***Arc 6 One Who Pierced Through, Chapter 137 Jarea Gashea***
“...This is the weapon Krische was making."
In the underground laboratory of the royal palace――Selene approached the iron doll with trepidation.
The body was nearly eight shaku (~2.4 m) tall.
Its build was larger than the large Granmeld and Kolkis, probably because of its body made of iron.
Even in its skeletal state, it had an oddly intimidating appearance.
When Krische flashed the transmitter, the iron doll suddenly dropped to its knees before Serene's eyes,
“Hg!?”
Surprised Selene immediately jumped back.
It was just a consideration to make it easier to see the whole, but Selene's hand was hanging on the sword on her left hip because of her surprise.
Krische looked at Selene, exasperated at that excessive reaction.
"... what are you doing?"
"S-shut up, I was just a little surprised."
Blushing embarrassedly, Selene approached the iron doll again.
Eruga also looked more serious than usual, wrinkling his eyebrows and looking at each part of the iron doll.
Somehow the presence of something evil emanating from him.
The frightened Anne slowly hides behind Elvena's back and grabs her sleeve, and Elvena glanced at her unreliable senior with a troubled face.
Although she knew that Eluga was probably not a bad person, Elvena was also afraid of him.
"So the orders is sent with that magic crystal. Is it a pattern of short and long emission?"
Kreschenta, who seemed to have understood the principle immediately, snuggled up to her sister and entwined her arms.
It was her pretext to approach her sister rather than her question.
Once she understood the principles, even Kreschenta could easily imagine the rest.
The magic crystal memorized countless patterns, and the magic crystal on the head, which acted as the control tower, transmitted the information to each part according to those patterns――then, as long as there was magic power through mutual communication, a certain action would be repeated until another order was given.
She was impressed with her idea of using magic by sending out magic, but that was all.
There was no surprise in her like in the others.
“It’s pika piika (glint gliint).
"...umm?"
"Pika (glint), pikaaa (glinttt) (short and long wave), is how the orders are send, so Krische gave it a name that is easy to understand. Please call it Pika Piika (glint gliint) from now on."
Rather, what surprised her was the naming sense.
She knew that Krische’s naming sense was devastating, but her sister's sense was literally equivalent to that of a little girl (kid).
Kreschenta’s cheeks twitched.
“I-is that so...”
"Krische named this iron doll Jaragasha. Fufun, it's a good name right."
Her older sister who said that proudly.
Kreschenta’s cheeks twitched and she looked at Serene, asking what should we do.
Selene looked back to Kreschenta as if saying ‘do something about it’, and Kreschenta’s brilliant mind went into a never seen before full speed――searching in her own database.
And she clapped her hand.
"T-that's a nice name. Jarea Gashea——Yes, it's a very nice name."
"...? Um, the pronunciation is a bit strange...it’s Jaragas——"
“The Iron of Victory… It’s rugged, but also a very gallant name.
Pretending that she couldn't hear her older sister's words, Kreschenta looked at Selene.
From the pronunciation, she applied it to random words in ancient language in her knowledge.
Jarea is to defeat, superior, excellent.
Gashea is one that is dull and shiny, ore (mineral, crystal).
They are often translated as Victory and Iron, respectively, which aren't a bad, even if not great name for this iron doll.
"Jara——Jarea Gashea, that's an unusually good name, Krische, I'll give you a compliment for this one."
Selene nodded to Kreschenta, who had invented a name that sounded all right.
She glanced at the craftsmen as if glaring at them.
"... You guys think so too, don't you?"
"Y-yes ma’am! I think it's a wonderful name. Jarea Gashea...what a gallant name."
A farce that suddenly began.
The soldiers felt that their Lord’s hope, to whom they had just pledged their allegiance, was being distorted, but they could not resist the flow. The men, as if it was already arranged beforehand, said to each other that Jarea Gashea was a good name.
Krische was ‘huh?’ tilted her head and opened her mouth.
"Um, it's not Jarea, it’s——"
"Onee-sama, rather than that it seems that the two of them want to know about this ability."
"Um... Hmmm, somehow...muuu..."
Blatant. It was a complete misdirection.
As expected even Krische started to doubts it, but Selene intervenes.
"That’s true, rather than the name, I wonder what the purpose is. We have to think about various things such as cost, deployment, and production, so I'd like Krische to explain that first. Can you do that for me?? ”
Selene approached Krische to cheer her up and stroked his head.
"Ehehe... that's true."
Krische was shy and was easily deceived.
"Jaragasha is a weapon for short-term decisive battles aimed at breaking through enemy lines."
The large wooden board by the wall was covered with a cloth, and Krische drew a diagram on it with charcoal while standing on a box.
The lines of battle facing each other are drawn, with the enemy army on top and her own army on the bottom. A battlefield with the same number of soldiers was depicted with symbols.
