Chapter 51: The World Begins to Stir

About a month has passed since we drove off those fools.

I managed to succeed in my diet and return to my original figure, and fortunately, the weather hasn't been too rough. It's been a remarkably peaceful time.

Lately, though, beastkin and others have started flowing in again.

It seems word has spread among them about the forest kingdom—the Kingdom of Moonforest. Apparently, they’re coming here seeking refuge, treating it as their last hope. Of course, as the number of people increases, so does the need for food and shelter. But in winter, it's not like we can do much moving around.

So, with no other choice, Master urgently created weather-resistant magical tools and is now working alongside the villagers to expand the settlement.

At the same time, weapon production has also begun—looks like the cheat mode has fully kicked in. So far, there's been no response from Forritz, but there's a certain disturbing rumor that’s drifted in on the wind—one that smells of rot—suggesting their army is starting to move in secret… War will probably break out in earnest by spring.

…Killing each other really does wear on the soul.

“At the very least, I don’t intend to let anyone on our side die.”

That's what Master boldly declared, so I’m not overly worried.

“We, too, wish to fight alongside His Highness.”

“Thank you. With your support, we’ll be a hundred times stronger.”

A little ways out from the village, in a mansion separated by a barrier.

Here in what Master refers to as the “embassy,” key members of the newly gathered supporters of Prince Arakis, the elder brother, were meeting face-to-face.

At first, everyone looked at Master, still young as a king, with suspicion. But once he casually obliterated a giant monster that happened to attack, they all stared into the distance and stopped with the disrespectful attitudes. Gunboat diplomacy really is effective, isn’t it?

Since Lulu is still recovering from her injuries, Yuria and I dressed in maid outfits to stand behind Master and assist him. …Though, “recovering” might be a stretch—Riara gave her a clean bill of health a few days ago, so it’s mostly rehab to get her sluggish body back into shape.

It was pretty hilarious watching her, the moment she got the “you can do it” sign from our eternally angry, loli-baba doctor, turn into a ravenous predator and leap on Master like some wild beast.

Anyway, things on our side are coming together nicely. Of course, we still can't trust the people from Forritz, but so far, it doesn’t seem like anyone suspicious has slipped in.

“Your Majesty Shuya, we’re deeply grateful for your continued support. We humbly ask for your ongoing cooperation.”

“Yes. Let’s take back the kingdom together.”

With that final exchange between Master and what seemed to be the leader of the group, the meeting wrapped up. After seeing the supporters off, we headed back to the village to check on the weapons facility. No rest for the busy.

“Well then, Your Highness, we’ll be heading to the village for the inspection.”

“Understood.”

After bowing to Arakis, I followed Master as he swept his cloak dramatically and left the temporary embassy. The three of us walked together through the snowy path, loosening up our stiff bodies.

“These formalities are exhausting…”

“Truly…”

“Everything else is easy by comparison—hang in there.”

Getting my head gently patted seemed to lift Yuria’s spirits a bit, but me? Not at all. I demand sweets and rest. My body craves idleness. Let me slack off!!

Even as I screamed that inside, I obediently kept walking and eventually arrived at the workshop, which stays warm even in winter. Just then, a dwarf uncle came out holding what looked like a prototype metal cylinder.

“Oh! Ain’t that Shu-boy? I’ve been waitin’ for ya.”

He may technically be the king, but this isn’t a stiff, formal country, so I guess it’s fine to be casual. More importantly, I’m really curious about what that man is holding. If I’m not mistaken…

“Old man, is it finally ready?”

“Yup. Same firing rate, improved durability. Was a pain in the ass, but I pulled it off.”

What Master accepted directly from him was… yep, a rifle. Thank you very much, truly.

…Wait, why am I saying thanks in my head?

“What the hell is that thing…”

“My lady, what is that?”

He probably didn’t bring in a real-world rifle mechanism, but still. This is way too overpowered. His talk of ‘no casualties on our side’ is starting to sound legit.

“I think it’s a weapon called a gun.”

“More precisely, it’s a magic gun. You load it with bullets imbued with magic, and you can fire off spells without using your own mana. The bullets are being adjusted so that even regular mages can make them, but for now, Riara and I will be handling production.”

A fusion of magic and science. If this leaks, the balance of power in the world could collapse overnight.

“That ‘mini-gun’ thing Shu-boy mentioned? Got a prototype of that too.”

“Knew I could count on you, old man. Perfect.”

Heheh, Master’s absolutely ready to go full murder mode. Though… we do plan to rule the people of that country afterward, so please try not to overdo the killing. It’s not great for mental health, either.

