Chapter 54

Standing by the window, Shemul listened intently to the drumbeats echoing from afar. The rhythm of the drums signified 'raid,' 'failure,' 'enemy,' and 'trap.'

"The raid failed. The enemy had a trap."

At these words, Soma, who was standing behind, seemed to catch his breath.

"…! As I thought. Are Garam and Zugg okay?!"

"Stay calm, Soma. We can't hear the drums."

At Shemul's words, Soma hastily closed his mouth.

The next drumbeat rhythm signified 'retreat,' 'lose,' 'ten,' 'four,' and 'companions.' The rhythm for 'lose' strongly implied that something was lost, rather than a failure. This meant they had retreated but lost something. The 'ten,' 'four,' and 'companions' were likely what they had lost.

"They retreated but lost fourteen companions."

Shemul spoke the content of the drumbeats as calmly as possible, but Soma felt as if he was being reprimanded for not seeing through the enemy's trap, grinding his teeth at his own lack of foresight.

As the drumbeats continued, Shemul doubted his own ears.

Shemul wasn't the only one. The Zoans present, including Zoan, stood up with a serious look and gathered by the window to listen to the drumbeats.

Important information is always drummed twice to ensure it is heard correctly. If it wasn't a mistake, the same drumbeat rhythm should be repeated.

And indeed, the same drumbeat rhythm was repeated.

Shemul almost unconsciously spoke the content of the drumbeats.

"The enemy is a black beast."

"A black beast…?"

Shemul, who had been brought back to his senses by Soma's echoing question, exhaled deeply, as if expelling the anger in his chest. Regaining some composure, he told Soma:

"It's the flag that once defeated the entire Zoan clan alliance army on the plains."

Instead of Soma, who still didn't fully understand, Marclonis changed his expression.

"Is it the flag with a lion's profile embroidered in gold thread on a black background?"

"Lion? If you mean a beast with hair, then yes…"

At Shemul's answer, Marclonis was struck with a shock as if the earth had tilted, and he staggered.

"That flag belongs to General Darius…!"

"General Darius? You know him?"

Despite his intense agitation, Marclonis managed to answer Soma's question.

"How could I not know? He was called the greatest general of Holmea. But, I never thought he would come himself…!"

It was impossible for anyone in the Holmea army to not know General Darius. Marclonis had once wielded a spear under General Darius many times.

However, it was unexpected that General Darius would lead the expeditionary force himself. In battles against long-standing enemies like Romania, it might be different, but recently, for domestic rebellions, he had always recommended younger officers to take command, citing his advanced age. Of course, his advanced age was a pretext; he intended to give the younger officers practical combat experience. But he had assumed it would be the same this time.

"General Darius…"

Soma finally spoke the name of the enemy general he had just learned, savoring it.

"What kind of person is he?"

"He is a cautious and solid tactician. He never underestimates his opponent and never becomes arrogant. He presses his opponent with sure moves, as if following the established rules of a game. That's the kind of person he is."

This was a troublesome opponent. In a situation like this, where allies were few and enemies were many, it was usually best to exploit the enemy commander's overconfidence or negligence. However, the way he had seen through this ambush and set a trap in return showed no signs of overconfidence or negligence, as Marclonis had said.

Soma resisted the urge to sit down and hold his head, and took every possible action he could think of.

"Contact Garam. Send a few warriors to the expeditionary force and tell them to hurry back!"

Even if it was just a few, the sight of Zoans would make the enemy cautious about an ambush, slowing their march. This would buy some time, during which a solution had to be found. Following this order, one of the warriors hurried to beat the drum.

Next, Soma urged Marclonis to leave and secretly instructed a Zoan warrior to keep a close watch on him. Given his reaction when the name of General Darius was mentioned, he might do something rash at this critical moment.

Furthermore, Soma felt the need to check on the other Zoans, who were also deeply agitated, and told Shemul:

"Shemul, can you go check on everyone outside the town?"

The Zoans, who lived on the vast plains, disliked being surrounded and, except for the warriors needed to maintain the town's security, lived in the open fields outside the town walls.

"Sure. I'll go with you."

Naturally, Shemul intended to go with Soma, but Soma shook his head.

"Sorry, Shemul. Go alone. If I'm there, everyone might hide their true feelings."