“Basically, it is placed in front of the battle line. It can be said that it is a weapon that specializes in disrupting and breaking through the enemy line of battle by having them charge ahead of the soldier’s assault. It can't get hurt or die from arrows, that it can be handled roughly, is probably one of its advantage.”
‘It outperforms the armored cavalry in that regard’, Krische continued.
“As you can see, it’s heavy, so it’s not good with a loose foothold, but you can use heavy weapons for that, and even if you us it to rush in like Woof Woof, you can knock down the enemy’s heavy infantry. A long spear is meaningless in front of this weight, , and even in a battle with the same or inferior numbers of troops, it will be possible to defeat them head-on if you have a certain number of them.”
The model for Jaragasha was Granmeld.
Wielding a large iron club, he proceeded to crush the enemy from a top their shield.
From Krische’s point of view, it was a violent and forceful way of fighting, but that was enough to deal with the common soldiers. If they were simply competing on the number of kills, Granmeld was overwhelmingly more efficient than Krische’s fighting style.
The idea that it would be easier if there were a whole bunch of Woof Woof was at the root of the direction of this iron doll, the direction in which it was headed.
Jaragasha cannot literally fight like Granmeld, and its behavior was patterned to some extent.
Even if detailed instructions are given, it wouldn’t be as flexible as the flesh-and-blood Granmeld.
However, if they put on armor, their total weight is equivalent to that of five adult men--with their weight far exceeding that of a man, their monstrous strength, and their simple armored strength, common soldiers who just readied themselves in a line of battle were no match.
This is made with the simple idea that skill and responsiveness should be compensated for by with pure basic body’s strength.
“By filling the heart of the chest with magic power, the will be about a koku and a half (~3 hours) in combat maneuvers. Of course, you can simply increase the operating time by adding spare magic crystals but considering that each one requires about three magic possessors, the cost efficiency is not compatible with the current situation.”
"...a koku and a half. That's short."
“We can make it longer, but it will reduce performance during combat maneuvers. This is only for a short-term decisive battle――”
Krische answered Selene while writing on the diagram.
"It's not meant for skirmishes, it's meant to crush enemy lines with a single blow. If it’s first move is definitely successful, then its role is over, and if the first move is successful, then we win, so we don't have to worry too much about how to dispose of the remaining soldiers.
"That way of thinking.... I guess it's like an elephant that is handled in the south."
A huge monster, twice the height of a man, with a long snout and tusk.
She had never seen the real thing, but she had heard that such creatures were used in the South.
“That’s right. Krische think they are similar in operation. Krische think this one is more flexible, and feels it is superior in terms of maintenance, transportation, and defense.”
There are detailed records of elephants in the time of the Gravareine.
Its intimidating appearance terrifies the soldiers, and its superhuman strength mowed down the battle lines.
They had tough, thick skin that could not be pierced by a spear without full strength from the waist, and it was considered foolhardy to challenge them head-on in battle.
However, it seems to be a timid creature by nature, and it is not nimble or smart.
Once they started running, they could only go straight and immediately ran away.
The way to deal with them had also been established make a path for them to run, and to thrust spears and arrows at them from the side, which was a well-developed strategy.
The mighty general of the south, Dagren Garka, seems to have fought with it several times, and she remembered hearing him brag about it at a dinner party at some point.
"Hmm... interesting. But wouldn't it be tough for it to deal with magic possessor? ”
Eluga, who finished observing the iron doll――Jaragasha, asked Krische.
"It will be tough when the opponent is on Woof Woof’s level. But this is to break through the battle line, and that’s not its purpose, so it doesn't matter. The purpose is against the general soldiers who make up the battle line."
‘besides’, Krische continued.
"Right now it's just the skeleton, but after this we'll wrap it in cloth to make it thicker, and cover it with sheet metal armor. It's very strong against shocks, and it's sturdy because it can wear armor that's thicker than normal. If it's an opponent with a low degree of magical power, it can easily defeat them. …If it’s just to defeat Selene, it might be able to do it if Krische tired her best, it doesn’t seem like Selene’s skill can cut moving iron.”
“Y-You know...”
Selene, who felt as though her skill was being casually criticized, glared at her in half exasperation.
There are only a handful of people in this world who could bisect their enemy along with their plate armor.
With the exception of superhumans like Kolkis, she was confident that she was quite strong, and it was somewhat unreasonable to be compared to them.
Krische was just stating the fact.
Krische’s cheeks were pinched as she tilted her head curiously, wondering if she had said something funny, and Eluga, seeing this, smiled pleasantly.
"Kuku, I see. Well, it's true that with heavy armor like that, there are only a few people who can take on opponents...even without thinking about it, it won’t be a problem huh?"
"Uh... that's right. Basically, it won't stop unless the heart or the magic crystal in the head, which is the control tower, is broken, so even if such an opponent were to target it, it would probably work a little."
