I headed to the hot spring area to inspect the armory that Yor Fougma claimed was her private storehouse.
Since my destination was the hot springs, my escort consisted of about thirty young wolves, with Kuroyon acting as their leader. I was idly thinking that I would take a relaxing soak in the spring before heading back home.
Upon arriving, Yor guided me into her personal warehouse.
...There were quite a lot of Chain Explosion Shells and Chain Freezing Shells in here. I really needed her to manage these properly.
Furthermore, there were numerous catapults and large crossbows known as ballistae, all neatly dismantled and lined up. Had the number increased since I last checked? I wondered if Yor had built them herself. If so, it was impressive work.
"Ah, is it this one?"
I see; it was quite well-made. I could see some new ingenuity in the design. The Mountain Elves would likely feel the need to compete if they saw this.
"Hmm? What's in the locker with the heavy-duty door in the back?"
"Is it absolutely necessary that I show you?"
"Just to be safe, yes."
Looking a bit embarrassed, Yor opened the locker for me. The interior was lined with shelves, and on those shelves, stones about the size of bowling balls were neatly arranged. Each stone sat atop a small cushion, proving how much she cherished them.
This was... ah, no, it was fine. I didn't need her to explain which ones were the easiest to hurl with a catapult. They were well-shaped. She had found some and hand-carved others, she said. I see, I see. They were clearly objects of deep affection.
"No, I’m not going to take them away. You can keep storing them just like this. Continue to treasure them, okay?"
After that, I took a soak in the hot spring and relaxed. Once I got out, I spent some time interacting with the Death Knights, the Lion Family, and Ashura. Everything seemed to be going well, which was a relief.
Yor had mentioned it before, but I wondered if attacks by magic beasts and monsters were frequent here. As it turned out, they occurred at a fairly regular rate. However, groups of Kuro’s children and Zabuton’s children came by periodically to drive them away.
Kuroyon proudly offered his head to me, so I gave him a good pat. I also learned that when dragons visited the hot springs, the monsters would flee on their own. I see. I wondered if I should praise them for that, but it was a tough call.
Now then. Actually, inspecting Yor’s private storehouse was only a secondary objective. My main goal was the Sun Castle Armaments that had been won at the auction and transported here.
Most of the weaponry was inoperable. Significant maintenance and adjustment were required, as necessary parts were missing or components were simply broken. I had predicted that the test firing planned for autumn would have to be postponed.
However, Yor was a woman of great effort. She had managed to make one of them operational.
It featured a large spherical body, big enough for a person to climb into. Extending from the mechanical sections on the left and right sides of that sphere were long barrels, with giant drums attached to supply ammunition. It looked like the anti-aircraft guns equipped on a battleship. Since this weapon had four thick, short legs, it was likely capable of self-propulsion, albeit at a low speed.
The name of this weapon was the All-weather Base Defense Cannon Daedalus.
Apparently, there was ammunition available for it. Since I had expressed a desire to see it in action, we decided to have her fire it in a location surrounded on three sides by high embankments. This was what I had come to see.
The Daedalus was aimed at the center of one of the embankments. A wooden target had been prepared there. The distance was about two hundred meters, I suppose.
"Is it really all right? Can I truly fire it?"
"I don't mind."
"Are you going to say that the test firing is over now? That you won't let me fire it anymore?"
"I wouldn't say that. I'm not that mean."
"I'm going to fire it, then!"
"Go ahead."
"Yor Fougma... Commencing the test firing of the All-weather Base Defense Cannon Daedalus!"
With those words, Yor opened the hatch and climbed inside. Immediately, the barrels moved and took aim at the target.
"Village Head. I have designated the Village Head as the Supreme Commander. This is the final confirmation. May I have permission to fire?"
To Yor’s voice coming from the Daedalus, I replied that she had permission.
I had expected a single shot from each cannon, but I was mistaken. It was a barrage. I lost track of how many rounds she fired. The rhythmic don-don-don of the alternating cannons continued for two or three minutes—no, maybe five? The vibration and roar were so incredible that my sense of time became distorted.
The young wolves acting as my guards hurriedly surrounded me to protect me. That was admirable of them, but I wasn't sure what to make of the way they looked at me with faces that seemed to ask, "What are we supposed to do if that's pointed at us?"
Well, don't make those faces. There's nothing anyone could do against that.
Or so I thought, but Kuroyon and the older wolves were perfectly calm. Was it something they could handle? Did the power lack punch despite the volume?
