Chapter 142 Weapons of a Bygone Age
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
One morning, as always, Ayumu sat beside Ninim in the lord’s study, paper towers gradually shrinking under their combined assault. Then, suddenly—”Hm?”—her small, clear voice broke the rhythm. Her hand froze mid-page, eyes lingering.
(What now?) Ayumu wondered, peering at her face. Ninim had spotted something. She slid the document toward him and gestured for him to read.
It was an old inventory list, yellowed, brittle. From the writing, it seemed to date back to the era of the old Yugan Empire—spare military stock, once belonging to the Imperial Army.
Curious, Ayumu ordered a search of the entries. To his surprise, thirty ancient longbows were retrieved, barely serviceable but still intact.
In modern Keldan, even relics like these counted as assets. He toyed with the idea of issuing them to the fledgling domain army. But when he raised the question with Yoluminette, the answer was immediate.
”Impossible. Their training and muscle strength are nowhere near sufficient, my lord!”
Ayumu only nodded. He had expected that response. Which was why, even before she answered, he already knew his next move.
He summoned locksmiths, carpenters, craftsmen, and engineers. And he began to build.
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The concept was simple, yet radical. A rod-shaped device combining a chamber for launching and a magazine holding six arrows. It clipped directly to the shaft, mid-body. Each arrow was loaded by a spring mechanism. When the bowstring was drawn, a claw inside the device hooked the string, pushed one arrow into the chamber, and held tension.
Of course, keeping the string drawn required strength, so the device included a foregrip to brace with one hand while the other pulled.
To fire, the archer simply squeezed a trigger at the device’s rear. The claw released, the string snapped, and the arrow flew.
Ayumu chuckled dryly as he wrote the manual, printing it neatly with the new press. He made it sound like his own brilliant innovation. But in truth, the design was stolen—a reworked copy of an idea once made by a German YouTuber collaborating with a Western archery company.
Still, it had merits. Anyone could learn it quickly. Even poorly educated conscripts could become usable archers. The device could be manufactured with late-medieval to early-modern technology, and simplified further to minimize moving parts. Most importantly—it enabled rapid fire.
But with every advantage came drawbacks.
Its mechanism was more complex than a standard longbow, making frontline repairs impossible. Maintenance would require specialized workshops in the rear. Its arrows were weakened: fletching reduced from three vanes to two for faster reload, sacrificing range and accuracy. Ammunition supply became messy—confusion with normal arrows and crossbow bolts inevitable, consumption rates far higher.
And once its utility was known, copies would spread like wildfire. A bow-version AK-47.
Ayumu grimaced. The last thing he wanted was to be killed, or see his loved ones killed, by his own invention. So he planned safeguards. The device’s innards would be laced with sorcery and golemcraft triggers—any attempt to disassemble them without authorization would cause the parts to shatter or scatter, black-boxed to protect secrets.
Yet he knew: no secret was eternal. Another nation’s genius might crack the design. Enemies might capture stock. Corruption at home could leak it just as easily. Production would therefore be limited to only the most trusted engineers and artisans.
Every unit would be numbered. Bookkeeping—double-entry style—would track every bow and arrow to prevent shady diversions. Without strict oversight, weapons and technology slipped through cracks far too easily.
The thought exhausted him. Such a system would require not only Ninim, but other staff skilled in accounting. He had already sent word through his networks, recruiting.
For now, all Ayumu could do was pray.
Pray that good people, reliable people, came forward to help him safeguard the future.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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