Krische answered while rubbing the cheek that was pulled by Selene.
It hurts a little, but she recognized that pinching and pulling her cheek is also Selene's way of showing affection.
While puffing out her cheeks, Cliché seemed to be subtly happy, and Kreschenta, next to her, was puzzled by her older sister's reaction to being pinched on the cheek, which she doesn't understand, and was worried about her future.
Only a pervert would be pleased by something painful.
Asserting that it was all the red-haired servant's fault, Kreschenta reached out and rubbed her older sister's cheek.
“The weak point is the head huh… I guess it’s easy to understand.”
“It can’t be helped here because it needs to be exposed to some extent in order to distinguish between friends and foes. Krische made it taller to make it less vulnerable to attacks, and it’s quite fast, so Krische doesn’t think it will be a problem to some extent.”
"Fast? This"
"Decent"
Krische said that and held up the transmitter――Pika Piika (glint gliint).
The head core of the iron figure emited light,
"Hg...!?"
At that moment, with surprising agility, it charged toward Krische.
A thunderous roar and wind noise shook the basement.
――A fist pierced slightly to the left of Krische’s well-organized face.
“Hoh ...... this fast, that's more than I expected.”
Eluga smiled wickedly.
Selene was surprised, but she certainly agrees with Eluga.
Despite being huge, its speed is not much different from that of a magic possessor.
"Useful... or rather, it's amazing. This size and this speed... If mass-produced, we will have an overwhelming advantage over other countries..."
“I agree. The problem on the battlefield is that it is so revolutionary, how do we incorporate it into our tactics?”
"... that's right"
Elvena, who was behind Krische, leaned back, and Anne pulled her back and hugged Elvena――the two of them supported each other and made the character of人 (person).
Selene looked at them with pity.
Basically, Krische lacked consideration.
“…Putting aside Krische, it seems to be difficult for other people to handle. Even from the General's point of view, I feel uneasy about suddenly entrusting it with the front row, and it will take some time before the soldiers accept it."
"Hmm, the mechanism itself is simple, and if it starts moving, it will automatically do the work but."
"Test operations is important, Krische. It may be perfect and very useful in your head, but it might not be that way other people."
Selene put her hand to her chin and looked at the distorted iron figure.
"It took decades for the usefulness of ranks, which are now common knowledge, to be recognized, and even things that are easy to understand, such as stone throwers, became popular in the form of test operations, and everyone was made aware of their abilities. Military personnel in particular are conservative because they value experience."
An era when personal prowess was considered the most important thing.
The small tribe that was the origin of Alberan could be said to be weak, and if anything, they were on the side of being exploited by other tribes, but they possessed wisdom and skills that were second to none.
They shot out at the enemy heroes with well-coordinated arrows, lined up their shields and unleashed their spears, and built fortresses to keep them at bay.
They found a way to defeat the enemy tribe, which should be called a pack, through tactics, and in the blink of an eye, they swallowed up the smaller tribes around them.
Even if they felt the usefulness of their tactics, other tribes could not accept it due to their pride and perished――warriors are sometimes paralyzed by honor and pride, and die clinging to old ideas rather than new principles and order.
This was not a rare occurrence, but a common occurrence.
There will probably be a fair amount of people who show disgust at this ‘innovative and amazing weapon created by Krische’ that could deprive warriors of their place of activity.
The possibility of problems arising from this was foreseeable.
Since Krische had no such imagination, Selene and the other had to be careful to avoid any negative consequences, and they had to carefully lay the groundwork for the project.
"That's why my father was having trouble establishing the General Staff Department. Even if it's inefficient, no one wants their status and power to be reduced. This is certainly a wonderful thing, but there will always be complaints from those who have risked their lives to make a name for themselves. …On the battlefield, where the heroes fight, ‘How can we let a doll like this lead the way in the battle of warrior’——some people will complain.”
"...Krische doesn't understand."
"Hmm... let’s see..."
Selene thought for a moment and raised her finger.
"Suppose you could create a doll that is very good at cooking, what would you think if that doll took the job of cooking from Krische or Bery?"
"As if some puppet could take Krische and Bery’s——”
"...It’s just a hypothetical. Think in terms of what ifs.”
Krische thought for a moment and replied that she might not like it.
Selene nodded in satisfaction.
"That’s probably how they will feel. That's why we need a little consideration and time for that kind of thing... Look, don't sulk. I'm not saying that this child is no good."
Selene tugged at Krische’s cheek, who pouted her lips.
Krische was a little unhappy, as she seemed to think she was being criticized.
"It’s not like I’m specifically talking about this kid, at least I and Assistant Faren think they're very useful. Personally, I would like to put mass-produce it immediately, train personnel and build a production system as soon as possible, but…”
Selene looked at Kreschenta.
