375

Since there is no episode 375, I have to make one now. (2)

Fenris's production facilities were already largely completed before Jiselle went to fight Delmud.

In particular, the potion preparation facility and magic laboratory had been established for a long time, so there were no facilities worth designing specifically for this purpose.

From then on, the dwarves' work was significantly reduced compared to before, as they only had to continuously increase the number of existing production facilities.

Galvarik returned to his work of supervising and directing construction with a pleased smile.

"Wow, it makes me happy to see you like this."

The Fenris Territory was more developed than ever before. Each city was filled with buildings laid out according to meticulous planning.

It could be said that the dwarves played the greatest role in creating this magnificent estate.

Galvarik looked around the territory with hazy eyes and said.

"I guess I can get some rest now."

The other dwarves also had tears in their eyes.

"You've had a hard time."

"Okay, let's take it easy now."

"It seemed like there was nothing left for the Lord to make."

The number of blacksmiths has increased significantly, not to mention the number of laborers.

With the production volume so high, there was no need to worry about arming the soldiers. The same was true for various tools and daily necessities.

Making potions is something that only wizards have to work hard at.

The dwarves now have to lead the others and maintain the current production level.

Galvarik and the dwarves gathered in the workshop and gossiped as before.

"I really have to maintain this level of work now. No matter how much I think about it, there's nothing left to make."

"That's right. As time goes by, there will be less work here. But you shouldn't let it show."

"Let's pretend we're still super busy."

The dwarves continued their meeting with such wild dreams. It is always necessary to adjust work with a proper amount of humor.

Still, I wasn't as worried as before. I made all the things I needed for the territory, such as food, equipment, and tools.

It was still busy, but it wasn't about developing new things, it was just about doing the same thing over and over again.

Galvarik said, clenching his fists.

"If we do this, we'll have a lot of free time in a few months! Let's make it as late as possible for the lord to find out!"

"That's right! Even if you make them work for you, you're making them work for you too much. In the end, we're the ones who coordinate the work on site! Hahahahaha!"

"The lord only receives production reports anyway, right? All he has to do is roughly match that!"

I feel like I've had a similar conversation before. Still, Galvarik and the dwarves laughed heartily.

But at some point the dwarves stopped laughing.

Galvarik looked at them and asked.

"Why? Why are your expressions suddenly like that? Like you've seen something you shouldn't."

Even when asked, the dwarves remained silent.

Man is a learning animal. Galvarik took a deep breath. At the same time, someone suddenly came up next to him and whispered.

"Let's start something new, buddy."

"… … Just kill me."

"Piotte will save you."

Galvarik and the dwarves slumped their shoulders with gloomy expressions.

"Okay, what is it this time?"

"Siege weapon."

"what?"

Galvarik tilted his head and asked again.

"Aren't our siege weapons sufficient? We raided several territories?"

Not only the Cavaldi County, but also all the siege engines in the Desmond County became Giselle's property.

Even with this amount, it can be said that the number of siege weapons is the largest in the North. It is an amount that only other great lords would have been able to possess.

To be honest, there were already enough of them deployed in each fortress and castle. It wouldn't be bad to have too many, but their utility would be reduced.

But Giselle shook her head.

"It's heavy, hard to move, and hard to assemble. I'm only going to use it for defense."

"That… … siege weapons are originally for attacking? After all, it's natural to disassemble, move, and reassemble."

"So we need to approach it with a new concept."

"Are you planning on making something incredibly large and powerful? That would make it even harder to move and assemble."

"No. What I want is something that eliminates as many of the shortcomings of existing catapults as possible. I want to maximize mobility."

Catapults are heavy. If they were made light, they wouldn't have the range and destructive power they need.

To be able to support and throw huge stones, it had to be large and strong.

Therefore, it is difficult to move it quickly, and it has to be carried on multiple carts and disassembled and reassembled repeatedly.

It was possible to make them by cutting down trees locally, but the only things that could be made were crude and weak.

