/
Kellerhan returned to the mansion after three days, a day earlier than planned.
“The operation was successful.”
He looked at Yuta and me who came to meet him and said.
“We destroyed the Black Mist and the Mist Stone that the dark magicians use as a source of power, so for the next few months, those madmen will be quiet.”
He freely talked about the operation when it was successfully completed.
“The enemy magicians or the Aristocratic Union… Won’t they be dissatisfied with Father’s work?” Yuta asked cautiously.
“Even if they’re dissatisfied. What are they going to do? All the Mist Stones have already been blown away.”
Hearing Yuta’s question, Kellerhan snorted as if it was so ridiculous he was dying.
He raised his hand and patted Yuta’s head.
“Of course, you, too, should learn about political issues in a few years, but not now. Do you understand?”
“…Yes.”
Yuta quietly nodded his head.
I could tell from their conversation that Kellerhan considered Yuta to be the next captain of the Gottfried Knights.
I glanced at him with worried eyes.
With most nobles choosing their son as successor, it’s not surprising that Kellerhan chose him as the next captain of the knights
But will the weak-hearted and kind Yuta be able to do the job of commanding the Gottfried Knights slaying criminals?
I was even puzzled.
Kellerhan is known for recruiting talented people, so there’s no way he wouldn’t know that Yuta’s temperament doesn’t match that of a captain of the knights.
However, both of them had a calm expression on their faces.
Well, it’s a family business, so it’s not something I should be involved in.
That was when I organized my thoughts.
“Then will the training start again from today?”
Yuta asked Kellerhan.
“Ah, talking about training.”
He looked at me.
“I’ve decided for you to quit.”
I was surprised to hear that, and my eyes widened.
If there was one among us who was most passionate about my training, it was Kellerhan, so why all of a sudden?
…Did he come to think that teaching me is no use anymore?
It was true that I didn’t have any talent for martial arts, but somehow I felt depressed.
The very fact that Kellerhan ‘gave up’ itself made me shrink.
Then, he opened his mouth.
“I was thinking wrong.”
He leaned over to meet the height of my gaze.
And he put his hand on my head as he did with Yuta.
“Isabella, if I wanted to give you a weapon, I should’ve chosen a different path than swordsmanship training.”
What does it mean?
As I lifted my head, Kellerhan’s serious eyes looked at me.
“The bomb you designed did a great job of destroying the Mist Stones of the dark magicians.”
It was clear from his tone of voice that there wasn’t even an inch of exaggeration in Kellerhan’s words.
Above all, he wasn’t a talker.
“It’s an achievement that cannot be compared to the stab you’ve been hanging on to for several days.”
Kellerhan stroked my hair.
My hair was messy under his hands.
“It means that your real weapon is in your head, not your hands.”
“What do you mean…”
“Literally. Swordsmanship training was an extremely inefficient method. The weapon you will have is probably not a sword or a spear.”
“Then what should I fight with?”
“You have to think about it now. A way to use your head.”
Kellerhan raised his index finger and tapped my forehead without it being hurt.
“Like I said, the real weapon is in your head.”
The real weapon is in my head…
Wait!
An idea flashed through my mind in an instant.
It’s really there, the weapon in my head!
Kellerhan’s words may have been a compliment to my problem-solving and thinking skills, but when turned upside down, they were literally referring to the multitude of weapons in my head.
In my head, there are a lot of ingenious weapons that people at this time couldn’t think of.
Because I returned from living in the future a long time ago!
And among them, there is a weapon that is perfect for me.
Throwable bombs!
As technology advances, a revolutionary weapon called ‘gun’ will come out, but the development of metallurgy is still insufficient to realize a gun.
So what came to my mind was a weapon that was developed and used briefly between the advent of simple bombs and guns: the throwable bomb.
The most notable one was the grenade.
I have no intention of making grenades as they’re so dangerous.
And I’m not going to make a bomb that’s too cruel.
Well, if explosives technology develops, someone other than me will make one, but I have no intention of inventing a lethal bomb.
“Didn’t you say that you would give me a reward when you come back from the operation?”
“Obviously I did. In return for completing the blueprints for the time bomb.”
When I asked, Kellerhan nodded his head.
“I, have something I want to receive.”
Kellerhan gave a slightly surprised expression. But the surprise quickly vanished, and joy and laughter filled his face.
“What do you want, Isabella? I’ll give you anything, just tell me.”
“I need time and resources to complete my own weapon.”
“Weapon?”
A look of interest appeared on Kellerhan’s face.