“‘Mini-gun’… that’s kind of a cute name, huh.”

“It is, isn’t it? The name sounds cute. The name, at least.”

Earth's version isn’t just cute—it’s a wonderfully kind weapon that doesn’t even make enemies feel pain.

“Mind giving it a test fire?”

“Yeah, leave it to me.”

Led by a slightly too-excited Master, we headed behind the workshop, where preparations already seemed mostly complete.

He aimed the rifle at a target shaped like a suit of armor. With a bang that rippled through the air, a flash of light burst forward.

Apparently, when the trigger is pulled, an explosive-type spell activates and fires a magic stone infused with the bullet’s spell.

The magic stone flew too fast to see, hit the target, and exploded in a burst of light. A blast followed immediately after, denting and flinging the armor away and leaving a crater in the ground. Since there was no fire, it was probably wind magic, right?

“Accuracy’s fine, but the firepower might be a bit much.”

“Looks like it. I’ll tune it down.”

While Yuria stood stunned, the next weapon was rolled out—something placed on a stand, its multiple iron barrels arranged in a circle.

To put it bluntly, it looked like a gatling gun. The mounted weapon turned toward a big boulder nearby.

“Everyone, cover your ears!”

As we stepped back and blocked our ears, magic circles formed along the barrels. The gun began to rotate with a mechanical whir, and three layered circles extended outward like a targeting sight. Then, it roared—blasting continuous bursts of explosive magic.

Even with my ears covered, it felt like my eardrums were going to burst.

The barrage of magical bullets tore the boulder to shreds, blew away the trees behind it, churned up the earth, and sent clouds of soil into the air.

When the firing finally stopped and the dust cleared, a long, scarred path—like a tornado had passed through—stretched out for hundreds of meters.

All the dwarves and beastkin nearby stood frozen, mouths agape. No one said a word.

“Master… who exactly did you think you’d be fighting with this?”

I asked, and Master, looking awkward, scratched his cheek and answered sheepishly.

“People… in heavy armor?”

“That’s absolutely going to leave them worse than minced meat!!”

This goes way beyond not feeling pain—they’d be vaporized!

“Massacres like this are just too much, you know.”

“I agree.”

There’s a limit to intimidation tactics.

Yes, this is technically a counterattack against invaders, but on paper, we're just "supporting a royal succession dispute." Reducing an entire unit in full armor to mush is definitely overkill—it’ll haunt us later.

As we exited the workshop, Master lowered his shoulders, muttering something about needing to rein it in. Meanwhile, Yuria, still staring off into the distance, quietly murmured, “…That wasn’t cute at all.”

It turns out that Master and the workshop craftsmen, now riding high on momentum, had been churning out magic swords and all sorts of other weapons.

Seems like our biggest concern is going to be overdoing it.

Time passed, more people arrived, and preparations continued steadily. Eventually, the snow melted, marking the end of winter.

It was right around then that the Kingdom of Forritz finally began to move in earnest.

◇◆ADVENTURE RESULT◆◇
【EXP】
—Experience gained over time
◆【Sora Lv.88】+30
◆【Lulu Lv.36】+5
◆【Yuria Lv.35】+40

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Sora Lv.92 [927] → Lv.95 [957] <<Level Up!!
Lulu Lv.36 [366] → Lv.37 [371] <<Level Up!!
Yuria Lv.35 [351] → Lv.39 [391] <<Level Up!!

【RECORD】
[MAX COMBO] >> 40
[MAX BATTLE] >> 40

【PARTY-1 (Main)】
[Shuya] [Lv105] HP 2700/2700 MP 3560/3560 [Normal]
[Sora] [Lv95] HP 65/65 MP 1655/1655 [Normal]
[Lulu] [Lv37] HP 800/835 MP 40/40 [Normal]
[Yuria] [Lv39] HP 2040/2040 MP 90/90 [Normal]
[Fere] [Lv32] HP 292/292 MP 1050/1050 [Normal]

【PARTY-2 (Sub)】
[Makoto] [Lv75] HP 4500/4500 MP 160/160 [Normal]
[Chris] [Lv15] HP 210/210 MP 20/20 [Normal]

【PARTY-3 (Sub)】
[Riara] [Lv130] HP 850/850 MP 3200/3200

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
【Comments】
"The enemies are pitiful."
"I'm really glad Lord Shuya is on our side."
"I’d been losing confidence, but now I think I might finally trust my taste in men again."
"“(That's kind of heavy...)”"