Chapter 8

From an outsider's perspective, such a reckless plan can only be seen as Todd acting out of desperation after losing his popularity and becoming frustrated.

That was why Todd calculated that his father would approve of it.

...However, he has a solid plan.

Todd knows the temperament of the mountain people through his knowledge of the game.

The mountain people are essentially a nomadic people who live in harmony with nature.

They pray to nature and the gods, and revere strength above all else.

And once they lose, they do not hesitate to serve their opponent.

In fact, they thank the gods for the opportunity to fight alongside a powerful chieftain.

But such customs of the mountain people are not known to everyone.

The kingdom's people do not interact with them, considering them barbarians.

And Hart and the others, being pure Akitsushima people, cannot be familiar with the situation on this side.

This is knowledge that only Todd, who is playing the "Usurpation Route - Mountain People Chapter" after Edward's failed coup and planning a comeback with the mountain people, possesses.

His body is now well-developed, and he has gained the strength to face off against Reinbach, who is wearing the magic armor.

With their current strength, they should be able to handle any cavalry equipped with bows.

Reinbach's speed is already comparable to a galloping horse.

Furthermore, Shiranui, powered by Todd's high-output magic, can easily surpass the speed of a horse if future considerations are not taken into account.

Additionally, Todd, with his considerable magical power as a royal, can operate Shiranui at full capacity for several hours.

The only concerns were the possibility of losing concentration and the poor ventilation, which caused sweating and odor... but both issues have been resolved.

The former through a month of long-duration operation training, and the latter because Todd's nose had become numb during that time.

"Well, everyone should have enough strength to escape from the bow cavalry if it comes to that. I'm not very used to it, but I can run too."

"But it's too dangerous for Hart to go. If it's data, I can go instead..."

"No, no, I can't do such a wasteful thing. This is the moment for my invention, which I've been waiting for so long, to see the light of day. I can't die without seeing it."

"Hart..."

While smiling wryly at the world they had created, Todd turned to Renge.

She was a find... or rather, a character who was not originally planned to be part of the group.

According to Todd's knowledge from his previous life, a character named Renge did not exist in the game.

Moreover, Hart's character was generally brighter than what he knew.

He was supposed to be a mad scientist with several subordinates in an underground laboratory.

The exchange condition he intended to offer was the prototype of the mobile armor he possessed.

But for some reason, Hart easily agreed to be poached and to take care of his mother, and Renge, who was working as a helper, also came along.

Since the character Renge did not exist in the game, she must have died before this point.

Renge was probably supposed to die during the revival of Yamata no Orochi.

By poaching her before the revival, Todd likely changed her fate.

Todd had arrived at the correct solution on his own.

He had invested almost all of his allowance as a prince, so the development pace was much faster than in the game.

If things continue this way, he should be able to develop mobile armor capable of defeating Yamata no Orochi, which even enhanced soldiers struggle against, within two years.

He couldn't bear to see Akitsushima half-destroyed, so if things go well, he intends to help in the Yamata no Orochi extermination.

--Of course, it's not just to help others; he has other purposes.

As long as there is a possibility that Takero could become the king of Akitsushima, it is necessary to prevent his country from weakening for the time being.

"Cough, so I'm going too. Your Highness, when do we set out?"

"Well, the preparations are done, so we just need to select the loyal guards who are tight-lipped, and we're good to go once we get Father's permission."

Incidentally, the development has been completely handed over to Hart and the others.

Their positions are technical officers, and they are officially Todd's direct subordinates.

The magic circuits they create are far beyond Todd's capabilities.

Complex and intricate magic circuits require a significant reliance on intuition.

Depending on the nature of the magic creatures used as materials and the user's magic, micro-adjustments to the circuits are also necessary.

Considering all of this, Todd decided to entrust the development of the mobile armor to the two of them.

Apart from testing the usability, the only thing he did was to cast the magic of enchantment and status preservation for the two who could not use magic.

Not only the leather used in the enhanced soldiers, but now Todd and the others are increasingly using living materials such as muscle fibers and skin.

Todd was truly grateful that he had been properly taught magic.

There is no one among the current court magicians, except for Slayne, who has mastered earth magic up to the second tier.

Slayne, who was raised as a noble, would never touch magic creatures, so if Todd couldn't do it, all the materials he had collected from the orcs would have rotted.

"By the way, the selection of the knights who will accompany us is already complete. These three have agreed to a confidentiality agreement. Of course, it's a special mission that will be carried out in secret."

The detailed information of the three members who would be traveling with them was handed over by Reinbach.

As requested, two of them can use magic, and one cannot.

The development of various types of equipment that non-magic users can use is also progressing, but unfortunately, among their current group, only Reinbach fits the criteria.

Therefore, they needed personnel with a certain level of skill who could handle the equipment.

If they had combat data that they hadn't been able to collect so far, it would be very useful when distributing the equipment to the soldiers.

Incidentally, they had also considered using Reinbach, who is said to be the strongest knight in the kingdom, to collect data... but that plan was quickly abandoned.

A person who can run on walls with enhanced equipment is far too unconventional to collect data from regular soldiers.

"Thanks to the armor, I can protect Your Highness if necessary. I can take on dozens of enemies."

"Rai is not the kind of person to die in such a battle. I won't prepare a place for you to die; I'll make you work until you die of old age."

"..."

Reinbach stared at Todd and fell silent.

For a man who usually had a stern face, it was rare to see him so stunned.

After recovering from his shock, he said,

"Your Highness is quite the charmer. Hmm... perhaps it's time for me to step down as the head of the royal guard."

"Would you like to become my personal knight? I'd like Rai to help Edward."

"Wouldn't it be faster for Your Highness to become king? Then our research funds would..."

"Hart, you're spilling your guts."

It seems that Reinbach hasn't given up on making Todd the king.

He used to underestimate Todd, thinking he was just a child who liked to move around.

Of course, he hid it so that it wouldn't be noticed.

However, after bringing Hart and trying on the enhanced equipment himself, his opinion seemed to have changed.

Realizing that all of Todd's eccentricities were for the sake of creating this, his evaluation of Todd must have completely changed.

Hart is also asking for more substantial funding now that he is the king, and human relationships are complicated.

Todd, who wants to move around and needs to, finds that becoming king has far more disadvantages.

Moreover, if he were to disrupt the current royal hierarchy, it would cause unnecessary discord.

This is something he hasn't told anyone yet, but Todd intends to renounce his right to the throne once he conquers the mountain people.

He plans to receive the mountain range as his territory and build a new home there.

"...I've told you many times, I won't become king. There's no king who makes weapons and fights on the front lines. So, Rai, please help Edward."

"---Understood."

Nodding, Reinbach turned and returned to the palace.

Rai is past his prime and is already over forty.

His intention to step down as the head of the knights is not entirely false.

It is because he is gradually handing over his duties to the next generation of knights that he can come to them like this.

"I wish the king would give us permission soon. I can't wait to see my Shiranui cutting down enemies!"

"Hey, that's disrespectful!"

As if Hart's prayers had reached the heavens, King Richard III's permission came three days later.

Under the code name "Operation Thunderbolt," permission was granted to carry out the mission.

The official mission content is to reduce the fighting strength of the mountain people living in the Elnesia mountain range and to test the developed equipment.

--But of course, Todd has no intention of letting it end there.

His goal is to take control of the mountain range and the mountain people within half a year.

And to kill Totila and eliminate any future threats.

Todd's body, which he had resolved to do this, was... slightly trembling.

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