The embankment behind the target was being heavily carved away by the Daedalus’s attack, though. Even so, the wolves didn't see it as a threat. They claimed they could even swat the shells away. How reliable.
It was a good thing I had her fire in a direction unrelated to the hot spring area or the village, just in case the shells flying that far became dangerous. It seemed several shells had flown into the forest, causing the magic beasts and monsters there to fall into a panic. My apologies.
Some of the monsters attacked the hot spring area in response, but the Death Knights, the Lion Family, and Ashura were defending it. That was a big help. I asked Kuroyon and the others to provide support as well. When they asked if some should remain as my guards, I told them that was fine. I was counting on them.
And Yor... What was wrong? There had been no movement since the firing ended. Was it safe to approach the Daedalus?
While I was wondering what to do, the hatch of the Daedalus slowly opened, and Yor emerged.
"I am sorry. I had lost consciousness."
"You did? Are you all right? Was the impact inside greater than I thought?"
"No. It was from the emotion."
"..."
"More importantly, how was it? The energy shells cannot be fired due to a malfunction, but live shells can be fired like this. It is enchanting, isn't it?"
"Ah, about that... The target is still perfectly intact."
I looked at the wooden target that had been the goal. Yes, it remained. Yor also looked and confirmed it.
"Ah... originally, the Daedalus is intended for distant targets, so at such a close range, it inevitably..."
Two hundred meters was too close and hard to aim at, apparently.
"In the operational plan, the live shells were intended to be scattered by multiple units firing simultaneously."
I see, so accuracy wasn't the primary concern. Well, considering it was an armament originally installed in the Sun Castle, it wouldn't make sense unless it had a long range.
"Is there no more ammunition?"
Around the Daedalus, a massive number of spent shell casings ejected from the machine were scattered about. Each casing was about the size of a two-liter plastic bottle.
"Regrettably... I have fired them all."
"In that case, is this now useless? I thought there were empty casings like these at the auction, but I didn't think there were any with warheads attached."
"No, I simply need to make more shells."
"Again? By any chance, were the shells you just fired handmade?"
"From the moment I discovered the Daedalus was listed at the auction, I have been making shells bit by bit before going to sleep."
What incredible obsession.
"The structure is simple. The warheads are just carved stone, and the shell casings can be made at the canning factory in Village Four. I just need to pack in some gunpowder and a small mechanism."
"Is that so?"
"For materials I lacked, I relied on the Goroun Company."
"Well, I don't mind that part. Just be thorough in managing the ammunition and the materials. Accidental explosions are a terrifying thought."
"Of course. I shall make the security even more stringent."
"I'm counting on you. By the way..."
"What is it?"
I pointed to the open hatch of the Daedalus. "Could I climb inside?"
"There are no shells left, you know?"
"No, it's not that I want to try firing it; I just want to know what it feels like to be inside. I was curious about the interior, like getting into a new car."
The chair installed inside was handmade leather. Since the original chair was missing when the weapon was won at the auction, Yor must have made it herself. I was interested in its comfort as well.
"..."
"Is that a no?"
"It... it is not that you cannot, but at the moment, well... it's a bit..."
"?"
"Due to the exhaust heat of the cannons, the interior has reached a very high temperature. Originally, there were magic tools for heat dissipation and air conditioning, but it seems those were removed."
"Meaning?"
"Basically, the smell of my sweat is probably still lingering..."
"Pardon me. We'll save the interior inspection for another day."
"I understand. I hope you will experience the firing yourself at that time. I will have the ammunition prepared."
"Please keep it within reason."
"What do you mean by 'within reason'?"
"Well... how many shots did you fire this time?"
"Two hundred and some."
"Then, let's go with about twenty."
"Let's go for something spectacular! Two thousand rounds!"
"..."
"It is all right. I can make them."
"You're going to test fire the other armaments too, right?"
"I will. But it is all right. I shall show you I can make them."
"..."
"I simply find that I can make them. And once I have made them, I feel I must fire them."
That was not a mindset suited for base defense. Bell must have had a hard time too.
"I will not deny that we often argued."
"I see. Well, we'll discuss the number of shells later. I suppose we also have to check the other armaments and decide which ones to fix and test fire."
"I understand. I have several recommended armaments. I will have them fixed by the day of the test fire, so please, come and see."
I understood, but next time, I was going to ask about the power before she fired. It would be a problem if all the armaments were the type that carved away the embankments meant for safety.
"What are you saying, Village Head? They are all that type."
"..."
I might have been a bit too hasty in promising to attend the test fire.