/

Chapter 17: [STAGE 1] Preparation for War (2)




I shared the information about the current situation with the party members.
Demian and Lily's faces turned pale when they heard that 1000 Living Armors were coming.
Jupiter only exhaled cigarette smoke without a word, and Lucas, who already knew, stayed calm.
“What do you need us to do, Your Highness?”
I nodded at Lucas's question.
“We can’t just wait the three days out. We’ll do everything we can. Starting now, I’ll be giving instructions to each of you.”
First, I looked at Lucas.
“Lucas.”
“Please, I am waiting for your order.”
“I entrust you with the authority to command the troops of Crossroad.”
Lucas was the main character of this game. He is the avatar of the player.
His leadership skills are quite high. He is trustworthy.
"I will do my best."
Lucas bowed his head. I ordered quickly and concisely.
“Crossroad hasn't dealt with a proper invasion in recent years. The soldiers will be lax. You must discipline them.”
“I’ll do as you command.”
“The types of monsters invading us are the Living Armors. They are armored phantoms. Therefore, physical attacks are ineffective against them. Blades are especially useless against them.”
Do ghosts die if you stab them with swords? And you can’t easily stab through armor anyway.
“Change all the weapons of your soldiers to blunts. If that can’t work, make them use wooden sticks.”
What I meant is, change the weapon attribute so the soldiers will be able to inflict damage on the enemies.
In <Empire Defense>, there are three physical attack attributes: Slashing, Striking, and Piercing.
There is no clear advantage between these three, but it would be helpful to have them equipped with the right assortment, at least.
“For the remaining three days, change the equipment and proceed with basic training on blunt weapons.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Alright. I trust you with this one.”
Lucas will take care of this fine by himself. I turned to look at the next party member.
“Next, Lily.”
When I called, Lily who was in her wheelchair, pointed at her legs with a bewildered expression on her face.
“Uhm, Your Highness. As you can see, I can’t really participate in combat…”
Understandable. She just retired because she couldn’t use her legs anymore, but it looked like she was about to fight the monsters again.
“Sorry, Lily. But I need your help so desperately.”
It would be a waste to leave Lily, who has already gathered experience through the tutorial stage and developed her ability as an R-rank unit, alone.
I feel bad, but I still need to use her a bit more.
“But don’t worry too much. You won’t be dispatched on the battlefield.”
“Pardon? Then what will I be doing…?”
“Crossroad hasn’t been under direct invasion in the past few decades.”
It wasn't just the soldiers who became lax. It was the same for defense equipment and facilities in general.
“Many, if not most, of the defense artifacts are dusty and rusty from being stuck in the warehouse. We have to take them all out and fix them.”
I've already instructed the alchemists’ association. By now, the alchemist team should be convening at the munitions warehouse.
“Then I…”
“That’s right. I want you to oversee the repair of the artifacts.”
Fixing the artifacts is still possible only with the alchemists, but it is of course much more effective to have a mage in the actual test.
‘Well, this is just an excuse…”
I was planning on leaving Lily with the general management of the defense artifacts in the future.
She’s a mage, smart and tidy with her work. She was perfect for managing artifacts that could be called the core of the defense equipment.
‘If I leave her the task of oversight of the artifact repair, she will naturally understand the state and characteristics of the artifact.’
After that, it will be natural for her to be seated as the general responsibility.
Sorry to break it to you, Lily. There won’t be such a thing as retirement for you. Your future is to suffer as a civil servant in this city for the rest of your life…
“It doesn’t have to be in its best state. Artifacts that have been fixed to a level that can fire even one shot will be placed on top of the wall.”
“U-understood…”
Lily seemed reluctant but nodded her head. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you a lot.
“Next, Jupiter.”
When I called her name, she immediately put out her cigar.
It’s fine if you kept smoking. You’ll be going through one hell of a ride, so I can overlook that at least.
“Jupiter. I reckon you have already realized, but you will be the core of this defensive battle.”
Jupiter must have known from the moment she heard that the enemies were Living Armors—that she will be working her ass off.
“Living Armors are ‘phantoms’ that wear ‘metalic’ armors. You, who use ‘electric’ type of ‘magic’ will be the perfect counter for them.”
