Chapter 163 The Coalmine Army at That Time
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”It seems Lily-nee-sama has been found!”
A while after Kento was attacked by a mysterious enemy in the Royal Capital. At the Coalmine Kingdom¹ army encampment near the northern border. Martin Popol, the adoptive younger brother of the “Harvest”² experimental slave Lily, received that report and let out a cry of joy.
”She is alive and well in Canarias³, the capital of the Canaria Kingdom⁴. I don’t know the details, but it seems they are going to try to make contact!”
”Hmph, well, that’s good for you,” Lady Kushe, the Head Court Mage of Coalmine who was somehow being told this report, replied with a total lack of interest.
Well, since half—no, about eighty percent—of Martin’s motivation seemed to lie with his rumored older sister, it was good news for Kushe as well that her colleague’s morale was increasing.
However, she had a problem that she had to face more than that. Of course, that should have been the top priority for Martin as well, but…
”To think she has infiltrated the enemy’s capital, as expected of my sister, she is truly bold and fearless…!”
”That’s all well and good, but more importantly, please think about what to do with that ultra-compact magic weapon,” Kushe said, exasperated by Martin, who looked like he was about to start dancing for joy at any moment.
After several pitched battles, a mysterious force had been deployed by the Canaria Kingdom army. Called PHZ⁵ (Pat-Hot-Z) by the Canaria side, it was greatly toyed with the Coalmine Kingdom army.
”What do you mean by ‘that’! If my sister helps us, we can break this stalemate! That’s happy news for you too, isn’t it?”
”What, are you going to have her perform sabotage in the capital? I think that’s reckless… Besides, it’s not even certain your sister will help in the first place. An operation built on double or triple assumptions isn’t called an operation. It’s called a delusion, or a tall tale,” Kushe countered.
”If it’s sister, it’s possible! That’s right, there was no way that sister would just run away! Don’t you think it’s truly amazing that she foresaw this situation from the start and infiltrated the Canaria Kingdom!?”
”Ah, yeah, yeah. Fine, whatever. So, in order to go pick up your sister, think of a way to break through that thing…”
His sister complex had reached such an extreme that it was, frankly, gross. Without letting those words that were on the tip of her tongue out, Lady Kushe said that. She thought it was wiser to roll with him rather than oppose him. Or rather, she had given up.
”You’re right. We must break through this place quickly and go to help my sister, who has been fighting a lonely battle…!”
”Yes, yes, that’s right. If we can just do something about that ultra-compact magic weapon, we can go to help her right away~”
”Yeah. However, is that thing really settled as a ‘magic weapon’? It’s hard to believe that anyone can fire that scale of flame magic without any compensation…”
”I feel like we have no choice but to interpret it that way… Some have seen them operating a tool in their hands. I can’t imagine the power source or the magic circuits at all, but I can’t think of any other way to turn a soldier without magic power into a magic soldier. By the way, the next best interpretation is a contract with a demon, but do you want to pursue that?”
Kushe said that somewhat self-deprecatingly. “That person has a contract with a demon” were words that had originally been hurled at her.
Appointed as the Head Court Mage at a young age and having developed “Matomeru-kun”⁶, which concentrated the wisdom of Coalmine, she had gathered much jealousy and envy. The mysterious magic weapon of the Canaria army baffled even her.
”Well, I can understand that feeling, but…”
”As for me, I can’t accept it. Not as a Court Mage, and not as a single ‘magic user’…”
While saying that, the two reflected on the events of how that magic weapon appeared. Up until the second or third battle, our side should have been completely superior.
As initially expected, since the appearance of the new magic weapon “Matomeru-kun” created by Lady Kushe, the “Witch of Fresh Verdure” had shown no sign of firing large magic. It could be considered proven that a single strike from “Matomeru-kun” surpassed a single strike from the “Witch.”
Of course, because the Court sorcerers on the other side were deploying defensive magic, “Matomeru-kun’s” strike did not slaughter the enemy. However, while the enemy mages were occupied, our mages were able to move freely.
Then, the enemy’s volunteers, adventurers including the “Witch,” appeared and were stopped, but the ones who were active in opposing them were the Pink Clan⁷ led by Martin.
They had the “power” to mimic combat methods and techniques. That, along with a simple strengthening of war potential, was also very useful for analyzing enemy war potential. The volunteers had unique combat abilities compared to general soldiers, and while they were powerful, they also had many weaknesses.
The Pink Clan, who could change their combat styles frequently, scattered to various points on the battlefield, identified opponents they could fight with an advantage, and efficiently harvested them.
Unfortunately, perhaps realizing this, the enemy had formed squads where volunteers or general soldiers covered each other’s weaknesses, and they could not be wiped out.
However, every time the battles repeated three or four times, our Pink Clan was strengthened, and the enemy volunteers decreased in number. If it continued like this, they would eventually be able to break through. That was how it was supposed to be.
