blueteamnovel Chapter 403: part 1
Chapter 403: part 1
Day 94 – Evening, Omui Lord’s Mansion To earn a bit of pocket money, I went around collecting usage fees from the massage chairs in the Lord’s Mansion. Yep, turns out that in this world, there’s an unwritten rule that when you’re tight on cash, you can raid the massage chairs in the Lord’s Mansion, and you’ll be able to cover your inn tab. There’s something oddly similar to fishing for spare change in vending machines!
「No, really, I’m grateful. Even though the last time you shared enough iron to cover several years of consumption, demand has spiked so fast that I was starting to worry our reserves were about to run out. Even after all those tunnels we had you dig, our mining output hasn’t caught up with demand at all. Development sure is something, huh? None of this would’ve been possible before you guys came, so we’ve started drafting up economic forecasts and such, but everything’s been so far beyond predictions that we just can’t keep up with supply. You’re a real lifesaver.」
「Oh, and I also dug up some new tunnels, so feel free to use them however you like, okay? I didn’t really find what I was after, or just barely, in tiny bits, so there probably isn’t a proper vein there. But there’s still loads of iron and copper, so tell the miners to dig away. It’s longer than the old site, so if they just dig through the easy parts fast, efficiency should go way up. Since iron keeps coming out, though, it’s kind of quite hard labor? Still, until it’s all dug out, taking the easy-access sections first is best for both supply and efficiency. Being short-staffed everywhere, you gotta prioritize efficiency and dig in bulk with minimal manpower so that sort of can’t be helped? Otherwise you won’t be able to keep up. Well, the mountains are still full of iron though?」
When I hauled the massive surplus of excess iron over to the Lord’s Mansion, Meripapa-san was slacking off. Apparently, the Frontier forces are being led into a dungeon by Merimeri-san, while the Royal Girl is leading the Royal Guard under Murimuri-san’s instruction in a different dungeon. So Meripapa-san is off by himself, slacking. Yup, let’s tattle on him!
「So, how are things going with the church folks? I heard you are training them? Well, true enough, good chances they midget targeted. There’s even a risk they might get killed in the Frontier and then have the blame pushed onto the Kingdom as a setup. I was thinking about assigning guards to them, but if they can defend themselves, that’s definitely for the best~… Especially since even if they return, they’re in a position where they could still be targeted. All because they tried to reach out to the Frontier…」
「As for how they’re doing, Pres and the others are coaching them right now, but they could probably take on the likes of church knights already? I think after today, they’ll even be able to hold their own against the Knights of Precept? But they’re still short on both experience and knowledge, so unless they’re strong enough to completely wipe the floor with them, it could get dangerous. Also, they’re at a disadvantage if cavalry attacks on open plains? Though maybe if we load them up with grenades, it’ll be fine? Horses really don’t like grenades, but to be fair, not horses don’t like grenades either? The Stalker Girl already proved that most problems can be solved by just tossing grenades, so maybe it’ll be fine? I kinda want to arm them with horse-slaying sabers too, but honestly, the falchions they’re using now can already slice a horse clean in two. Still, I feel like horses would be more afraid of the name 『horse-slaying saber』 so maybe that’s the way to go? Like, maybe if we just rename their swords 『Horse-Slayer Falchions』 the horses might get tricked, freak out, and run away? Possibly? Maybe?」
Judging from what I saw last time, the Church group’s capabilities should be more than enough, but their lack of experience and knowledge can’t be ignored. It’s understandable since they weren’t originally combatants, but if a battle drags out, that gap will show. That’s why they need to overwhelm the enemy, more than that, they need to intimidate them. If it turns into a drawn-out attrition match, the sheer difference in numbers will end up having the final say. The best strategy is either to wipe enemies all out at once or to make them too fearful and suspicious to even act. That’s the whole point of a first-strike kill.
If you open with your strongest attack, the enemy will hesitate. And since it’s a one-hit move, they can’t even gauge your actual strength. That hesitation can throw off their rhythm. That’s exactly why we drilled them on only the strongest strike, so they could learn and master it. Even if it’s just a bluff, once it’s been seen, it has to be somehow handled. That’s why displaying force is effective.
「…Uuh, Haruka-kun? I heard they were training for self-defense, but you’re saying they can beat the church knights now? You mean one-on-one, right? You’re not telling me they could take on an entire knight order with that tiny group, are you? Also, Knights of Precept are one of the church’s top combat units, you know and they’re already able to go toe-to-toe with them… Just what did you do to them? I’m pretty sure this is only day two of their training, right…?」
The Theocracy’s army was generally low-level. Sure, their overall combat ability was high, but that was due to their gear and magic tools, a kind of artificial boost. That’s why I equipped them with the 『Destruction Falchion』 with『Equipment and weapon destruction』 and gave their outfits all sorts of resistances, nullifications, and even reflection effects. On top of that, they’ve got rosaries that serve as basic『Barrier』 gear. With all that, they should be able to win easily and safely even with a safe and conservative strategy. Besides, the church side wouldn’t bother pulling out their trump cards against what they assume are powerless nuns.
That said, they still need to learn how to move as a group in case of retreat or prolonged combat, so I left that part to Pres-sama. When it comes to command and group combat, she’s way better than the Frontier forces or the Royal guard, and she’s great at teaching too. We can’t even form a party, so we’re not equipped to teach group tactics. And in the mid-layers where we can take the Sister Girl and others, the Armored Pres-san and company are way too much of overkill. They just end up overwhelming everything so completely that it doesn’t even qualify as a group fight, it turns into a senseless monster beating (bullying). And even if we tried to have them observe, Armored Pres-san’s sword strikes are so fast you can’t even see them, so it’d be pointless.
「It’s the second day, so they’re already into the advanced course, group training. They could probably take on an entire knight order now. As long as there’s no major level difference, even the church’s high-end gear and magic tools can be countered with destruction or resistances. And level grinding is way easier and more efficient out here in the Frontier. You can even collect magic stones, so it’s a very convenient area for EXP farming. Once they’re past Level 50, they should be able to beat regular church forces. I mean, their outfits are super lewd, they’re wielding giant falchions, and they’ve got fishnet stockings showing through those slits! That’s… incredible, you know?」
If your gaze isn’t fixed broadly, taking in the entirety of your opponent, you won’t be able to react, even when facing them directly. But the moment you’re lured into staring by the alluring assault of those thighs glimpsed through that deep slit, the captivating spell of the fishnet stockings wrapping them, and the mesmerizing the allure of Absolute Territory enhanced by garter belt… that’s the instant a falchion descends, cleaving even through armor. Even knowing that looking means death, you’d still look. With the current level of technology it’s impossible to produce gear which would allow one to resist that super powerful trap! In anti-personnel combat, if the enemy is male, those slits might be the strongest weapon of all.
There’s a theory that bad guys tend to chase when you run. Showing your back is dangerous, so it’s safer to kill them first, and even safer to kill everyone before you flee! Honestly, I’ve long suspected that killing them all from the start might just be the most efficient solution. I mean, wasn’t it Agatha-san who once said,『And then there were none… Since everyone got murdered, so it was super safe』? Mystery remains as to whether she actually said that, but they say you’ll never regret it if you just kill them all, so maybe it’s fine.