Chapter 2: The Kingdom’s Secret Weapon (4)

If you look at these stats, you can see that wyverns are like bombers, able to fly

long distance but not strong in a fight; and griffons are like fighters, not able to fly

long distances, but strong in a fight. The dragons were strong in all categories, but

they were far less numerous than the other two, and they were sentient, so they

couldn't really be controlled. There was apparently a country up north that had a

contract with the dragons, but they were an exception among exceptions.

In other words, though I wanted to avoid this at all costs, if we went to war with

the Empire, our wyvern cavalry would be no match for the Empire's griffon cavalry.

However, if we could make a miniaturized, light-weight version of Genia's

propulsion device and attach it to them, what then? Wouldn't it raise everything

except for their turning ability? If we could make it:

[Wyvern (With Propeller)] Flight Speed: B (S), Turning Ability: C (C-), Cruising

Range: A (S+)

Then, even if they couldn't fight griffon cavalry in close combat, they might be

able to compete using a hit-and-run style of fighting. That was what I was thinking.

That said, I hadn't been able to secure a source of that special metal, so the idea

had had to go on hold for a time. However, with Roroa foisting Amidonia on me later,

things had changed.

Though Amidonia's food self-sufficiency rate was low, it produced a wealth of

valuable mineral resources outside of just iron. That happened to include the special

metal.

With a stable supply of the necessary metal, I had once again asked Genia to

develop a miniaturized version of the Little Susumu Mark V that the wyverns could

be equipped with.

◇ ◇ ◇

"And so, she developed the Little Susumu Mark V Light," I concluded.

The massive Little Susumu Mark V had been made smaller, lighter, and able to be

installed on the back of a wyvern's saddle. The reason there were two rings was that,

with only one, it pulled in riders who got in front of it. In order to prevent that, the

rings were positioned to the left and right. Incidentally, when they weren't in use

(when the rider wanted to focus on tight turns, or the wyvern was flapping its wings

itself), they could be closed like clam shells. In contrast, when the device was in use

(for high-speed, long-range flights), the wyvern could keep its wings fixed in the

open position, focusing only on creating lift.

With the invention of the Little Susumu Mark V Light, our country's wyverns

were, as I had hoped, able to outmatch the Empire's griffon squadrons on everything

except turning speed.

When he heard that explanation, the former General of the Air Force, Castor, was

deeply impressed. "It's an incredible invention, yes, but... couldn't you have done

something about that name?"

That was the one thing that disappointed him. I could relate.

"I did at least register it as the Lightweight Maxwellian Propulsion Device," I said.

"Yeah, I think that's better."

That was when I noticed Juna had a gloomy look on her face.

"Hey, what's wrong, Juna?" I asked.

"Um... are you planning to fight the Empire, sire?" Juna asked worriedly.

Oh... Having heard my explanation, maybe she would think that, huh. It was true,

I was using the Empire as my imaginary enemy when developing weapons. You

should always prepare for an enemy stronger than yourself, after all. But...

"For as long as Empress Maria of the Gran Chaos Empire stays true to her ideals

and stands strong, I don't think we'll have a problem," I said. "I have no intention of

fighting against the Empire as it exists now, either."

"...You don't?"

"Nope. But... no one knows what the future holds. There's no guarantee the

Empire will stick to its current policies, and it's possible that another major power

other than the Empire may someday rise up to face us. I don't want to take a naïve

view of things, and then be left scrambling when that time comes. That's why, at all

times, I need to assume the worst possible scenario."

For that, doing things that were like tearing down a stone bridge and replacing it

using the newest techniques was just about right. Machiavelli said a prince must

always be prepared for changes of fortune, after all.

"You're assuming the worst possible scenario... I see," Juna said, and then said no

more on the subject.

I was sure she was still feeling uneasy, but in the end, she trusted me. Liscia and

Aisha could be the same way sometimes. Roroa was the only one who wouldn't feel

uneasy, and would actually help fuel me.

Honestly... they were all too good for me.

Castor asked, "Earlier, you said this was a testing ground for secret weapons and

types of troops, right? I understand the weapon part, but what's this about a secret

type of troop?"

"If you want to know that, we're going to need to walk a little further," I

answered.

I started to walk, leading the group to our next stop. While we progressed

through the open field, the grass suddenly stopped, and the bare ground was

exposed. That spot where red clay had been laid down was like sports ground.

However, there were no bases for baseball, or goals for soccer. The only things there

were were two tents to ward off the sunlight, and one anti-air repeating bolt

thrower.

Inside the tent, the fox-eared mage who was now Ludwin's second-in-command,

Kaede Foxia, was deep in conversation with a bunch of people who looked like

researchers and engineers.

When we approached, Kaede noticed us, too.

"Why, Your Majesty, and Duchess Excel, too. Welcome," Kaede said and greeted

us with a smile.