Shemul hesitated to act separately from Soma, but she understood the situation. Still, she was quite reluctant and called out to Shahata, who was nearby.

"Shahata, I'm sorry, but can you guard Soma?"

"Leave it to me, my lord."

With Shahata's agreement, Shemul finally left the scene.

After seeing Shemul off, Soma slumped in despair.

This was the worst.

Soma looked at the map spread out on the table. There were no more places between the bridge and their current location in Bornis where they could launch a surprise attack. He had even considered a night raid on their encampment, but the opponent who had seen through this ambush would surely anticipate such a move.

However, it was clear that they couldn't win a proper field battle or a siege.

"What should we do? What can we do?"

But, of course, a good idea wouldn't come to mind so easily.

Abandon the town and temporarily retreat to the plains?

Such a thought crossed his mind, but he knew it would only be a temporary solution. Feeling his own inadequacy for even considering such an escape, Soma slapped his cheeks to snap himself out of it.

However, he had slapped himself harder than intended, and instead of regaining his composure, sparks danced before his eyes.

At that moment, a revelation flashed through Soma's mind.

"…! That's it. We have that, don't we!"

What Soma had thought of was something he had read in light novels and manga in modern Japan, where protagonists summoned to another world used it.

If he could implement it, it would literally blow away their current predicament.

It was such a game-changing idea.

Shahata hurriedly chased after Soma, who was about to rush out of the room.

"Soma! Where are you going?"

Soma turned to Shahata, still walking quickly, and said:

"To the forge! I need to see Dvalin!"

◆◇◆◇◆

The vacant lot on the outskirts of Bornis had become a forge for the dwarves. Surrounded by windbreaks, the forge was filled with the roar of several furnaces and the sound of hammers striking red-hot iron, almost deafening.

Dvalin, who oversaw this forge, was not only a first-class warrior but also a master craftsman who had once managed a workshop in his homeland, the Obsidian Kingdom. Under Dvalin's direction, weapons and supplies for a siege were being manufactured day and night.

Soma, accompanied by Shahata, rushed into the forge and found Dvalin, who was also bare-chested, hammering at an anvil.

"Dvalin, can I talk to you for a moment?!"

Dvalin, noticing Soma's raised voice over the sound of hammering, gave some instructions to the dwarves around him before approaching Soma.

"It's too noisy here. Let's go outside."

Once outside the forge, Dvalin poured water from a jug over his head. Steam rose from his body as if he had been doused in boiling water. After wringing out his beard and letting the water drip, Dvalin urged Soma to speak.

"So, what do you need from me?"

Soma asked eagerly.

"If you know, can you tell me if there's a black powder in this world that burns or explodes with incredible force when ignited?!"

"What is that? Is it a black powder that burns, like crushed black stones or coal?"

The black stones referred to coal. In this world, some people, like dwarves, used coal mined from the ground as an important fuel.

"No. It uses coal powder as one of the ingredients, but it's mixed with other things to make it burn more intensely."

Dvalin thought for a while but then answered apologetically.

"Hmm… I'm sorry, but I've never heard of such a thing."

"No! It's better that you haven't!"

Soma clenched his fist.

"Sure enough, there's no black powder in this world yet!"

What Soma had thought of from the light novels and manga about being summoned to another world was black powder.

Black powder, as everyone knows, is the oldest explosive in history, made by mixing charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter.

"With this, we have a chance. We just need to use black powder."

There was no time to make guns.

However, the explosive power of black powder alone should be enough. Even in the modern world, where black powder is known, no one is unaffected by the sound and light of an explosion. For the people of this world, who have never seen black powder, it would be a terrifying unknown.

The first time the Japanese encountered black powder weapons was during the Mongol invasions, with the "teppou," a ceramic container filled with iron fragments and black powder, which was lit and thrown at the enemy.

According to records from that time, the smoke and sound of the explosions startled the horses and warriors, leading to many casualties.

Similarly, if an explosion occurred in the midst of a dense formation of heavily armed infantry, it would certainly cause great confusion.

"What is this 'black powder'?"

"It's a powerful weapon. You can make guns and bombs with it."

Soma explained to Dvalin everything he knew about guns and bombs.

It's a pleasure to share one's knowledge. Soma, forgetting the urgency of the situation, spoke at length about black powder and the weapons made from it.

Dvalin, hearing about weapons he had never heard of before, seemed to have the blood of a dwarven craftsman stirring, and listened with the eyes of a child.