“Yes. The Duke just said that. The real weapon is in my head.”
“You came up with a new weapon?”
I nodded.
Kellerhan looked down at me with a curious expression and he squatted in front of me.
“Isabella, are you sure that’s enough? I can always get you some resources to make a weapon. Tell me what more you want.”
He made eye contact with me and asked seriously.
“Why, gold that can be easily converted into cash, or maybe an amnesty for later use?”
Gold is fine, but why an amnesty?
Do I look like I’m going to commit a crime, Father…
He shrugged as I looked at Kellerhan with questionable eyes.
“How common it is to be framed. I’ll get you out no matter what, but it would be nice to have the right to get an amnesty.”
Although Kellerhan was the world’s most principled man second to none, he was fully aware that principles sometimes betray people.
“Gold and amnesty are good, but what I want right now is a new weapon.”
“Is that so? Alright.”
I thought he would speak more, but surprisingly, Kellerhan meekly agreed.
“So, what on earth is the weapon in your head? Could you explain it to me too?”
“It’s a throwable bomb. The bombs used today are big and heavy, aren’t they? There is no choice but to put it in a cannon and shoot it, or use it as a time bomb like the one Sir Dolph developed. But what if the bomb was very light? So even a child like me can handle it easily, but it explodes when it hits a surface—”
Perhaps the moment I had been waiting for had arrived, and I was so excited that I quickly poured out my words.
“That’s why it is used like you’re throwing marbles. You can also fire it with a slingshot or crossbow.”
The more I talked, the better thoughts came to mind, so I added more, so the story didn’t end.
I never thought explaining my ideas to someone would be this fun.
Even though it must have been boring, Kellerhan never stopped listening to me.
I’m confident as I’ve seen an actual throwing bomb from the future, but I’m surprised that Kellerhan didn’t dismiss my story as a childish delusion.
He listened to the throwable bomb seriously from start to finish, and after I finished my story, he asked me some poignant questions.
“I see. I still think an amnesty is better, but this time, I’m going to give you my full support in developing new weapons.”
There was no problem at all to convince Kellerhan.
Surprisingly, there were others who didn’t like my plans.
“Isabella, it’s okay. Even if you don’t do this.”
It was Yuta.
“Young Lord, do you not like throwable bombs?”
I asked if Yuta had a bad grasp on the throwable bomb.
If that’s the case, I thought I’d explain it one more time.
But that was an illusion. Yuta understood my explanation better than ever.
That fact was revealed through the following words he uttered.
“…Those throwable bombs, they look dangerous.”
“Yes? That’s not true.”
I reflexively said no, but I flinched inwardly.
Although it is true that the small bomb I envisioned was less powerful and easier to handle than a grenade or landmine, it was by no means ‘safe’.
Yuta made eye contact with me.
His blue eyes, which I thought were as clear and young as a lake, were sinking like the deep sea.
I swallowed my saliva involuntarily at the deep color.
“You said that the condition for blasting was the impact on the surface, right? Isabella said that if it hits an enemy by throwing it, it explodes, but what if Isabella accidentally hits a bomb while carrying it? No matter how weak it is, if it explodes right next to you, Isabella will be seriously injured.”
It’s the first time I’ve heard Yuta speak for so long.
“Swordsmanship training is fine. Because Father and I have good control over it. But the bomb…” Yuta muffled his words.
The boy’s sunken eyes stared at me.
“I hate that Isabella might get hurt.”
Yuta reached out and gently touched my hand. It was his expression of affection.
“Let’s not do that. Instead, I’ll protect Isabella.”
Should I… or not?
It would be nice to make a bomb, but Yuta hates it so much that my heart is weak.
And as he says, bombs aren’t perfectly safe either.
Moreover, within Barmuth, his opposition would be more influential than mine.
Kellerhan will hear his son, Yuta, more.
If I don’t get the cooperation of the people of the Barmuth, you can’t make a bomb anyway.
So, that was the moment I thought about whether I was giving up or not.
“Yuta.”
Kellerhan’s harsh voice was heard.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“However…!”
Kellerhan raised one eyebrow.
It meant that he should stop talking back and forth, and if it had been normal, Yuta would have quietly stepped back, but today, something was different about Yuta.
“But Father treats Isabella too harshly.”
Yuta spoke in a challenging tone that I had never heard before.
Kellerhan looked down at him as if he were watching a lion cub defying the pack leader.
“Isabella is my bride… That’s why I…”
“You, what?”
Kellerhan asked sharply, and Yuta bit his lips thoughtfully.
“I…”