It may not work for small castles, but it will have little effect against strong fortresses or large castles.

The dwarves who knew that well tilted their heads.

"Do you want a small to medium-sized catapult that you can pull around on a cart?"

There are also mobile catapults, but they do not have enough destructive power to be useful in sieges.

Even if it was intended to be used in the field, it was long since discarded as it was less effective than archers shooting arrows.

Jiselle shook her head.

"No. We need a catapult that maintains the destructive power and range of existing catapults, but is less than half the weight and easy to disassemble and assemble. That way, we can move quickly."

"Hahahaha, we need a catapult like that. We need a ridiculous catapult!"

The dwarves laughed heartily. It had been a long time since they had heard the lord joke.

But Giselle didn't say anything. The dwarves glanced at him. His expression was so serious that it seemed like he wasn't joking.

"… … Really? A catapult like that?"

"Yeah, that kind of catapult."

"That's ridiculous! Where in the world is there a catapult like that? I've never seen or heard of anything like it."

"Since there isn't any, we have to make one now."

Just as Galvarik was about to lose his temper again, another dwarf beside him spoke.

"There are a lot of rune stones in our territory, right? Even if a permanent magic circle is impossible, I think we can use the rune stones to cast a lightening magic."

To engrave a permanent magic circle, you need a great wizard of at least 8 circles. Even if you are satisfied with a semi-permanent level, you need to be at least 7 circles.

So, the only way to use it in the Fenris territory now was to use the Rune Stone.

"Hmm, then I have to put a rune stone in every frame… … That'll cost a ton of money, right?"

"But if you do that, it might be possible."

The dwarves came up with their own solutions, but Giselle shook her head.

"No way. You want to spend the money to build a castle on a catapult? That's not technology, it's money. And you can't mass-produce it."

"Then there is no way. The lighter it is, the less support it can hold."

The largest material used to make a catapult is wood. Naturally, the weight of the wood itself could not be ruled out.

The problem was that the hardness of a material like wood was proportional to its weight.

"It would be possible if ebony was used as the material, but… … ."

Ebony wood is a black tree that has grown by feeding on the energy of nature, and is much lighter and stronger than other woods.

But it makes even less sense to use ebony. That would cost more than using runestone.

It is almost impossible to obtain that amount in the first place.

But Jiselle said, clapping her hands together.

"Don't we have similar materials?"

"uh?"

"What are you worried about when you have galvanium?"

The dwarves looked dumbfounded.

Sure, galvanium can be used as a substitute for wood, but it is still heavier than ebony.

"Although galvanium is strong and light, it is only compared to steel. If you were to make it into a size that would fit into a siege weapon, it would be quite heavy. It's not much different from using wood, and since all the parts have to be moved by cart, there wouldn't be much difference, right?"

"So let's approach it with a new concept. I'll lay the foundation for you, so reinforce it properly. It's easy once you know it."

Jiselle knew quite a bit about catapults using galvanium, having disassembled and reassembled them countless times in her previous life.

Since I only ate and fought, I could say that I had used almost all the catapults that existed on the continent.

"I'll draw it for you in a minute. It's really easy."

Giselle immediately began drawing the blueprints to show the dwarves. After a while, the completed drawing of the catapult was quite bizarre in appearance.

In a previous life, people jokingly called this catapult the 'bone catapult'.

This is because it is made only of a thin galvanized frame instead of thick wood.

But thanks to its strength similar to steel, it could withstand greater resistance than wood.

And the scariest thing about it was its incredible maneuverability.

"Now, look. Think of each of these frames as a spearhead. A spearhead made of galvanized steel with a groove at the end that can hold a blade."

There is a joint structure that allows the blade to be rotated and fitted onto the end of a very long spear.

If you remove the blade, you can mount a structure that connects to another frame.

The idea is to connect the beams together to create a catapult made up of only a frame.

"oh...."

The dwarves looked at the blueprints drawn by Giselle with curiosity.