"Wow. That 'black powder' is quite something."

"Yes! It's made by mixing charcoal powder, sulfur, and saltpeter. I don't know the exact proportions, so we'll need to experiment a few times. —Ah, will we have time? We need to start right away."

Soma, eager to get started, was bright-faced. After all, this was a ray of hope when he had been thinking there was no choice but to flee.

However, that hope was dashed by Dvalin's next words.

"By the way, I know about charcoal powder and sulfur, but what is 'saltpeter'?"

"Saltpeter? That is—"

Soma, trying to explain saltpeter, was at a loss for words.

"Well, what is it…?"

Saltpeter, or potassium nitrate, is a type of nitrate salt.

While it does not burn on its own, it has the property of releasing oxygen when heated. When mixed with a flammable substance and ignited, it can cause a violent combustion reaction, such as an explosion. In black powder, saltpeter serves as the oxygen source.

Saltpeter can be collected naturally as a mineral in arid regions, but it is almost impossible to obtain in warm, humid climates. In medieval Japan, saltpeter was produced using ancient methods such as extracting it from the decomposition of human and animal waste by microorganisms.

However, Soma, a regular high school student in modern Japan, knew the word "saltpeter" but had no idea what it was or how to obtain it.

"Well, even we can't make something we don't know about."

Dvalin's exasperated words left Soma speechless.

Unfortunately, black powder was never put to practical use in Soma's time. It would be about two hundred years before black powder was practically used on the Seldias continent.

The first to put black powder to practical use were the dwarves of the northern kingdom. Using large numbers of guns and bombs as weapons, they invaded neighboring countries one after another, eventually dominating two-thirds of the continent.

The kingdom later changed its name to the Empire, and at the coronation of the first emperor, Alsius, he declared:

"Those who oppose us, fear our weapons! These guns and bombs are the divine techniques of destruction bestowed upon our ancestors by the great 'Child of Destruction'!"

Even centuries later, the wisdom of the "Child of Destruction" struck fear into the hearts of people across the continent.

◆◇◆◇◆

When Shemul returned to the town from the Zoan encampment outside, she was relieved to find that her fellow Zoans were less agitated than she had expected. She thought she could give Soma a good report, which she had been worried about.

The ambush had been anticipated, but fortunately, Soma had given the order to retreat just before it, so it was not considered a major failure. In fact, the revelation that the enemy was General Darius, who had a history with the Zoans, had even raised the morale of her fellow Zoans.

However, some of her fellow Zoans were still anxious.

Shemul personally approached these anxious Zoans and urged them to trust Soma. Those who heard directly from Shemul, the Child of the Beast God, at least appeared to calm down on the surface and said they would continue to support Soma.

By the time she had finished making her rounds of the encampment, it had taken longer than she had expected.

Eager to reassure Soma as soon as possible, Shemul hurried back to the lord's residence. However, as she passed through the town gate, she spotted Soma and Shahata returning from the forge in the distance.

She immediately called out to Soma, who had not yet noticed her.

"Hey, Soma!"

However, despite her call, Soma did not seem to notice her.

Shahata, who had noticed, pointed in her direction, and only then did Soma seem to realize it.

But Soma only raised his hand slightly in response to Shemul's waving and then resumed walking with his head down.

Soma had asked her to check on everyone, so Shemul had expected him to be eager to hear what she had seen and heard. She was taken aback by this unexpected reaction.

However, as Soma turned the corner and disappeared from view, a sense of frustration began to well up inside her.

Shemul crossed her arms and frowned.

Soma had insisted that she leave her guard and go all the way to the encampment to check on her fellow Zoans, and she had even calmed those who were anxious. Yet, this was his response.

Shemul thought, "I worked hard. As the lord's subordinate, shouldn't he listen to my report and commend my efforts?"

If Garam had been there, he might have sighed and said, "What are you pouting like a child for?" But Shemul was dead serious.

"…Alright."

Shemul seemed to have an idea and a mischievous smile appeared on her face.

◆◇◆◇◆

The disappointment was as great as the hope Soma had placed in black powder.

However, he couldn't dwell on something that didn't exist. He needed to think of a way to fight the approaching expeditionary force with the forces he had.

With no time to waste, Soma was desperately thinking as he walked back from the forge.

He would