That was the biggest reason why I decided to fight with a standard strategy instead of resorting to any tricks during this stage.
Jupiter, the SR-rank electro wizard.
When it comes to the type of monster called Living Armor, she is truly the counter amongst all counters.
You could even say that my encounter with her is the tiny conscience that this goddamned game has shown me.
“You and your party will be classified as troops for a special operation. All of you will be given a warhorse to ride on… Throughout the defense, you will be in charge of the hit-and-run guerrilla operations. You attack, and your party members guard you.”
“......”
“There’s nothing else for you to prepare. Just work with the party members and rest well until the day of the battle. You will have to run like crazy on that day.”
Jupiter just silently listened to what I said. I nodded my head in a broad motion.
“Show me your skills. Please don’t make me feel like the yearly salary I paid was not worth it.”
“...Could I ask you just one thing, Your Highness?”
Jupiter twirled the cigarette with her long finger and grinned faintly.
“That ‘yearly salary’ you mentioned… Is it renewed every year?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Then if this old mercenary shows you a great performance, it will be raised?”
Jupiter asked, not hiding the greed that gleamed in her one and only eye.
I couldn't help but laugh out loud. This money-hungry old lady truly is something else…
“Of course! I will give you a raise depending on your performance.”
“Then you better start thinking about the raise for next year, Your Highness.”
Jupiter threw the cigar on the floor.
The old electro wizard cracked her fingers that were covered in her gloves.
“You won’t find another mercenary who gets the job done as well as me.”
* * *
[Translator: Dawn ]
[Proofreader: Alissa ]
Join our discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/reapercomics
* * *
Lucas, Lily, and Jupiter set off to do their own thing, as instructed by me.
All that was left at the entrance to the mansion were Demian, Aider, and me. Demian rolled his big brown eyes.
“Uhm, Your Highness. What shall I…”
“Demian.”
I gave a hand gesture to Aider, and Aider immediately brought a brown leather bag. I quickly handed the bag to Demian.
“Take this. I prepared it just for you.”
“Pardon?”
Demian, with a puzzled look, took the bag and held the item inside.
“Is this… a crossbow…?”
“Correct.”
It was an N-rank crossbow that I hastily bought from a weapon merchant.
[Normal Crossbow (N) Lv.10]
- Class: Crossbow
- Attack: 10-15
- Durability: 30/30
- Bonus: None
Even though it was an N-rank item, it was light and had pretty good durability. I also bought three quivers of arrows of good quality and put them in the bag.
“Your role in the future is fixed as a ranged sniper. Healing magic should only be used in an emergency.”
Demian had to abandon his identity as a healer in the future and establish himself as a sniper.
Of course, there will be dissonance. The only skill set that Demian will learn in the future is healing magic, which has nothing to do with sniping.
He must also abandon the fighting style as a healer that he learned throughout his life.
It will be a tough road for him.
However, his trait, [Thousand-Mile Eyes], was definitely worth the inconvenience. It is officially the most broken trait in the entire game.
“...I’ll try.”
Demian carefully placed the staff he had in his hands on the floor and grabbed the crossbow I handed to him in both his hands.
“If it’s your order, Your Highness.”
His pose holding the crossbow is somewhat sloppy, but considering how well he shot with the mana cannon, I know he’ll get used to this pretty quickly.
“What happened to your glasses? Have you decided to take them off?”
“Yes.”
There were no glasses on Demian’s eyes. It seems that he decided to discard them completely after they broke in the last battle.
“To be honest, I was wearing random glasses in order to deliberately limit my eyesight, since it was too good…”
“Huh.”
“But now that I need this eyesight, I decided to not wear glasses.”
Demian smiled shyly.
Bold kid. I also smiled as I patted Demian on his shoulder.
“It’s very fortunate. I was worried because of the overlapping glasses characteristiiics…”
“Can you keep your mouth shut, please?”
Growling at Aider cleared my throat.
“Aider and I will be heading off to instruct defense preparations. Demian, you can practice using that crossbow by yourself, or…”
“I’ll follow Your Highness!”
Before I even offered him to come with me, he quickly shouted.
“Sir Knight… I mean since Sir Lucas is not with you, allow me to guard you, Your Highness!”
