Interfering in the War / A Wendigo's Return Home

"That would leave us at someone else's mercy."

Theresica took the shell from Alfred's hands and examined it carefully. He refused to believe that, coming from Earth with its wealth of experience in firearms and artillery, he couldn't solve this.

"Bring me a vernier caliper."

After measuring it for quite some time, he suddenly looked toward Mel. "For the explosive force in the firing section, is there any metal that can withstand it at a thickness of two millimeters?"

"Um..." Mel pondered briefly. "There is. The crucible for experimental propellant can handle it. It's D-Series Grade 11 High-Strength Steel. To be safer, we could also use Grade 12 or Grade 13."

"Is that metal expensive?"

"Not at all. Ursus exports it in large quantities. Yan, Columbia, and Victoria export it too. Even Siracusa has some."

Hearing this, Theresica relaxed and gestured for the three of them to move closer.

"Look, mortar shells taper toward the tail. We can make a cup-shaped metal cover and wrap it around the shell. That way, the incompletely burned residue will stay inside the metal cover."

Mel's eyes lit up. "So we just need to pour out the metal cover afterward?"

"No. That would be too cumbersome. The first and second shots would be too different."

Theresica shook his head. "Improve the support at the bottom, raising the tail of the mortar farther off the ground. Cut open the sealed firing-pin section at the bottom and replace it with a gate that can be opened by turning a handle. Then the metal casing can drop straight out without moving the mortar."

Chapter 82: Interfering in the War

Alfred remembered the leader once telling him that the marvelous ideas in His Majesty's mind far exceeded their imagination, leaving him utterly fascinated.

At the time, he hadn't truly understood it. But now, he had come to realize it completely.

His Majesty had only just arrived at the workshop. After listening to Alfred's explanation for a while, he had come up with a solution—and the optimal one at that, making maximum use of the results they already had.

A thin metal shell!

Good heavens! Such an incredibly simple method had solved the problem of the Sarkaz imitation shells being unable to fire consecutively.

What had they been doing all this time?! And he had even been quite pleased that His Majesty hadn't come to disturb him!

Alfred thought regretfully. He suddenly felt that even if the missing Lord Theresis returned, he would probably still choose to continue following His Majesty.

"The plan is ready. Hurry up and test it."

Theresica waved his hand. Alfred immediately stood and bowed before taking his leave. Mel, who had been born in Columbia, had already run out.

This workgroup had everything they needed: personnel, equipment, and materials. One group found an existing gun barrel to rework, while another used a stamping machine to press a metal shell that could cover a mortar shell. In less than twenty minutes, two new mortars and six new shells had been completed.

Theresica didn't leave. He waited there the whole time, preparing to observe the experiment. When Alfred learned of this, he respectfully brought him a pair of earplugs.

"Your Majesty, please put these on."

"No need. I'm standing this far away. Give them to the soldiers firing the shells instead."

Once everything was ready, the experiment officially began.

"Artillery, take your positions!"

At the commander's order, the two-man artillery teams ran as quickly as they could to where the mortars were stored. They took out the mortars and unfolded them.

The mortars were largely unchanged from before, but an additional support had been added to the base at the tail of the barrel, raising the rear of the barrel considerably off the ground.

The installation method was no different from before. The artillerymen soon called out, "Mortar assembled!"

"Load!" "Fire!"

A soldier nearby quickly took a shell from the wooden crate and loaded it through the muzzle according to the mortar's firing procedure. Under the force of inertia, the shell slid to the bottom, and the slightly lengthened firing pin smoothly entered the propellant chamber.

Boom—

The deafening blast carried a faint metallic tremor. In the distance, a cloud of dust erupted from the hillside in an instant.

"Your Majesty, both the shells and the mortar have been modified, so the old firing tables are no longer useful."

"Yes, I know. You don't need to be so nervous."

Theresica smiled and gestured for Alfred to relax. Although the crucial part of this improvement was about to begin, Alfred was far too tense.

"It's normal for something new to have problems. I won't blame you for them."

As Theresica's voice fell, the commander's shout rang out again.

"Unlock the firing pin! Eject the casing!"

The soldier responsible for adjusting the mortar desperately turned the crank with his right hand. After eight rotations, the gate connected to the firing pin finally loosened, and a shell casing slid out of the barrel.

The technicians waiting nearby rushed over at once. After carefully inspecting it, they cried out in delight, "The barrel is perfectly clean! All the incompletely burned residue is in the casing!"

