Chapter 216 – Preparing for the Expedition

Ferda officially announced to every noble in the Far East that he would be heading out as a representative of the Empire to reinforce the western front.

- We've set the force size at 500—100 knights and 400 regular infantry. Are you truly planning to go with those numbers?

Count Consilus, one of Ferda's closest confidants, asked.

Sensing the concern in his voice, Ferda looked at him.

"So, you think it's too few?"

- The Imperial side will openly show their displeasure. Normally, every knight is expected to command at least thirty soldiers. They'll ask why each knight only has four infantry under them...

"That's only because they haven't seen the unique nature of our army. Once we prove that a force of this size surpasses armies numbering in the tens of thousands, what will they have left to say?"

- That... is also true.

Although Consilus voiced his concerns, he didn't try to force the issue.

Ferda was someone worthy of trust.

- In that case, I'll simply report that we're sending one hundred knights. There's no need to give them a reason to nitpick by revealing the total number of five hundred beforehand. We'll prove ourselves through the battlefield.

"Do that."

- I'll handle the recruitment of the knights.

Consilus took charge of recruiting the hundred knights who would stand in the front ranks, while Ferda began recruiting regular infantry in Hestia Village.

Surprisingly, the person put in charge of that task was Penelope.

"You there, proud citizen of Hestia! You who chased success! And you who now have the chance to seize it! Grand Duchess Valdrova needs you! Enlist today!"

Standing in the village square, she shouted like a circus performer while recruiting volunteers.

Given her naturally noisy way of speaking, Ferda doubted it would work.

Yet, to his surprise, a large crowd gathered.

"It seems appealing to people's desire for success—and making enlistment feel casual—has been surprisingly effective."

"Hmm..."

Why was that?

She was doing something beneficial for the village, yet somehow, the more she helped, the less he liked her.

In any case, every new recruit was personally trained by William.

William had officially become a knight and now bore the title of Guardian Knight of the Far East rather than Captain of the Public Security Force.

As the chief instructor, he drilled tactical formations over and over, rapidly turning ordinary recruits into capable soldiers.

The expedition begins in three weeks.

Repeated tactical training was slightly more difficult than spear drills, but the results were several times greater.

By the time they marched out, each soldier would be capable of fighting as effectively as a fully trained veteran.

"Oh, right."

Isabella spoke up.

"Someone wishes to meet you, Lord Ferda. You'll be quite surprised when you hear who it is."

After hearing the name she mentioned, Ferda's eyes widened.

"Where is he?"

"He's waiting in the meeting room at City Hall."

Following her directions, Ferda headed there.

Inside stood a lone man.

He remained standing because no chair could support his weight.

Considering what he was wearing, that was hardly surprising.

Calling his armor a fortress wouldn't have been an exaggeration.

The Moving Fortress—Alberdo.

A man so heavy he couldn't even climb to the second floor, forcing every meeting to take place on the ground level.

I heard he'd never left the village...

Before anyone noticed, he had replaced the vanished Armored Knight as the village's new one.

Unlike his predecessor, however, he never helped with construction work.

He simply claimed one corner of the stable as his territory and remained there, motionless.

No one had ever seen him eat or drink.

Recently, rumors had begun spreading that the chicken constantly wandering around him was actually his pet.

The fact that such a man had broken his unshakable stillness to request an audience with Ferda stirred unexpected emotions within him.

Given the timing, Ferda could already guess why.

"What brings you here?"

"I heard you're going to fight the Demon Race."

His heavy voice echoed through the room.

"And your purpose?"

"To kill the Demon Race. Nothing more."

No further explanation was necessary.

"Moving Fortress Alberdo... you are a free spirit."

Ferda asked politely.

"If you're justice in motion—a free soul that exists only to slay the Demon Race—then it's difficult for me to understand why you've come to me."

Normally, whenever Alberdo set out to kill demons, he simply disappeared without a word.

There was no reason for him to seek Ferda out like this.

For a moment, Ferda even wondered whether Alberdo had somehow discovered the existence of Heinkel King's magic.

"Curved Demon."

Alberdo summarized everything with a single word.

"I moved to kill him."

"But Curved Demon possesses magic."

"He commands spatial arts capable of crossing the entire continent."

"Even if I have the strength to crush every demon's skull, I cannot overcome magic."

Ferda finally understood what he wanted.

"So... you're interested in Magitech Engineering."

"Correct."

"But Magitech Engineering belongs to Hestia. Those who are not members of Hestia cannot use it."

"So I become a knight."

His answer came so readily that it almost made Ferda suspicious.

"So you'll swear loyalty to me?"

"I thought you never wanted my loyalty."

"Correct. All I require is that we pursue the same goal."

From the very beginning, Ferda had neither desired Alberdo's loyalty nor believed he could ever obtain it.

Even when he had first invited Alberdo to become a knight, he'd merely asked him to keep an eye on him.

"Then tell me."

"Where does this mission to kill the Demon Race come from?"

Alberdo answered.

"Why do humans breathe?"

"To live."

"It's the same."

"Something I cannot help doing, even if I dislike it."

"Something I do without conscious thought."

"If the number of things worth killing keeps increasing, then all the better."

"Watch your tongue, Regent."

His deep voice carried a warning.

"I am no bloodthirsty butcher who welcomes chaos merely because I lack some lofty mission to save humanity or the continent."

"My apologies. I was provoking you."

Ferda needed to understand him, even if only a little.

"Once we've destroyed our common enemy, what then?"

