Fun Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord (Novel) - Chapter 111 - Van's Sword and Ballista

Chapter 111 – Van’s Sword and Ballista

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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I made a somewhat overdecorated iron sword and a wooden sword, and the reaction turned out to be better than expected.

Well, if you were judging it in TV terms, maybe everyone going wide-eyed and freezing in place would count as a bad reaction. But in real life, it was probably about as shocked as human beings could get.

Apollo in particular stayed frozen for an impressively long time. The first one to regain her senses was Diane.

“P-please wait just a moment. What was that just now? Could it possibly have been done with Production Magic?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. I made many of the things in this town.”

As I answered, I then made a spear and a shield next. That made all three of them open their eyes so wide they practically bulged. Well, asking a noble child about their magical aptitude takes some nerve, after all.

“Let’s go outside and make one ballista too. Kamushin, could you bring a few people to help?”

“Yes!”

Kamushin replied very energetically and ran off. For some reason he seemed oddly pleased. I wondered if something good had happened.

As I was thinking that, Apollo, with trembling hands, grabbed the newly made sword and let out a strange little “hup” noise.

“…Its actual performance as a sword is still uncertain, but even considered as a work of art, this is more than sufficient. To think a weapon of this quality could be created in an instant…”

As I watched Apollo muttering in astonishment, Till picked something up with a mischievous expression.

That was an Armored Lizard hide, I think.

“Please look at this.”

“…Hm? Is that Armored Lizard hide? What are you going to do with… cut!? It cut!? W-what, what just happened!? P-please, let me borrow that!”

Failing completely to hide his agitation, Apollo took the hide from Till with shaking hands and examined its hardness, color, and condition.

Then, silently glaring at the material, Apollo slashed across the surface of the hide with Van-kun’s iron sword.

The hide split smoothly in two, and Apollo’s eyes widened so far he made an amazing face.

“S-s? T-this is… w-what…? A Holy Sword? Could it be that the Holy Sword of legend is right before my eyes…?”

Apollo, half white-eyed, muttered that deliriously, while Diane looked at the spear I had made.

“…Even among those of us in the Mary Company, we’ve never seen a blade this sharp. But to think a Commercial Guild investigator would lose himself to that extent… Without question, the weapons and armor Van-sama makes are of the highest class. If something like this were made from mithril or orichalcum, it would be a national treasure…”

“Huh. National treasure class… His Majesty said something like that too.”

As I answered, I took out the orichalcum dagger I use regularly. The moment they saw it, the two women from the Mary Company both blinked. Rosalie froze in speechless silence, while Diane looked up toward the heavens with one hand pressed to her head.

“…Van-sama. I really think it would be better if you did not show that one so casually. A single item like that could start a war.”

At Diane’s weary-faced comment, I made a dissatisfied face.

“But it cuts the best…”

“…You actually use it…”

Diane’s shoulders drooped in defeat.

While we were having that exchange, Kamushin returned from outside with several members of the knight order. Knights wearing Wood Block armor came filing into the warehouse.

“I brought people!”

“Thanks, Kamushin. Then could everyone carry the Wood Blocks outside?”

“Sir!”

Once I asked, Kamushin and the others quickly began carrying the Wood Blocks out of the warehouse.

Calling Apollo and the others, who were still bewildered, I moved outside as well.

Thanks to Kamushin handing me the Wood Blocks at exactly the right timing, the ballista was finished in only two or three minutes. I was completely used to it by now.

Once the ballista had been quickly completed, I turned back to check the reactions of the three of them.

There they stood, gazing at the ballista with far-off eyes. They were expressionless, as if all emotion had drained away.

At that strange reaction, I spoke quietly to Till and Kamushin.

“…Aren’t their reactions kind of weird?”

When I asked, the two looked at one another, then nodded.

“Well, after surprising them that many times in a row…”

“Wouldn’t anyone end up like that?”

They sounded exasperated. No, no, I feel like Panamera and the king weren’t quite like this…

“…Um, are you all right?”

When I asked hesitantly, Apollo suddenly came back to himself, pointed at the ballista, and looked at me.

“Those materials you were carrying earlier, were they some sort of special material?”

“Just wood.”

“…And how great is the performance of this ballista?”

“Range: over one kilometer. If you use the bolts I make, it’ll easily pierce dragon scales. And in the repeating type, it can fire two shots in succession.”

As I answered his questions, Apollo’s face grew more and more severe. I was wondering what was wrong when I saw Diane timidly raising a hand.

“Yes, Diane-san?”

Once I called on her, Diane coughed lightly and then spoke with a grave face.

“Van-sama… we are merchants. Up until now we were honestly shocked and even moved by this frontier village’s astonishing development, the rare materials, and weapons and armor unseen even in the royal capital. But even in our eyes, this weapon called a ballista is abnormal. For a weapon capable of slaying dragons to be created in so little time…”

“Huh? I was just about to do an actual test shot with the ballista, but are you saying you’ll believe it even before I fire?”

When I asked that with a puzzled tilt of my head, Rosalie smiled wryly and nodded.

“After everything we’ve seen up to now, no one here is going to doubt Van-sama’s word. If anything, what’s frightening is the thought that there may still be even more astonishing things ahead.”

When Rosalie said that, Bell in the rear nodded over and over.

“…Van-sama. If matters go badly, this ballista is the sort of thing that could change the very nature of war. And in a form other countries cannot imitate…”

Apollo murmured that with a pale face, and everyone else responded only with silence.

I deliberately ignored the mood and nodded with a smile.

“Then it seems I can continue protecting my people as this village’s lord. I’ll keep making the village better and better, so please do advertise us in other villages and towns too. We’re always looking for new residents.”

When I said that, Apollo blinked in surprise, then froze, and after a moment burst out laughing.

“…I see. Heh, if that’s the sort of conversation we’re having, then the Commercial Guild will assist with all its strength, however small our part may be. And please leave trade routes to other countries to us as well. The Commercial Guild shall become a good friend to you, Van-sama.”

Midway through speaking, Apollo let his smile fade, bowed respectfully, and said that.