Chapter 22

After that day, Miss Demon Lord practically floated back to her room. The applause of the people, the congratulations of her companions, and above all, Charlo's praise... it all left her feeling lightheaded and surreal.

Not long after, a telephone was installed in her home, though she rarely had any use for it.

Then, the first time she actually used it, it was because Charlo called.

There was an urgent meeting. She was summoned to Ironwood Keep.

It was strange, really. The castles of other nobles were either grim military fortresses or luxurious residential manors. Charlo’s Ironwood Keep was neither.

It possessed the high walls and arrow towers of a fortress, yet it also had the spacious courtyards of a manor. Inside, there were many buildings, but most were converted into offices where the Ministry of Internal Affairs operated day and night.

Charlo reserved only a small section of the complex for himself, Lawrence, and the maids, along with a few guest rooms.

Speaking of which, Charlo was a man in his prime. Yet, not only was he unmarried, but judging by the demeanor of the maids in the castle, he didn't even have a mistress. He lived like an ascetic monk, dedicated entirely to his work.

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The War Room.

When Clyris arrived, she found Mr. Speer, the Minister of Industry, and Davis, the Minister of Military Affairs, already there.

They were huddled around a strange weapon. It sat on a tripod mount like a small cannon but lacked wheels. Unlike a cannon with a single large barrel, this device was composed of a bundle of smaller tubes clustered together.

Seeing Clyris enter, they greeted her briefly before diving back into their heated discussion.

Clyris knew little about these kinetic weapons. Although she had diligently studied the academic materials Charlo gave her, it had only been two months. She hadn't even finished half the introductory textbooks and often had to ask Alice for help. Their technical jargon was completely over her head.

She caught fragments of words—magazine, ammo belt, drum, AP, HEAP, .50 Caliber—but to Clyris, it was all gibberish.

However, she understood the gist: This was a gun. It had an insanely high rate of fire and a terrifyingly long range.

A moment later, Charlo and Lawrence entered together. Speer and Davis immediately ceased their discussion and stood at attention.

"Gentlemen, this is Viscount Baroque's ultimatum."

This was the first sentence Charlo spoke after placing a scroll on the table.

"What?" Clyris asked in surprise. "What is going on?"

The other three men showed no surprise. Davis simply leaned forward and asked, "How long until the war starts?"

"They gave us one month," Charlo said, taking his seat at the head of the table.

Davis immediately unfurled a large tactical map. He traced the locations with his finger and smirked. "One month. From the territory of Viscount Murray—the furthest enemy—to the border of Ironwood takes half a month of marching. It seems they haven't finished dividing the spoils yet. They need another round of bickering before they attack."

"Correct. 'Nightingale' reports that Viscount Baroque hosted a banquet for four other Viscounts and ten Barons. It seems they truly intend to carve us up amongst themselves this time." Charlo tapped his finger rhythmically on the table.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Clyris slammed her hand on the table, standing up. "What is the situation? Why is a war breaking out so suddenly?"

"To cut off a man's livelihood is akin to murdering his parents," Charlo replied with a nonchalant smile.

"What does that mean?" She still didn't understand.

"Do you know the volume of Ironwood's external trade? Do you know what our main exports are?" Charlo asked her.

Clyris shook her head. How could she, a recluse who spent every day in a laboratory, know about commercial affairs?

"Since the creation of the Mana Engine, Ironwood has satisfied its own internal needs while exporting nearly ten thousand Large Silver Coins' worth of goods every month. Lumber, stone, blades, glass, porcelain... and most importantly—Refined Salt!"

Charlo explained patiently, "The products we sell are far superior in quality to anything else on the market, and our prices are cheaper. Consequently, more than half of the nobles in the Eastern Border have switched to purchasing Ironwood goods. Viscount Baroque and his clique run businesses in the same sectors. As people buy from us, they stop buying from them."

"They are unwilling to be driven out of the market, but they lack the capability to compete with our technology. Therefore, their only option is to join forces and 'physically' reclaim the market share."

"I see..." With Charlo's explanation, Clyris understood instantly. These nobles were jealous. It was a good old-fashioned robbery.

"With one month..." Speer began calculating aloud. "If the factories run on a three-shift rotation without stopping, we can produce 15 150mm Howitzers, 18 125mm Howitzers, 20 75mm Field Guns, and for the 120mm Heavy Mortars and 80mm Mortars... 40 and 90 respectively."

"That is enough coverage," Charlo nodded, then adjusted the order. "Pause the production of the 125mm Howitzers and 120mm Heavy Mortars. Reallocate those lines to produce the 200mm Heavy Siege Howitzers. How many can we make in a month?"

"Ah... let me calculate. If we pause those two lines..." Speer thought for a moment. "We can only produce three."

"Hmm... three should be enough," Charlo mused. "So, in one month, our total heavy firepower will include 5 200mm Heavy Siege Howitzers, 25 150mm Howitzers, 30 75mm Field Guns, and 140 80mm Mortars."

"Our enemies—five Viscounts and ten Barons. They won't commit every single soldier they have, so we can estimate the opposition force to be: Five 6th-Rank Knights, fifteen to twenty 5th-Rank Knights, over forty 4th-Rank Knights, and roughly twenty standard Knight Squads. Plus an unknown number of mages and mortal slave armies."

Charlo let out a sigh. "Heh. This will not be an easy fight."

"But we are not weak either, My Lord!" Davis interjected with conviction. "Over the past two months, our standing army has completed its restructuring and expansion! We currently have 2,000 Infantry, 1,500 Cavalry, 1,000 Artillerymen, 1,500 Reserve Recruits, and the 1,000-man Assault Unit."

"So..." Clyris looked at Charlo. "Is it really happening?"

"Ah, yes. War is coming," Charlo said calmly. "Just as I promised you back then. It’s just that your arrival accelerated my timeline."

He promised... back then?

Clyris paused for a long moment before remembering the bold declaration he made during their first meeting—that he would unify the East.

She had assumed he meant years down the line. She hadn't expected the first step to be taken so quickly.

In that case, I really did speed up his plans significantly...

"Then, what do you need me to do?" Clyris asked finally.

"Naturally, this war concerns everyone in Ironwood. I need everyone to do their duty!" Charlo looked at her with a steely gaze.

"I need you to lead the entire Magic Research Department to the garment factories. For this entire month, your task is to engrave Magical Shield Runes onto every single soldier's uniform! Within one month, prepare a protective shield for every soldier. Can you do it?"

"Leave it to me!" Clyris accepted the mission without hesitation. "I will make sure it is done!"