Chapter 25

Black powder is one of the four great inventions of China. It’s essentially an explosive, which doesn’t need much explanation.

It’s made by mixing charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate.

A cannon can be made of wood, but it might burst. It’s difficult to handle, and it’s uncertain whether it will hit the target. Moreover, there’s a risk of death, so I don’t want to make one.

Its primary uses would be to throw it like a hand grenade or to set it up on the ground and ignite it with a flaming arrow to cause an explosion.

When combined with the magic Tetr created, it should have a decent effect.

However, I’m not expecting much in terms of its killing power. I don’t know how destructive the black powder I make as an amateur will be...

But the sound and shock should have a significant impact. It can lower the enemy’s morale and even surprise King Verm before the battle starts.

Will they be scared?

They didn’t seem scared when they recoiled at my skeleton talk, so it’s probably not going to work.

The materials for black powder are charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate, as I mentioned earlier. First, I can make charcoal myself, so that’s not a problem. Getting sulfur might be difficult, but since there are many volcanoes around here, I should be able to find some.

Worst-case scenario, I’ll ask the Kirisia merchants to import it. A knowledgeable Kirisia person should know about it.

There are two ways to obtain potassium nitrate: mining or making it.

Since I don’t know where the nitre is buried, we’ll make it ourselves this time. The material is the black soil from under the animal sheds.

However, the soil from our animal sheds won’t be enough, so I plan to get it from King Rosais.

“Tetr, I need you to develop a fire magic circle within a year.”

“Understood. But the magic power from my blood isn’t enough to draw the diagram. I need you to procure a magic stone, a type of stone that’s convenient for using magic.”

“Got it. Since I don’t know which type of stone is best, I’ll order all types from the Kirisia merchants. Ron, Rozward, Gram, can you come with me to see King Rosais?”

My goal, of course, is to secure the soil. Since it’s free, he should give me as much as I need.

I also want Ron, Rozward, and Gram to learn how to lead an army. I need to ask King Rosais to let them join.

Of course, I’ll observe and join if possible. But first, I need to negotiate with the Kirisia merchants to get horses, high-performance bows and arrows, and arrowheads. Depending on the situation, I might even buy combat slaves.

---

“Interesting. You brought tribute. I would have protected you if you had come to me first.”

“Unfortunately, it was an emergency.”

At that time, if I had sought help from King Rosais, we would have died before he arrived.

“Cough, cough.”

“Are you okay, Father?”

King Rosais, lying on a futon, had his back rubbed by Yuria.

I can’t ask too much of a sick person.

“Here, some honey.”

“...Thank you.”

I offered the honey as usual.

“Well, you didn’t come just to report, did you?”

King Rosais smiled slyly. It’s annoying.

“I have four requests. First... I need some wheat.”

“Sure. How much?”

I asked King Rosais for wheat.

“Hmm... That’s quite a lot. You said you had enough before. How much did King Verm take?”

“Well, a fair amount.”

There’s another reason for the large amount. We need to fortify the village for a while, so we won’t have time for farming...

That’s why we need it.

“You can pay it back in three years. The interest will be ten percent. In return, teach me the techniques for making Sueki pottery, honey, and paper.”

“You’re asking for too much. You could also negotiate with King Domorgal.”

When I said that, King Rosais shrugged.

“I understand. I was joking. Teach me one of them.”

Then...

“I’ll teach you the technique for Sueki pottery.”

It’s the easiest one.

I explained the structure of the climbing kiln to King Rosais.

“Second, I need the soil from the animal sheds, and a lot of it.”

“I don’t understand, but... sure. Do as you please.”

King Rosais gave his permission with a puzzled look.

“Third, I just want to ask... Is there a yellow stone that burns well when ignited? It can be found in volcanoes.”

Unfortunately, I don’t know what sulfur is called in this world. It doesn’t come up in conversations between children.

“Yes, the stone near hot springs, sulfur. You can find it on that mountain. Take as much as you like.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You always bring me honey.”

Surprising.

Well, sulfur doesn’t have many uses in the ancient world, right? I heard it was used as a match in the Edo period.

