experience, especially when it comes to knowing when to coordinate cavalry and infantry. It’s a good training period for me, since I was a student to begin with.
I don’t feel sorry for the demon that’s been using me as a teaching aid. I mean, they’ve always had a tendency to attack people, but they’ve clearly gone berserk. This is probably because of the Demon Lord’s resurrection.
By the way, as for the demons you hunt, since they didn’t attack the construction site, you don’t get a reward, but you can use any materials you want. I’m not sure if I’m being generous or stingy.
As for the proposals, I’d say half of them passed, and half didn’t. I’m glad to see that some refugees and motivated people from the backstreets and slums have joined to assist the patrols. The problem is that some of the refugees seem to think they’re fighting against demons, and there are a certain number of them who lack the skills and are too eager to fight. Until they get used to it, we’ve asked the Adventurers’ Guild to assign them to patrol with an adventurer escort. We’re short on manpower, so it’s best to have a reserve force.
Well, this is only after we’ve provided them with proper food for a few days and informed them that they’ll have to work if they want to continue to be fed after that.
After a few days of bread and soup and side dishes, you’ll be more inclined to work if you’re just blessed with a bowl of thin barley porridge a day from tomorrow, but if you’re willing to work, I’ll make you a meal and a place to stay. After you’ve had your fill and recovered your strength.
I understand that asking a man to work tomorrow when he’s exhausted isn’t going to motivate him.
I don’t know what they’re going to make near the capital, but they’ve also decided to start a primary industry. Along with building fences and mud walls, they started collecting manure from refugees in one building to make fertilizer. Later on, they are going to collect manure from cows and horses for farming there too.
Making fertilizer from manure is actually pretty hard work… but it’s not dangerous and it pays fairly well… so people are starting to do it too. In a few years, it could turn into a nitro hill.
The standard cheats of the other world, gunpowder and guns, were abandoned early on. The same is true of the glass, but the more serious problem is that, as far as I can tell, no one has ever produced sulfur.
There is a volcano, but as far as I remember from the game map, it’s by the Witch King’s castle. There’s no way I can take a miner to a place where he’ll encounter a Fire Giant or a group of Knights fighting against him. It’s not an easy place to get to just because it’s near the castle. There might be a vein of sulfur somewhere if we look for it, but we won’t be able to find it in time to mine it and experiment with it.
And there’s no guarantee I can make a musket with what I don’t have… so the sooner you give up the better. I’ll think about it if I’m still alive after the Witchking’s death. I’ve been putting it off for so long I’m sure I’ll forget.
As a side note, nitre is soluble in water and will run off in the rain unless it’s inside a building. In prehistoric Japan, where it rained a lot, it would dissolve in rainwater that seeped into the ground and in groundwater. That’s why there were no veins of nitric acid.
I wonder if there are no veins of nitre in this world. The climate seems to be somewhat similar to Japan’s.
I suggested we deal with it indoors on account of the smell, but I suppose that will come into play later. By then, His Highness Luwen may be king. I wonder how they’ll treat Mazel then.
“Master Werner, I’ve finished collecting the magic stone.”
“All right, let’s go hunt a few more groups while we keep an eye on the perimeter.”
“Ha.”
And also, it’s a part of my training. I’ve been getting stronger. I guess my level went up a little when I went on that rampage the other night. I don’t think I want to be in that situation again.
But it’s also true that I’d like to be a little stronger than Mazel and the others. That’s why I’m actively hunting demons.
Fortunately, I’m well-equipped, so it’s easy to just kill the enemies. I’m glad Mazel and the others chose swords instead of spears. I’d like to have this level of equipment for everyone in the Count’s troop, but money is tight. The sword I carry on my hip is a good one too… but I can’t spare one of this class for everyone…
And it’s a good time to learn how to ride a horse. To tell you the truth, because of my skills, I wasn’t that good a rider. I might have been better than Mazel who’s good at everything.
But I was riding for a month with the refugee escort… so I got used to it. Even if they don’t make you run at full gallop and just do basic movements. It’s like learning to write well by hand for eight hours a day for a month.
And here I’m practicing my moves like sprinting, stopping, and reversing to hunt monsters. Even if you’re a little used to it, it’s still difficult. I think it’s extraordinary that Caesar could ride around freely on a bareback without stirrups or a saddle.
With this in mind, I move around and patrol the area where demons are likely to appear. I’m not sure if it’s useful or not, though it does serve the purpose of checking the geography. It’s better to be useless.
We can see the aqueduct under construction in the distance. How could they build something that large in such a short time? I’d say the stoneworking skills of this world are rather advanced.
“Master Werner.”
Yeah, I’m aware.
I’ve noticed… a pack of carrion-eating hyena bats. They’re so slow and inefficient. It can’t be helped. Extermination itself is a job.
Teams 4 and 6 to the right! Let Teams 3 and 5 go around. We’ll cut them off from the start!
Yes, sir.
Teams one and two, crossbows at the ready.
“Ha.”
I watch the messenger run off and then I take up my crossbow. I’m not very good with a bow, but this one hits pretty well even if I’m not very good with a bow. I’ve got something on my mind, though.
As you aim and breathe, a flicker of light flickers in the corner of your eye. This is an experiment in using mirrors as communication. The glass is expensive and there is no such thing as Morse code in this world, so we have to think of all the cues, so this is still in the prototype and trial stage. The mirror itself is a copper plate that I made experimentally. The mirror itself is an experimental copper plate. At this stage, all we need is a reflection of light.
Both wings are signaling.
Shoot!
“Fire!”
On my cue, countless arrows fly. Some of them hit. Some of them hit and some of them are still going. I knew it. That’s all right.
Charge! Let’s fly high and take them down before they run away!”
“Ha ha!”
As soon as the arrows reach them, the right wing’s four and six squads that had rushed forward engage them first and enter a state of engagement. The first and second squads I commanded ran in after them. I think we can take them out before they can get away.
After this, I destroy three more groups of demons. It might have taken me longer to collect the magic stone and the materials. Also, the horse that was supposed to drop the stinky materials is now in a very bad mood. I’ll have to ask Ma Ding to follow up.