”And then, that mysterious ultra-compact magic weapon appeared…”
”It was a heavy blow that we couldn’t detect it at all…”
I wonder which battle that was. The Coalmine army, judging that a push by force was possible, intermittently attacked Pikeaxe Fort⁸. One day, they were suddenly attacked by a barrage of roaring flame magic.
Because of the sense of security that the enemy mages were sealed by “Matomeru-kun,” they were not on guard against magic attacks. If magic were to fly in, it would only be from a very small portion of the volunteers, and their positions had been grasped.
An attack completely from outside their consciousness. Many officers and men, the Pink Clan, and even the mages could not dodge it.
Furthermore, taking advantage of that opening, the “Witch” and adventurers came on a suicide charge to destroy “Matomeru-kun.” Even for Lady Kushe, that was a chilling experience.
An elf with hair the color of fresh verdure, charging fiercely while glaring here with unusually glinting eyes. If Martin, of all people, hadn’t stepped in between, what would have happened… She unconsciously shuddered.
Afterwards, the Coalmine army managed to escape, but since then, they have been forced to fight while being on guard against roaring flame magic that they don’t know when will strike.
”If we organize the current situation just by war potential, would it look something like this?”
Lady Kushe wrote down the war potential of both armies that had been gathered on a scrap of paper she had at hand. Naturally, she was ignoring the number of soldiers and the power of “individuals,” but it was easier to get a perspective if things were organized.
- Ally War Potential (Coalmine Army)
① General Soldiers (Infantry/Cavalry)
② Magic Soldiers (Court Mages, etc.)
③ Special War Potential (Pink Clan)
④ Magic Weapon (“Matomeru-kun”)
- Enemy War Potential (Canaria Army)
① General Soldiers (Infantry/Cavalry/Beastmen Soldiers)
② Magic Soldiers (Court Mages, etc.)
③ Special War Potential (Volunteers/”Witch”)
④ Magic Weapon (Ultra-compact Magic Weapon)
Looking at it this way, the war potential of both sides was generally balanced. No, though she didn’t want to admit it, the enemy army, which was superior in the quality of general soldiers and also superior in the number and ease of use of magic weapons, was perhaps slightly more advantageous.
Either way, the war situation was at a stalemate, and it seemed they would be forced to continue a quagmire of a battle for a while while trembling in the shadows of the mysterious ultra-compact magic weapon and the “Witch of Fresh Verdure.” Kushe let out a sigh without thinking.
”Haa… Somehow, I’ve started to want to rely on your sister too…”
”Right!? A follow-up report should arrive soon. You should look forward to it!”
That was a piece of irony meaning she wanted to cling even to a straw, but it didn’t get through to Martin. Kushe let out another big sigh and stared toward Pikeaxe Fort with gloomy eyes…
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Summary:
Martin receives news that his sister Lily is safe in the enemy capital. Kushe and Martin discuss the stalemate against the Canaria Kingdom. They analyze the impact of the mysterious ultra-compact magic weapons (lighters) being used by the enemy. Kushe feels the pressure of the balanced war potential as the conflict turns into a quagmire.
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Character Insight:
Martin’s sister complex is portrayed as his primary driving force, blinding him to strategic reality. Kushe, conversely, is shown as a pragmatic and weary intellectual who is haunted by her own past (‘demon contract’ rumors). Her internal self-derision highlights a deep-seated insecurity despite her high rank and genius level inventions.
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T/L:
Notes:
• Lily – the sl*ve and primary experiment subject for the magic shop, ‘Harvest.’ She has striking pink hair, Blue eyes, medium breasts, which the Protagonist associates with being ‘wanton’. She has a working knowledge of magic, which she kept hidden from the slave trader.
• Martin – Lily’s non-blood-related younger brother. Considered the strongest candidate to succeed the Popol family due to his lineage and manifested ‘power. He has pink hair.
• Kento – The owner of the magic tool shop ‘Harvest,’ which discretely sells adult goods. He’s a former overworked, ordinary salaryman from modern Japan who was suddenly transported (isekai’d) to this fantasy world. He has dark hair and an unremarkable appearance, typically wearing a plain, slightly suspicious-looking shop owner’s clothes looks like Kazuma Satou from certain series. He has a minimal amount of magic power, enough to craft his specialty items.
• Kushe – The Chief Mage of the Coalmine Kingdom. She has dark green hair grown out haphazardly and wears a mage robe loosely over her shoulders. She has a blunt, informal, and somewhat insensitive personality, focused on her ‘thinking experiments.’
• Witch of Fresh Verdure – A legendary elf from the Age of Heroes. She is a true ‘magic user’ from an era before formalized magic systems. She is an old friend of the Canaria Kingdom’s founding king.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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