Though Amidonia’s food self-sufficiency rate was low, it produced a wealth of valuable mineral resources outside of just iron. That happened to include the special metal.
With a stable supply of the necessary metal, I had once again asked Genia to develop a miniaturized version of the Little Susumu Mark V that the wyverns could be equipped with.
“And so, she developed the Little Susumu Mark V Light,” I concluded.
The massive Little Susumu Mark V had been made smaller, lighter, and able to be installed on the back of a wyvern’s saddle. The reason there were two rings was that, with only one, it pulled in riders who got in front of it. In order to prevent that, the rings were positioned to the left and right. Incidentally, when they weren’t in use (when the rider wanted to focus on tight turns, or the wyvern was flapping its wings itself), they could be closed like clam shells. In contrast, when the device was in use (for high-speed, long-range flights), the wyvern could keep its wings fixed in the open position, focusing only on creating lift.
With the invention of the Little Susumu Mark V Light, our country’s wyverns were, as I had hoped, able to outmatch the Empire’s griffon squadrons on everything except turning speed.
When he heard that explanation, the former General of the Air Force, Castor, was deeply impressed. “It’s an incredible invention, yes, but… couldn’t you have done something about that name?”
That was the one thing that disappointed him. I could relate.
“I did at least register it as the Lightweight Maxwellian Propulsion Device,” I said.
“Yeah, I think that’s better.”
That was when I noticed Juna had a gloomy look on her face.
“Hey, what’s wrong, Juna?” I asked.
“Um… are you planning to fight the Empire, sire?” Juna asked worriedly.
Oh… Having heard my explanation, maybe she would think that, huh. It was true, I was using the Empire as my imaginary enemy when developing weapons. You should always prepare for an enemy stronger than yourself, after all. But…
“For as long as Empress Maria of the Gran Chaos Empire stays true to her ideals and stands strong, I don’t think we’ll have a problem,” I said. “I have no intention of fighting against the Empire as it exists now, either.”
“…You don’t?”
“Nope. But… no one knows what the future holds. There’s no guarantee the Empire will stick to its current policies, and it’s possible that another major power other than the Empire may someday rise up to face us. I don’t want to take a naïve view of things, and then be left scrambling when that time comes. That’s why, at all times, I need to assume the worst possible scenario.”
For that, doing things that were like tearing down a stone bridge and replacing it using the newest techniques was just about right. Machiavelli said a prince must always be prepared for changes of fortune, after all.
“You’re assuming the worst possible scenario… I see,” Juna said, and then said no more on the subject.
I was sure she was still feeling uneasy, but in the end, she trusted me. Liscia and Aisha could be the same way sometimes. Roroa was the only one who wouldn’t feel uneasy, and would actually help fuel me.
Honestly… they were all too good for me.
Castor asked, “Earlier, you said this was a testing ground for secret weapons and types of troops, right? I understand the weapon part, but what’s this about a secret type of troop?”
“If you want to know that, we’re going to need to walk a little further,” I answered.
I started to walk, leading the group to our next stop. While we progressed through the open field, the grass suddenly stopped, and the bare ground was exposed. That spot where red clay had been laid down was like sports ground. However, there were no bases for baseball, or goals for soccer. The only things there were were two tents to ward off the sunlight, and one anti-air repeating bolt thrower.
Inside the tent, the fox-eared mage who was now Ludwin’s second-in-command, Kaede Foxia, was deep in conversation with a bunch of people who looked like researchers and engineers.
When we approached, Kaede noticed us, too.
“Why, Your Majesty, and Duchess Excel, too. Welcome,” Kaede said and greeted us with a smile.
“Long time no see,” I answered. “Have you guys been doing well?”
“Yes. Hal and I are both doing well, you know. Oh? Is the princess not with you today?”
“Yeah… This lady here is my partner for today,” I said to her in a whisper, putting my hand on Juna’s lower back and giving her a little push.
Juna took a step forward, then gave Kaede a slight bow of her head. “It’s nice to meet you. I am Juna Doma, formerly of the Navy.”
“Oh, my! You’re the Prima Lorelei, aren’t you?! I’m a fan, you know! Please, let me shake your hand!” Kaede held Juna’s hand with both of her own and shook it up and down. “I never would have known you were in the Navy… Huh? Didn’t His Majesty just say you were his partner…?”
Kaede blinked rapidly, then looked at me.
I had said she was my partner, thinking it would be okay for Kaede to know we were engaged, but it was a little embarrassing having to explain it in my own words. When I looked, Juna had turned a little red, too.
“Um, er, well… That’s how it is,” I said at last.
“…I get it,” Kaede said. “So that’s how it is, huh?”
Looking at both our faces, Kaede, clever girl that she was, connected the dots immediately.
Lowering her voice a little, she asked, “Since it hasn’t been announced yet, I assume this is still a secret, right?”
“I’m glad you pick up on these things quickly,” I whispered back. “Juna’s incredibly popular, after all.”
“Well, that’s true. I think riots might break out if you announced it now, you know.” Kaede was wholly serious.
Well, I knew that, which was why I was trying to shift Juna’s popularity away from that of an idol and into a singer for small children.
“Setting that aside, I’d like to show Excel and the others the new type of troops,” I said.
“I see. In that case, we were just about to carry out a drill, you know.”
With that said, Kaede started giving orders to the nearby engineers. She had them draw a double circle in the middle of the clay field using chalk. Kaede then used her earth-type magic (gravity manipulation) to move the anti-air repeating bolt thrower to the center of that circle. When Kaede finished setting up the anti-air repeating bolt thrower, she came back to where we were.
“Whew! That’s everything set up and ready to go, you know.”
“…Just what’re you about to start here?” Castor asked, and I pointed up into the sky in response.
“If you look up, I think it will quickly become apparent,” I explained.
“Up?”
In the sky we looked up to, there was another formation of wyverns flying by. Up to that point in the description, it was the same as what he had seen before, but this time, the wyverns were carrying something in their hind feet. (Wyverns, unlike dragons, and like birds, had wings instead of front legs.) When the formation of wyverns passed over our heads, they dropped whatever those things were in unison.
Those countless things that had been cast out were falling towards us in a straight line.
The closer they got to the ground, the more their shape gradually became apparent.
They were people. Countless people were falling. What was more, we could tell they were all carrying weapons.
Then, just faintly, we heard their screams.