Chapter 12: Brother-in-Law Hans (Part 2)

"So Hans, what exactly was this thing that burned down the mansion?" Hans answered with a face that seemed delighted I had asked.

He had a full smile. He looked extremely happy. Hey, hey, you burned down a mansion and this is your reaction? I was rather dumbfounded.

"Well, you see, I consulted with an alchemist and mixed sulfur, charcoal, nitrogen fertilizer, and oil, then set it on fire. It blazed up much more than I expected." That's just one step away from gunpowder! He really is an incredibly dangerous fellow. Gunpowder is still too early for this world. Human rights aren't even established yet, and the boundary between combatants and civilians is vague. Introducing explosives would lead to truly tragic consequences. This guy's talent is dangerous—I need to keep him somewhat restrained.

"And you burned this inside the mansion?" "Yes." "How did you think setting Archimedes' fire inside the house would end well?" "It was still just a prototype."

Hans answered without the slightest hint of remorse. He doesn't think he did anything wrong at all. I held my head in my hands—he has absolutely no concept of risk management. "It's amazing you weren't injured." "Yes, I'm quite lucky."

He dismisses it as luck. There's a fundamental problem here. If this continues, something terrible will happen somewhere. "You must implement thorough safety measures, otherwise I won't allow your research." "Ehh, that's so..." "No excuses. Submit written safety protocols for researching Archimedes' fire. Until I review and approve them, research is prohibited." "That's such a hassle..." "If you consider that a hassle, then give up on research. If you get injured or, worse yet, die, it causes problems for us."

"You were doing such things without safety precautions?" Yung said with a shocked expression. Wait, weren't you in the mansion at that time? You didn't know? You should have realized something was wrong when there was a fire.

"That's absolutely unacceptable. Do as Johan says—this is an order from your sister." Yung commanded as if she had nothing to do with it. Did she really not know? "I understand..." Having been scolded by both me and Yung, Hans finally seemed convinced.

"So Johan, what else have you made?" "I made a catapult." Hans said with incredibly bright eyes. He's already recovered. "And how did that turn out?" "The main body of the catapult is a rice paddle-shaped piece made of wood. An axle is placed in its center and fixed to the axle housing on the cart. The wider end has gears that are wound up and locked in position. A rope is attached to the opposite end with a basket at its tip where stones are placed. When the support is removed, the paddle tries to return to its original position, and that reaction sends the stone flying."

"I don't really understand..." "It might be difficult to comprehend through words alone. Here's a diagram." "Ah, I see, so that's how it works. It seems like it could be useful." "It can launch stones, but since the size and weight of the stones aren't consistent, it's difficult to hit specific targets. It would be fine for aiming at something wide like castle walls." "Could it be used for sieges?" "Also, it's incredibly heavy. Transportation is challenging." "Is it impossible then? Hmm, please think of something else that might be useful."

After that, I rejected his safety management plans three times before finally approving one.

"A letter has arrived from Lord Schwartz."

In front of me were Ryu and Fiyordo. "What does it say?" "It says to prepare winter uniforms, winter tents for six thousand people, and corresponding field kitchens by this winter. Of course, they will provide all the necessary funds."

"Something is definitely happening." "It seems obvious they're planning winter warfare." "I wonder if Lord Schwartz came up with some strategy during the recent war." "They could avoid fighting in winter if they wanted to." "Perhaps it's revenge for the previous battle." "Six thousand sets is a massive amount. We'll need rush production using all workshops in the domain to complete it in time," Fiyordo interjected with a concerned expression. "That's right. Can you handle it? This will benefit our territory as well. Use all available furs and wool. We'll provide compensation, so gather as many available workers as possible."

"I'll arrange it immediately," Fiyordo bowed and left. "I wonder what's going to happen," I sighed.

At this point, I couldn't possibly have predicted what was to come.