"Long time no see," I answered. "Have you guys been doing well?"

"Yes. Hal and I are both doing well, you know. Oh? Is the princess not with you

today?"

"Yeah... This lady here is my partner for today," I said to her in a whisper, putting

my hand on Juna's lower back and giving her a little push.

Juna took a step forward, then gave Kaede a slight bow of her head. "It's nice to

meet you. I am Juna Doma, formerly of the Navy."

"Oh, my! You're the Prima Lorelei, aren't you?! I'm a fan, you know! Please, let me

shake your hand!" Kaede held Juna's hand with both of her own and shook it up and

down. "I never would have known you were in the Navy... Huh? Didn't His Majesty

just say you were his partner...?"

Kaede blinked rapidly, then looked at me.

I had said she was my partner, thinking it would be okay for Kaede to know we

were engaged, but it was a little embarrassing having to explain it in my own words.

When I looked, Juna had turned a little red, too.

"Um, er, well... That's how it is," I said at last.

"...I get it," Kaede said. "So that's how it is, huh?"

Looking at both our faces, Kaede, clever girl that she was, connected the dots

immediately.

Lowering her voice a little, she asked, "Since it hasn't been announced yet, I

assume this is still a secret, right?"

"I'm glad you pick up on these things quickly," I whispered back. "Juna's

incredibly popular, after all."

"Well, that's true. I think riots might break out if you announced it now, you

know." Kaede was wholly serious.

Well, I knew that, which was why I was trying to shift Juna's popularity away

from that of an idol and into a singer for small children.

"Setting that aside, I'd like to show Excel and the others the new type of troops," I

said.

"I see. In that case, we were just about to carry out a drill, you know."

With that said, Kaede started giving orders to the nearby engineers. She had

them draw a double circle in the middle of the clay field using chalk. Kaede then

used her earth-type magic (gravity manipulation) to move the anti-air repeating bolt

thrower to the center of that circle. When Kaede finished setting up the anti-air

repeating bolt thrower, she came back to where we were.

"Whew! That's everything set up and ready to go, you know."

"...Just what're you about to start here?" Castor asked, and I pointed up into the

sky in response.

"If you look up, I think it will quickly become apparent," I explained.

"Up?"

In the sky we looked up to, there was another formation of wyverns flying by. Up

to that point in the description, it was the same as what he had seen before, but this

time, the wyverns were carrying something in their hind feet. (Wyverns, unlike

dragons, and like birds, had wings instead of front legs.) When the formation of

wyverns passed over our heads, they dropped whatever those things were in

unison.

Those countless things that had been cast out were falling towards us in a

straight line.

The closer they got to the ground, the more their shape gradually became

apparent.

They were people. Countless people were falling. What was more, we could tell

they were all carrying weapons.

Then, just faintly, we heard their screams.

"Wahhhhhhhhhh!"

Halbert was there, mixed in with the screaming, falling people.

"H-Hey! They just threw away a bunch of people!" Castor shouted, sounding

panicked.

If you didn't know what was up, that was the natural response, I guess.

"It's okay," I said. "Just watch."

At nearly the exact moment I said that, round parachutes sprouted from the

backs of all the falling people. Suddenly, their speed of descent dropped. The

parachutes blossomed in the sky like white flowers, almost like we were watching

fireworks from a distance. Though, if they vanished like fireworks, Hal and the

others would be upside down.

Castor looked at the squad of parachuters, dumbfounded. "What exactly... are

those?"

"The equipment, you mean? Or the type of troop?" I asked.

"Both."

"The equipment is called a parachute. When spread, it kills their speed of

descent, allowing for a safe landing. I went to the development team and said, 'Hey,

this is a thing that exists,' and I had them make them for me. Now, as for the type of

troop... They're wyvern paratroopers. I call them dratroopers."

"Dratroopers?" Castor asked.

"They're a type of troop that drop from the sky like that to surprise the enemy,

throw the enemy's rear line into chaos, and take enemy positions. Normally, they're

a type of troop you would need airplanes to create, but we do have wyverns here in

this world, after all. I decided the groundwork had already been laid to develop

them, so I organized it."

When I'd been thinking about whether I could recreate the types of troops that

existed in my former world here, paratroopers had been the first to come to mind. In

Germany they were called the Fallschirmjäger, and they had been in use since World

War II. Their primary missions were, as I'd explained, ambushes, causing chaos, and

seizing positions. Many of them were buff, macho guys, and Japan's 1st Airborne

Brigade had stories about them that would make you think they came out of some

manga. (Example: Tearing two-millimeter-thick wire with their bare hands.)

The initial paratroopers of my old world had their equipment dropped in

separate containers, so if they came down in a different place from the container,

they had to fight with nothing but handguns.