“Fourth, can I observe the military training of King Rosais’ army?”

“I see. It’s for dealing with King Verm, right? Sure, you can watch.”

“Can my companions join me?”

“Yes.”

Great, I got all the permissions.

“Yuria, show them around.”

“Sure!”

---

“So, what do you think of our country’s army?”

In front of me, a thousand men were practicing forming ranks. At first glance, they seemed to be heavy infantry.

It’s similar to a phalanx. But...

“Hmm, are they well-trained?”

I’m a layman, so I can’t tell, but honestly, they don’t seem very strong.

A phalanx requires strong cohesion and high morale. It can’t be formed by conscripted soldiers.

“Haha, you’re right. A Kirisia merchant who came before said the same thing. We’re trying to mimic Kirisia’s tactics, but it’s not working. Apparently, in Kirisia, there’s no king, and everyone does politics together. So everyone has high morale and trains whenever they have free time, making them strong. But in our country, we have a king, and the soldiers are conscripted for two years...”

I see. That makes sense.

The Kirisians are too advanced.

It’s a poor imitation.

“Over there, they’re practicing archery.”

Following Yuria’s finger, about two hundred men were practicing shooting arrows at targets.

“Those aren’t conscripted soldiers. They all have high morale.”

Bows are a high-level skill.

Conscripted soldiers can’t do it.

“So, Gram, do you think you can win?”

“Against targets at that distance, I could hit them even with my eyes closed. I’m not sure if I can win against them, but I’m confident.”

“Those are the royal guards. They’re also elite.”

Following Yuria’s finger, about fifty men were engaged in a mock battle.

“Are they elite? Ron and Rozward seem to have better reflexes.”

I’ve practiced kendo.

I learned it from the orphanage director (self-proclaimed fourth dan, authenticity unknown).

From my perspective, their movements seem inefficient.

Of course, there’s a difference in skill.

What I taught Ron and Rozward is kendo, which has been refined in Japan for a long time.

On the other hand, they probably swing their swords in their own way.

There’s no uniformity in their movements.

So it’s natural that Ron and Rozward, who know kendo, are stronger.

But what I’m concerned about is their physical ability.

These guys clearly have lower physical abilities than Ron and Rozward.

“Are they slacking off in training?”

“Hey, don’t say whatever you want.”

A voice came from behind.

Turning around, I saw a large man with a scar on his face.

He’s quite young and smells of alcohol.

“Are you the one who deceived our princess?”

“Hold on, Barthol! What are you saying!”

Yuria’s face turned red as she scolded him.

“Whether or not I deceived her, I’m Almus. Are you the general of this country?”

“Yes. I command the army on behalf of the king.”

That’s impressive.

He looks to be in his thirties.

He must be very capable.

Even though he’s drunk.

Seeing my surprised expression, Barthol put his arm around my shoulder.

Stay away, you smell of alcohol.

“A while ago, King Verm attacked our country, right?”

“Yes, I’ve heard. It was a crushing defeat.”

King Verm led five hundred soldiers against a thousand of King Rosais’ army.

King Rosais’ army suffered a crushing defeat and lost a lot of grain recently.

“So, the general was held responsible for the defeat and lost his head. I took his place.”

Barthol spoke happily.

“So, you think our soldiers are weak?”

“Yes, well, at least that’s how it looks to me.”

I answered honestly.

“Then let’s confirm it. You and our soldiers...”

“There’s no need for that.”

Ron intervened.

“There’s no need for the leader to fight. I’ll do it. Unfortunately, I’m the weakest among us.”

Ron tapped the hilt of his sword.

By “us,” he probably means me, Rozward, and Ron. Gram is an archer, so he’s excluded.

“Great! I love guys with spirit. Let’s start right away.”

---

““No way...””

The same words slipped out of both Barthol and me.

Barthol probably thought it was a lie because of Ron’s strength.

And I thought it was a lie because of the weakness of the Rosais soldiers.

Well, I’m starting to understand, but I think the “lie” is about Ron’s strength.

In front of me, ten men who challenged Ron for a rematch were quickly knocked down.

