Yuta shut his mouth belatedly. It was because Kellerhanâs expression was unusual.
âSay it.â
However, Kellerhan wouldnât let him back out when Yuta was on the other side.
âBut donât forget that once you say a word, you have to take responsibility for it until you die.â
Yuta clenched his fists and lifted his head.
All the hesitation that had remained on his face until the very end had disappeared.
âIâll protect Isabella no matter what.â
âHoo.â
Kellerhanâs eyes reminded me of the feeling of, ââLook at this?â
He leaned over and made eye contact with Yuta.
An unbelievably bloody energy flowed between the two rich men.
Isnât this dangerous?
I never wished for a situation like this!
What should I do?
My head was spinning with complicated thoughts.
If I leave it as it is, I think Kellerhan and Yuta will fight, but I absolutely donât want to see that scene.
And even more so if I am the cause!
âI mean you. If you said something like thatâŠâ
âWait a minute!â
In the end, I gathered up all the courage I had with my eyes closed and blocked the gap between Yuta and Kellerhan.
I could feel both of them hesitating and taking off a ferocious look.
As the air felt lighter, I slowly opened my eyes.
Then I saw those two rich men looking at me with wide-eyed eyes.
âPlease stop, both of you.â
Even though they were ferocious, the two of them had a lot of sharp edges for each other, so it wasnât comfortable to stand between them.
But I persevered with the thought that it would never be possible to step back from here.
âI want to make new weapons.â
I turned my head completely towards Yuta.
Upon receiving my gaze, Yuta flinched and lowered his head.
Before I knew it, Yuta had returned to the gentle and fragile boy I knew.
âIsnât my opinion the most important thing?â
âIsabellaâŠâ Yuta muttered. ââŠAm I not reliable?â
I was startled by his abrupt question.
No, why is there such a story here?
âIs it because Iâm still small and not strong enough? Thatâs why⊠Do you think I canât protect Isabella?â
I never thought of that!
I never thought of wanting to be protected by Yuta in the first place.
âNo, itâs not!â
I hurriedly shook my head and denied it.
âIs that possible? I always get help from the Young Lord.â
âMy⊠help?â
âOf course!â
I spoke in a bright tone with my arms wide open to make him feel better.
âYou put on a demonstration for me at every training. Besides, you always take the time to help me so that I can adjust to Barmuth, read a book together, have a picnic togetherâŠâ
Yutaâs eyes widened at the constantly pouring out of his achievements.
âDid I⊠really do that much?â
At Yutaâs words, I nodded vigorously.
âWithout the Young Lord, I wouldnât have been able to adapt to Barmuth.â
In an instant, an indescribable joy spread across his shy face.
Heâs a child no matter what.
âSo, you will help me again this time, right?â
Yutaâs expression hardened slightly at my words.
Yet I wasnât worried.
Because I knew I had persuaded him.
âWill you help me build a new weapon so that I can protect myself?â
ââŠYes.â He answered in a low voice.
I smiled broadly with joy and hugged Yuta tightly.
âThank you!â
I could feel Yutaâs body stiffen in my arms.
Belatedly, I hurriedly pulled my body back, wondering if I had treated him too friendly.
Yuta, released from me, looked down at the ground with a face redder than the ripe apples.
After all, did I get too close because I was too excited?
âYeah, then try it.â
As I was contemplating whether I should apologize to Yuta, I heard Kellerhanâs voice.
âI will prepare everything you need right away.â
He kept his word.
In less than half a day, I had all the resources I needed.
I was admitted to the headquarter of the Gottfried Knights in the capital because I couldnât make bombs in poorly equipped mansions as they were residential.
It was a sudden entry after bringing up the story of a bomb, but it was a really great experience.
âYoung Madam!â
As soon as we set foot in the headquarter of the knights, Caroline, who had been waiting for a message in advance, came out.
âI heard youâre making a new weapon!â
She was very excited.
âA weapon that came out of the head of the Young Madam who completed the bomb blueprint! Iâm very excited to see what it will be like.â
To tell the truth, throwable bombs werenât my invention, they were from the future, so I was a little embarrassed.
But I couldnât reveal the fact that I had returned, so I smiled awkwardly and received Carolineâs expectant gaze.
âYouâre going to use my workroom.â
Caroline, whom Kellerhan had handed me over to, said, guiding me along the way.
âEverything is prepared, and I have prepared all the things that the Captain said.â
As I entered the workroom, the engineers and blacksmiths that Kellerhan wanted directly greeted me.
âHello, Lady Schwires.â
It is said that they all were the ones who supplied weapons to the Gottfried Knights. Thus, their skills are first-class and reliable.
They too were as excited as Caroline.