“......”
Guard. Guarding, huh? To be honest, it looks like I should be the one guarding you.
I nodded since I was going to bring him with me in the first place.
“Alright. Let’s head off. First, we’ll go see the castle walls.”
* * *
Crossroad is a fortified city with walls on all four sides, but the southern wall especially is thicker than the other walls.
It is only natural since the southern wall is where the monsters from the south usually attack.
When Demian, Aider, and I arrived at the southern wall, the blacksmith and stonemason guild gave an awkward salute.
“W-w-welcome, Your Highness!”
“Y-y-yes I am here. How is the castle wall?”
“I-it’s not that great. It’s been neglected for quite some time…”
The two union presidents glanced at the iron plate with cracks in the corner of the fortress wall.
I turned back and growled at Aider.
“If the name of this city is the Fortress City, then shouldn’t the repairs on the castle walls be the basics of the basics? Why did you leave this place to be like this?”
“Because we didn’t have the fundsss…”
Aider gave an awkward smile.
“Since the appearance of the monsters decreased, the production of magic crystals also decreased. So the former castle lord reduced the budget to exclude the parts that were not in extreme need of repair…”
“The purpose and the means are reversed in that case…”
It's a fortress built to prevent monsters, but its function as a fortress was lowered due to the low income. How contradicting is that?
I shouted at the production workers.
“You can use whatever budget and materials you have. Reinforce and repair it to the extent that it feels a bit excessive. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“Get to work now! No time to waste! The monsters are approaching even now!”
The blacksmiths stuck to the wall hurriedly added iron plates and pounded their hammers.
The steel collided and made a pleasant sound. Clank! Clank! Clank!
You can earn money later, but if you lose your life, it’s all over.
As I have experienced so many cases of sparing resources and dying, I had no intention of sparing funds on the defensive facilities.
“Cannonballs and arrows? Do we have enough in stock?”
When I asked a question while examining the cannons and ballistae installed on the wall, Aider answered immediately.
“We didn’t have enough, so I bought as many as the merchants had in stock. Everything will be stationed here.”
“Shouldn’t the moat be filled with holy water? Why is it still dry?”
“I’ve contacted the temple and they are on the wayy!”
I pushed my index finger at Aider and threatened him.
“Don’t save any money and fill’em up fully. In the future, if I hear that there is a shortage of supplies, you will be the first to die, you got that?”
“I’ll make sure that never happens, Your Highness!”
Aider wrapped his hands around his neck and shouted.
After clicking my tongue a few times, I looked around the fortress wall that was being repaired once more, and then went down.
* * *
Next, we headed to the wood workshop.
As I entered the workshop, the wood piled up like a mountain and the dozens of carpenters waiting looked at me all at once. I clapped loudly.
“I reckon you’ve heard the whole story. Let’s get straight to it since we don’t have much time. What you will be making over the next three days… is a ‘wall’.”
“Pardon?”
“A wall, I said. A wall. This tall thing, y’know? It blocks the way.”
I spread my arms wide and explained the shape of the wall with my body.
“A wall so damn high and durable. A fuckin’ wall.”
“No, of course I know what a wall is, but…”
“That wooden wall will be placed in front of the southern wall. I’ll give you the exact location to place it.”
The carpenters looked at each other. After hesitating for a moment, the carpenters’ union president cautiously opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry to tell you this, Your Highness. But the monsters will easily penetrate through the wooden wall.”
There’s a reason why the walls of the Crossroad were covered with iron plates.
No matter how strong the plywood is, walls made of wood are easily ripped apart by monsters.
“It would be difficult to expect it to function as a wall…”
“What I need is not a strong wall to keep them out forever.”
Why wouldn’t I know that? I’ve cleared the game multiple times.
“What I need is a disposable barricade that will be used and thrown away in this battle.”
A wall as a consumable is what I needed.
A ‘wall for defense games’ that will force the pathing of the monsters.
“You just have to make the wooden wall as tall and strong as possible, as I tell you.”
I commanded the carpenters who were still stunned.
“Now, now. Stop asking questions and get to work!”
The alpha and omega of defense game tactics.
It was time to set up a ‘Kill Zone’.