The artillerymen then returned the firing pin to its position and locked it before firing again. Once more, the inside of the barrel remained clean.

"Thanks to Your Majesty's suggestion, we were able to accomplish our goal in a single day."

Alfred's eyes held undisguisable excitement, but Theresica showed little joy.

"We only happened to exploit a loophole this time. Our actual technical level hasn't improved at all. We still need to continue experimenting with the propellant composition and strive to make it fire directly, like the shells produced in Ursus. But for now, we'll use it since it works. I want to assign two mortar teams to every platoon."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I'll handle production and personnel training together."

"Mm."

Just as Theresica was about to discuss the matter in greater detail, a messenger came running over.

"Your Majesty, Lady Banshee says there are diplomatic matters that require your personal decision."

Theresica didn't think much of it. Ever since they had begun communicating with the refugees, there had been more minor diplomatic matters. With that thought, he left the armory directly. But when he arrived at the council chamber, he realized how terribly mistaken he had been.

The visitors were not refugees at all. They were Lady Sicilia, the Laterano Pope's personal guard; Vitt, the Ursus parliament speaker; Russell of Kazimierz; and an elderly Caprini dressed in a heavy Leithanien style.

Theresica hurried forward to welcome them. This sort of gathering really wasn't something Lady Banshee could handle alone. However, all of them were dressed quite casually and plainly today, and none had brought attendants. It almost looked as though they had arranged a secret meeting together in Kazdel.

"I never imagined that one day I would welcome so many distinguished guests. It truly is my honor."

Theresica smiled politely and gestured for everyone to take their seats.

"May I ask why all of you have come?"

"Your Majesty, esteemed King, we would like to know your opinion of Leithanien."

Vitt was the first to speak. The others remained silent, but they all turned their gazes toward Theresica, clearly eager to hear his answer. It seemed Leithanien had been making quite a few moves lately and had offended a great many people.

"We remain at peace with Leithanien. Although there have been some minor frictions, they won't escalate to the level of national conflict."

Theresica began spouting nonsense and fabricating a story. Leithanien happened to be causing trouble right now, and these people had come to him for one reason: they had their eyes on the Sarkaz's combat capabilities and wanted to borrow some lives.

That's the thing Kazdel is in shortest supply of right now!

"Don't you think the Witch King's reach has extended too far?"

Russell spoke up. "And Siracusa is your friend. Can you really bear to stand by and do nothing?"

She can actually sit here and talk to me. Leithanien must have pushed her into a very difficult position.

Theresica thought this as he turned toward Lady Sicilia. Her appearance had been tidied up, but the bloodshot veins in her eyes could not be concealed.

"Lady Sicilia, if Siracusa requires military supplies, we will certainly give you priority."

"Can you send troops to intervene?" Lady Sicilia looked at him anxiously.

"This... I'm sorry, but I'm afraid there really is nothing we can do."

Theresica put on an expression of grief. "You should all know that we've recently begun forming the Foreign Legion. The reason we're doing this is because we lost too much blood in the last war. We don't even have enough troops of our own, and no one wants to fight anymore."

Everyone exchanged glances. They had gathered intelligence beforehand and indeed hadn't heard of Kazdel imposing any compulsory military service. It seemed all its troops were volunteers.

"But if Leithanien annexes Siracusa, Kazdel could very well become the Witch King's next target!"

Weirdleaf urged him, "Please reconsider. You could provide the Foreign Legion to Siracusa."

"That's a good idea." Theresica smiled and nodded. "Lady Sicilia, you can recruit a Siracusan Foreign Legion right here. I can arm them for you first."

At this, the spark that had just appeared in Lady Sicilia's eyes faded again. What use would it be for her to recruit these foreign soldiers? Who would command them? They would have troops but no generals!

"Siracusa has no professional military commanders. I'm afraid you'll need to deploy Kazdel's Foreign Legion directly."

Russell raised this issue. Theresica merely smiled and said, "They're currently fighting some fairly powerful bandits in the desert. If I pull them out, who do you think should replace them?"

After circling around the subject, Theresica still refused to commit.

Russell had no choice but to stand and point toward the Caprini as he introduced him. "He represents another faction within Leithanien."

The Caprini humbly stood and bowed. "If my master can replace the Witch King, Leithanien will certainly establish peace with all nations."

"I will send people to help them kill the Witch King and complete the coup."