âDuke Barmuth rarely asks for anything, but he must really care about Lady Schwires.â
âIs the story of a dragon true?â
Huh? Wait, a dragon, he said?
âYes? A dragon?â
âAh, was that a rumor?â The blacksmith, who mentioned a dragon, scratched his head.
âAnyway, what about the new weapon? I only heard that you need gunpowder and âglaceraâ.â
I wanted to ask more about the dragon, but I missed the chance when the engineers started talking about the weapons I would make.
It shouldnât be a big deal, right?
It wonât be a big deal.
As I recalled my comforting spells, I explained to the engineers, the blacksmiths, and Caroline about the throwable bomb.
âItâs groundbreaking.â
After hearing all of my explanations, they were amazed by admiration.
âI want to make it as soon as possible!â
Caroline exclaimed passionately, and so began our bomb maker.
***
At a time when gunpowder and bombs werenât yet popularized, it was extremely difficult to make a bomb for throwing, even a small size.
âYoung Madam, please continue after taking a break.â
After not getting enough sleep for a week and working on making bombs, Caroline and others slowly started to worry about me.
âItâs okay. I want to do it a bit more.â
I shook my head and checked the gunpowder, the main ingredient of the bomb again.
The vermilion gunpowder made by the magicians didnât emit much smoke and could maintain a certain amount of explosive power, so it was suitable for use in throwing bombs.
Gunpowder is usually insensitive to impact and needs to be ignited by lighting it, but if it was mixed with glacera, it will explode in response to a weaker shock.
In addition, unlike the original gunpowder, the gunpowder mixed with glacera became a relatively hard clay-like form, and it was easy to process as it hardened over time.
My plan was to make a clay glacera and gunpowder mixture into the shape of an arrowhead, attach it to an arrowhead, and shoot it in a crossbow.
ââŠAlmost done.â
Once I complete this, Iâll be able to try a trial throw.
Ten days later, my first bomb was finally completed.
âWow⊠â
I could hear Caroline sighing in admiration next to me.
It wasnât just Caroline.
The blacksmiths and engineers who had helped me for ten days were all looking at the finished bomb with bewitching eyes.
A bomb with a black and smooth surface, like a shining pebble by a river, had a seductive edge
âIâm going to report to the Captain!â
Caroline rode a horse to the mansion, and shortly thereafter Kellerhan and Yuta arrived at the workroom.
âAnd this is?â
Kellerhan asked, looking at the bomb on the table with a curious expression.
âYes! Itâs the throwable bomb that I had in my head.â I answered confidently.
âCan it be used right away?â
âWe havenât made a crossbow yet, so itâs difficult to detonate it with the power of the Young Madam, but the throwing function is certain.â
Caroline, the blacksmiths, and the engineers nodded at the same time to Kellerhanâs question.
âThen letâs go right away.â
Kellerhan made the engineers and blacksmiths swear to secrecy, and dismissed them.
Then Caroline, Yuta, and I went to the training ground attached to the headquarters of the Gottfried Knights.
The training ground of the Gottfried Knights was incomparable to the vacant lot where I practiced stabbing.
âCaptain? I thought you werenât coming today.â
Abraham, who was fighting with some of the knights from afar, saw Kellerhan and ran to him.
âIsnât this the Young Madam!â
He saw me standing behind Kellerhan and his eyes widened.
âI havenât caught a dragon yet, but I can at least greet the Young Madam, canât I?â
âStop talking nonsense. Since we have other work to do.â
Abraham asked desperately, but Kellerhan drove him away without giving him a word.
As we watched the back of Abraham trudging in his large armor, Kellerhan led us to the back of the training ground.
Behind the training ground, there was a large, closed space, lined with various targets for testing bombs.
âSir Dolph, take control of the kids.â
Kellerhan gave brief instructions.
Caroline rushed right in, biting the knights around her and setting up a guard to keep the outsiders inaccessible.
After security procedures were over, Kellerhan had Caroline take out the bomb.
âAre we supposed to use it like this? Is it weaker to external shocks than general gunpowder?â
âIt is, but it doesnât require high temperatures, and it doesnât explode with normal handling.â
I threw a bomb that was machined into a ball for Kellerhan and Yuta to see.
As I said, the bomb didnât explode with this impact.
âBut if you throw it with the power of an adult male like the Duke and hit the target, it will explode when it hits the surface.â
I handed Kellerhan some bombs with an explanation.
He nodded as he rolled the round bomb in his hand.
âThen the only thing left to do now is throw it away.â
Kellerhan stood at the target at a distance of approximately 15 yards.
I alternately stared at Kellerhan and the target, trying to calm my beating heart.
It was finally time to test the effectiveness of my first invention.