It may seem nonsensical, but it makes sense once you hear the explanation.

It's not exact, but it's a rough sketch. With just a little bit of work, it could be realized.

You can also make a square by connecting several beams to create a space to place the stones.

Jiselle said with a confident expression.

"How about this? This way, soldiers can gather together to make a small catapult, and the more people there are, the bigger it can be. You just have to keep connecting them. As for the stones and weights, you can just procure them locally."

The dwarves who heard and understood the explanation were shocked.

This eliminates the need to transport parts separately.

When soldiers fight with spears and then come together to assemble, a catapult is created.

Each person can have their own structure to connect the windows, and the necessary rope can be used as a belt and then untied to use.

This was a new type of weapon that could completely change the face of war.

"Oh, how did you come up with this idea… … ."

It is a well-known fact that mobility is important in warfare. However, siege weapons and mobility cannot coexist.

That is why every army had no choice but to operate multiple units, each with its own role.

'But if this is made... ... .'

Fenris has already developed portable combat rations. As far as supplies are concerned, the operational radius has expanded to an unbelievable extent.

But once this modular catapult is completed, it will be able to move faster than anyone else and even attack a siege. No one could have imagined such a speed.

'You can completely break free from existing constraints!'

Galvarik's hands trembled as he looked at the blueprint. There was no problem in making it since he already had the materials.

It was a great idea. If this is completed, it will revolutionize strategy and tactics.

"Is this also something the lord came up with?"

Jiselle turned her head slightly and muttered.

"The legendary blacksmith… … ."

"Ah! Why on earth did the heavens give birth to me, Galbaric, and then to that guy!"

Galvarik howled. He was still fighting with himself and felt a deep sense of defeat.

"Gisselle said, ignoring Galvarik's screams.

"Anyway. I'm not very good at drawing, but do you know how it's done?"

"It's possible. Since we have galvanium, this much is possible. I'll try to improve the structure so that it can withstand the load as much as possible and is easy to assemble."

New knowledge and new technologies always excite the dwarves.

It would be even better if there were things that only they could make effectively. I didn't like working, but I couldn't go against my nature.

There was just a little problem.

"If we want to make it quickly, we need to send all the blacksmiths and galvanium produced in the territory here. We need to make new spears for the soldiers. But don't you think it's a waste to waste all the money we've made so far?"

"It's okay. We'll need a lot of regular windows anyway. We'll need spares, and I plan to give the rest to the people of Yeongji and the royalist faction."

"Okay, I understand. For now, we'll proceed with this as the main production item of the territory."

"Okay. Always fast and sure. You know?"

"Okay… … ."

So the dwarves and the blacksmiths of the estate all set about creating a new type of catapult.

And it was only after Giselle had come back from her fight with Marquis Rodrik that the prototypes were completed.

Jiselle nodded at the prototype the dwarves had made in advance.

"It seems to have come out well. Now let's select soldiers for assembly training."

A thousand soldiers were selected and given new spearheads and fittings. They practiced assembling the galvanized catapults for several days.

And the day of the demonstration came.

Among the territories they had occupied, there was a small, abandoned fortress. Jisel and his entourage gathered near the fortress to see the power of the new weapon.

Doo doo doo doo doo!

When the time came, a thousand soldiers appeared on horseback.

Fenris's soldiers were now able to change their troop type at any time. Riding a horse was now a basic skill.

Claude saw them, waved and shouted.

"Get started!"

Then the soldiers divided into groups of 200 and began to link the spears.

In an instant, five medium-sized catapults were completed. People were astonished when they saw them. They were so fast.

"Wow! That's amazing!"

"At that speed!"

"This is a weapon that will revolutionize the history of war!"

At the people's excitement, Galvarik proudly said that he was indeed the best blacksmith in the world.

Now all that's left to do is check the power. As the soldiers were about to place the prepared stones and shoot, Giselle frowned.

A catapult was… … creaking.