From Barthol’s tone, he must have been quite confident.

So it’s reasonable to assume that the Rosais soldiers had the training to justify that confidence.

Therefore, they aren’t weak.

The remaining option is that Ron is too strong.

No, our village’s people have too high a level.

In our village, Ron was third (after me and Rozward), but he wasn’t outstandingly strong.

Actually, I had a slight doubt.

Why don’t they get sick?

All the children in my village were weak, and it wouldn’t have been strange if some had died in the first year. But no one did.

Well, this can be attributed to my efforts and good luck.

The most mysterious thing was the size of the fields.

I’ve been expanding and cultivating the fields every year.

Now, I’m cultivating fields 1.5 times larger than the original.

And the main labor force is children.

And there’s still time left for studying and practicing martial arts.

This is strange.

I thought it was just that, but it’s really strange. It’s abnormal.

Suddenly, I noticed Yuria was smiling next to me.

She seemed to be suppressing her laughter.

Noticing my gaze, Yuria turned to me with a grin.

“Sorry. I found it amusing to see you so surprised. You didn’t notice, did you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Fufu, it’s okay. I’ll explain. Hey, Rozward, Gram, can I borrow Almus?”

Saying that, Yuria pulled me away.

---

“What do you mean?”

“Actually, I have blessings too. A lot of them.”

Yuria smiled mischievously.

“Too”?

“The most useful blessing I have is the ‘Insight Blessing’ and the ‘Far Sight Blessing.’ The former reveals the abilities of other blessings, and the latter allows me to see distant scenery. Actually, I found you while playing with my Far Sight in the forest. You were doing something very interesting, so I wanted to meet you. That’s why I called you with a butterfly.”

That was sudden...

But I’ve always wondered how Yuria found my village.

Now one mystery is solved.

“So, what’s my blessing?”

“You’re so impatient.”

Yuria smiled slightly.

“Well, if I had to name it, it would be the ‘King’s Blessing.’ The ability is to increase the physical abilities of men and the magical talents of women who revere you. And those who swear absolute loyalty to you, though not as much as the blessing holder, also gain increased abilities. It’s a powerful ability.”

...

Loyalty.

I didn’t intend to make them swear loyalty.

“Surprised?”

“I was aware of the blessing. I didn’t know it would affect my surroundings, though.”

I also didn’t know the conditions.

But I’m used to strange things.

“So, why are you telling me this now?”

What Yuria wants to say can’t be something trivial.

“Actually, I thought it would be fun to keep quiet until you noticed. But you didn’t...”

Yuria paused.

“I can’t see you anymore. Today is the last day. My father’s time is coming. I need to decide and get married, and have children while he’s still alive. So I can’t see you.”

Yuria was crying.

“So, I decided to tell you now. This might be the last chance. Ah, I thought you’d react more strongly.”

Yuria laughed brightly, tears streaming down her face.

“My father told me to break things off quickly.”

Saying that, Yuria came closer to me.

Her tearful eyes drew near.

“!!”

Yuria pressed her lips to mine.

Her tongue entered my mouth.

It was a strong, sucking kiss.

I couldn’t resist and just let it happen.

Time seemed to stand still, and Yuria finally pulled away from my lips.

A thread of saliva connected us.

“You’ll marry many people, won’t you? You’re strong, handsome, and have the makings of a king. Many girls will be drawn to you. And you’re kind, so you won’t refuse them. I want to be part of your harem, but... unfortunately, it’s not possible. But remember this:”

Yuria stepped back, turning away.

“My kiss was your first.”

Yuria ran away.

...

“Damn it!!”

I punched the tree.

Yuria, who completely gave off a loser vibe.

Are you okay?

But in the end, Yuria forcefully won the first kiss. Now it’s one win, one loss.

It’s getting harder to respond to all the comments.

I might not be able to respond to all of them.

But I’ll read every single one.

I love comments, so please give me lots.

By the way, although the Rosais soldiers were heavily criticized by Almus, they are relatively well-trained and have high morale by Adelnia Peninsula standards.

The royal guards go without saying.

Almus’ perception is a bit off because he’s gotten too used to the blessings.