“Unlike school-related, it seems like it will cost a lot of money. Donations will be collected for school, so there won’t be a problem on that side but… Onee-sama, what is the production cost?”
"Hmm... it's the first one, so it's pretty expensive. Pump――"
"Onee-sama, I don't need to convert it into pumpkins, so please tell me the amount."
Unlike her older sister, Kreschenta wasn't familiar with the current pumpkin market, and she's not interested.
She cut it short beforehand, exasperated.
‘Even though Krische made it’, she sat down on a random chair and put Kreshenta on her lap.
The soldiers were perplexed by the fact that Krische had just put the Queen on her lap, but they weren't particularly upset because of it was Krische.
“If you add up the cost of this alone, it will be 3 small gold coins and 4 Penets silver coins. From now on, we will reduce the number of extra parts, and if we continue to order from the place we ordered, Krische think it will be reduced to around three small gold coins.”
"Oh, it's quite cheap, isn't it?"
Kreschenta was a little embarrassed by such gazes, but she couldn't reject Krische.
She blushed slightly, but she didn't show any particular reaction, and acted like it was natural.
"Since it's the cost price, Krische didn't include the labor cost of the craft team."
From the Krische’s point of view, this was also a luxury item, but even so, most of it was for the processing cost of the magic crystal and iron.
It takes a lot of time and effort to make it purely by forging an iron bar, and there was also the raw number of magic crystals. Since it was not a purchase for private use, Krische thought that it was inevitable as an expense.
Whether it is a few swords or leather armor that he lends to his soldiers, the cost was trivial compared to the amount of money that the military swallows on a daily basis, from paychecks and rations to everything else.
It was a small price to pay considering the low cost of maintenance and the fact that one of them could match dozens of the best soldiers in the army.
As a military man, Krische also has a proper sense of propriety in this area.
"Finally, how many do you need for one army?"
“…That’s right. In the end, Krische is thinking about 10 per corp, so 40. Putting aside that the production cost is quite high, and the maintenance cost itself, it takes three magic possessor to replenish it, so that's the realistic limit."
Krische hugged Kreschenta waist saying, ‘It's still a bit difficult at the moment.’
“For the time being, I’m thinking of deploying about 10 of them in Krische’s army and using them until some sort of system is in place.
"That's fine. Just like Selene said, it's easier for Krische to do various things and prove its abilities in actual combat."
Kreschenta, seemingly having given up worrying about her appearance, grabbed Krische’s hand and played with it.
Two lovely girls――they were too out of place in this cold basement.
“If there is no problem with the craftsmen, please tell them that there will be long-term orders from the kingdom later. It will probably make it a little cheaper, and the craftsmen will be enthusiastic.”
"Yeah, understand."
“It might be better for the country to put a little more effort into securing magic possessor. There are people who are researching magic crystals, and we need to think about how to select the best ones from among the citizens... Once the royal palace is settled down, I will think of various ways to improve efficiency."
Kreschenta looked up at Krische with expectant eyes, and Krische patted her little sister on the head.
The younger sister happily rubbed her cheek against her older sister's modest chest.
Although it was under the direct control of Krische, Selene wrapped her hair around her fingertips and sighed, exasperated at Kreschenta, who easily threw away her appearance as a queen in front of the soldiers.
As long as she was being pampered by Krische like this, this queen was also an innocent child――at least it wouldn’t give off any bad impression.
“For the time being, is it okay to proceed this way?”
"Yes, I trust Onee-sama more than anyone else regarding this kind of thing. If that Onee-sama says it's useful, it's also useful for me... I don't have the option not to proceed."
"Haa, is that so?"
‘Of course, we might have to wait for various reasons though’ Kreschenta continued.
"For the time being, it will be Onee-sama personal thing. However, in the future, I will move with the idea of deploying it for the entire army under the initiative of the Kingdom. Selene-sama and Assistant Marshal Faren will also think about that and consider various things in that regard. Onee-sama is not good at such details."
"Well, that’s how it is. I'll think about it."
"Yes ma’am understood."
The Iron Machine Soldier that ruled the world for hundreds of years after that――its prototype.
Jarea Gashea was born quietly in the basement of the Royal Palace.
"... Um, now that the conversation is over and has calmed down, it's about the name... but Krische think it's a little weird after all. What Krische said was Jaragasha, not Jare——"
"Krische, you're done with your work for the time being, aren't you? Isn't it time to go home and have tea with Bery?"
"Ah, right, it’s almost time... hmm? Uhh...?"
Hundreds of years later――the process of its birth was described in many books, from memoirs and scholarly books to entertainment novels, with imaginative influences.
"What's wrong? We were also thinking of taking a break at the estate today, so why don't we go together? How about you, Faren?"
"Y... yes, of course, if you will have me."
"Um, somehow... muu..."
Jaragashan.
The true origin of the name was never written.