Russell continued, "But that will take time. We must ensure that the army sent out by the Witch King cannot return in the short term."

The problem was that the Witch King's army was advancing like a hot knife through butter. If trouble broke out at home, they could return smoothly and crush the coup.

"Kazdel only needs to help Siracusa hold back the Witch King's army and give the coup time to succeed."

Weirdleaf looked toward Theresica, waiting for his answer.

After a moment of silence, Theresica said, "I'm not a far-sighted person. I've never believed that Kazdel is in any danger right now. Besides, the Sarkaz have had enough of the suffering caused by war. If I send troops to Siracusa to fight Leithanien's forces, I may not be able to keep my throne."

"If the matter succeeds, my master will certainly offer a reward!" the Caprini said.

"Siracusa will offer a price satisfactory to Kazdel!" Lady Sicilia promised as well.

Both sides showed their sincerity. Once the matter was over, the Caprini would provide Kazdel with the production process for a basic Arts Unit. Siracusa, meanwhile, would announce the abandonment of tariffs on Kazdel goods, while covering all material costs consumed by the Sarkaz during their operations in Siracusa.

Theresica sat in his seat with a conflicted, struggling expression. After agonizing over it for quite some time, he finally said:

"Please wait a moment. I need to discuss this with the professional personnel responsible for military affairs."

Everyone nodded repeatedly. The fact that he was willing to budge meant there was hope of getting the Sarkaz to intervene in the war!

Chapter 83: A Wendigo's Return Home

Theresica went to a side hall. The members of the Military Committee had already arrived at Lady Banshee's notice, and they had heard every word of the conversation just now.

"What do you think?"

"Your Majesty, whether to intervene in Siracusa's war is for you to decide."

The committee members paused here. "But you must be careful. We would be fighting on foreign soil. If they accuse us of invasion, we'll be in trouble."

"And the Leithanien people! Who knows what dirty tricks those fellows have up their sleeves?"

Everyone spoke one after another. After hearing their opinions, Theresica didn't hurry back out. He leaned casually against his seat and pondered.

He had heard about the Witch King of Leithanien through various channels many times, especially recently, when reports about him had become more frequent.

Though he was the leader of a nation, he was also Leithanien's strongest individual. He had once crushed the vanguard of the Gaul Empire by himself. Now, everyone said his Originium Arts had grown even more extraordinary, to the point that he could supposedly reverse Leithanien's day and night.

No matter how they described him, Theresica equated him directly with a nuclear bomb. But that wasn't anything to fear, because he also had a humanoid nuclear bomb at his disposal.

The question was, would Kazdel's assistance to Siracusa cause the Witch King to leave his tower and intervene on the battlefield personally?

To prevent the Witch King from launching a surprise attack on Kazdel's regular forces, the Bloodfiend Grand Duke would probably have to take command personally. But if that happened, the Witch King joining the battlefield would be inevitable as well.

When immortals fought, ordinary people suffered. How many of the Sarkaz regular forces would be left afterward? What kind of relationship did Siracusa have with Kazdel to make it worth going all out like this?

Theresica shook his head. It wasn't worth it. That meant the exact time for the Sarkaz to enter the war had to be reconsidered, and he also had to take care of Lady Sicilia's feelings.

Beyond that, there was Ursus.

Leithanien lay south of Ursus, so close to its crucial grain-producing regions. How could this enormous military empire have shown no reaction while Leithanien acted so boldly?

Vitt was clearly the strongest person among the visitors, yet he had said nothing about sending troops and had instead tried to persuade the Sarkaz to do it.

Ursus could simply make money from Siracusa. For the sake of survival, would Lady Sicilia refuse?

A field army sent to the border for an exercise would surely make the Witch King think twice. But Ursus hadn't done even that.

That was intriguing. It seemed the new emperor still hadn't finished consolidating power at home. He was likely worried that the old aristocracy would use this matter to launch a counterattack, while the grain-producing regions were genuinely important.

It seems I can ask Ursus for something.

Theresica calculated his next move. Beside him, Shining reminded him, "Your Majesty, you've been here for thirty minutes."

"No rush. Wait a little longer." Theresica narrowed his eyes.

The council chamber was silent as the grave. Everyone sat there deep in thought, and not one of them had touched the pastries or drinks the attendants had brought over.

The only one truly nervous was Lady Sicilia. She anxiously awaited Theresica's decision, while the others were mainly calculating their own gains and losses.