"Wouldn't that be the same as stopping your own breathing?"

"If one no longer breathes..."

"...Then one cannot remain alive."

He intended to die.

"I've grown tired of questions."

"If you're finished, I'd like to leave."

"I have no more."

Ferda stood.

"You don't seem like the type who enjoys public ceremonies, so we'll keep your knighting simple."

"But before that..."

"Would you spare me some time?"

"For what?"

"If someone claims to be interested in Magitech Engineering, shouldn't I show him Magitech Engineering?"

Ferda also wanted to confirm whether Alberdo's interest was genuine.

So he decided to take him to Vernel.

***

Valdrova Castle—Research Wing.

A place famous for its constant research and development...and equally famous for its endless explosions and screams.

"My greetings, Regent."

"And the gentleman beside you is...?"

"This is Alberdo."

"The man known as the Moving Fortress."

"Oh... I see."

Vernel assumed he must be someone important.

At the same time, he clearly wasn't pleased by the presence of an outsider.

Every noble Vernel had met before had tried to throw their status around to dominate him.

Those unpleasant memories had only grown worse because of Ureas.

Looking up at Vernel's head, Ferda remarked,

"You've lost quite a bit of hair since last time."

"The only comforting thing is that I'm not the only one."

"If you want to surpass the Malcolm Intelligence Standard, you have to endure this much suffering."

"The Malcolm Intelligence Standard?"

"It's shorthand for Malcolm's level of intelligence."

That explained why screams never ceased inside the castle.

Malcolm of Peach Hill.

A country bumpkin who somehow became an Imperial Knight despite everyone knowing exactly why.

Now he had become every researcher's worst nightmare.

As a knight, the only thing that fool did was test weapons.

Nearly every Magitech Engineering weapon had to be simple enough for Malcolm to use.

To the researchers, that requirement was nothing short of an insurmountable wall.

The weapon needed overwhelming firepower...

Its structure had to remain simple...

And even a complete beginner had to master it quickly.

Their relentless pursuit of that impossible ideal was burning away their hair along with their sanity.

Naturally, Ferda felt no sympathy.

The Vernel of the future had already been completely bald.

Compared to that, he still had plenty of hair.

"This is our latest masterpiece—a continuously improved Magitech Rifle."

"To reduce reload time, refined Mana Stones are processed into detachable magazines."

"The Magic Circle draws power directly from the magazine, allowing immediate firing."

Recalling the reports he had read, Ferda knew its improvements went beyond performance alone.

Production costs had dropped.

Manufacturing had become simpler.

Looking at the rifle, he noticed how different it was from the early prototype.

The bulky attachments were gone.

Its appearance was now sleek and professionally designed.

"May I try it?"

"Of course."

Vernel answered confidently.

He had every reason to be.

Despite looking almost unbelievable, the rifle functioned perfectly.

Ferda inserted the magazine and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

A brilliant blue streak shot toward the target.

Each Mana Stone magazine contained enough power for thirty Mana Bullets.

Replacing it was equally simple.

Press the release latch...

Remove the magazine...

Insert another.

Thirty Mana Bullets...

From an ordinary human...

Even Ferda found the result difficult to believe.

If each soldier carried six magazines...then, theoretically, one commoner could perform the role of thirty-six First-Circle Mages.

The refined Mana Stones, condensed from mana-polluted water, continued piling up inside the warehouses.

Their energy supply was practically limitless.

A satisfied smile crossed Ferda's face before he glanced sideways.

Alberdo stared silently at the rifle.

"Would you like to try it?"

"..."

He silently picked it up with one enormous hand.

His stance was even more professional than Ferda's.

He shouldered the rifle...

Aimed...

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Every shot struck dead center.

The researchers could only marvel at his marksmanship.

Yet moments later, he casually placed the rifle back on the table.

"Weak."

"And light."

"W-Well... I wouldn't exactly call it weak..."

"And most people certainly wouldn't call it light..."

Vernel muttered under his breath, completely forgetting the value of his own life.

Then he felt Alberdo's gaze through the helmet.

He immediately fell silent.

"The efficiency of tactical infantry continues to improve."

"Do you have anything else worth showing?"

"Y-Yes, of course."

This time, Vernel produced something entirely different.

Instead of a rifle, it resembled a small fruit that fit comfortably in one hand.

"A mana grenade."

"It functions similarly to the Mana Bomb that Regent Ferda already knows."

"It releases a powerful shockwave while scattering pure mana throughout the surrounding area."

This time Vernel demonstrated it himself.

The shockwave expanded twenty meters in every direction.

Pure mana burst outward, flooding the area.

It looked extremely effective for disrupting fast-moving enemies.

As a strategic infantry weapon, it possessed considerable value.

But Ferda was curious about Alberdo's opinion.

"What do you think?"

"Hmm..."

After a brief grunt, Alberdo calmly took all three sample grenades...and attached them to his belt.

"Y-You aren't supposed to take those..."

Vernel muttered pitifully.

Watching him, Ferda finally realized something.

What this man truly wanted...was a single devastating blow.

Pure firepower.

"Do you have anything else?"

"Something with greater destructive power."

"W-We do..."

"But it's still only a beta version."

"And its efficiency isn't very high..."

"I don't think that'll matter."

The weapon Vernel finally brought out resembled the Magitech Rifle.

However, unlike the rifle's long, slender barrel...this one had two short, thick barrels mounted side by side.

Vernel introduced it proudly.

"This...is the Magitech Shotgun."