CH 261

Chapter 261 – Constructing A Base

The initial setup of the base went without a hitch. There were 50 elite magic gunners, the commander, Worg, five civilian officers to manage the base, five members of a platoon of harpy bombers, myself, Grande, and three oni girls. The total number of our northern expeditionary force is 66 people.

The base we are building this time needs to be large enough to house at least 300 volunteer soldiers in addition to our northern expeditionary force, as well as various personnel involved in the operation of the base, and in addition to that, we need facilities for training soldiers―a training field, a shooting range, and so on. So it is necessary to have a site of a reasonable size.

Of course, not only a place to live but also a workshop to make bullets, etc., and various facilities to support the lives of several hundred people are necessary. Soldiers are human beings, so they have to eat and wash dishes. In addition, they need everything that exists in the city in order to live a humane life.

“This is not a base or a fort; it’s more like a town.”

Shumel muttered as she looked at the empty base with no inhabitants yet.

“Isn’t it advanced?”

“I’d say it’s kind of more advanced…”

“You’re still the same as ever.”

The day after I arrived at Mesutherium, I worked hard to expand the base’s functions with only the oni girls and Grande in tow. Worg and the civilian staff joined the inspector to meet with Heinrich to discuss recruiting and hiring people to work at the base while the elite magic gunners formed a platoon to take out monsters and bandits in the area around the base. Five members of the harpy bomb squad visited harpy villages in the vicinity of the base, saying they were going to recruit. When I asked them why they were going to use air bombs, they said that it was the fastest way to show what the military does.

Is that okay…? No, I guess it’s fine if Worg gave them permission to do it.

“It will have water, sewer, and heat, and it can accommodate a family, with sturdy walls and strong Merinard soldiers to keep them safe, as well as regular air board flights to and from Mesutherium. It’s a good property, isn’t it?”

“Well, yes. At least they don’t have to worry about being attacked by monsters or bandits, right?”

“If there was a war, though, they would be targets of attack.”

“It’s the same in every city, to a lesser or greater degree, right? Without this base, the Mesutherium would still be attacked.”

This base is located less than 20 kilometers north of Mesutherium on the highway. It would take about half a day on foot. The distance between cities is quite close. No, in modern Japan, a 20-km trip would take you to another city or even another prefecture. It’s hard to say.

“Anyway, the setup is now complete. After that, I can make detailed improvements as I listen to the users’ opinions.”

I’ve already built a number of bases in this world, and I’ve done a lot of town planning. Since I have accumulated a certain amount of know-how, I probably won’t have to make any major modifications.

Boom, boom, boom…!

I hear a sound like thunder far off in the distance. That must be the sound of magic rifles being fired. It seems that a platoon of elite magic gunners are firing loudly. Although they are lightly armed, they are equipped with solid armor, bayonets, and ordinary swords, so they are capable of a certain level of melee combat. No monster or bandit would survive a bayonet charge from a powerful magic rifle.

They are on air boards and can communicate with each other using golem communicators. If they wanted, they could continue firing their magic rifles like mobile turrets while riding on their air boards. Unless there is a dragon like Grande, they will not be defeated.

“It’s so peaceful… Okay, I’m going to have a nice tea time.”

“That sounds good. I was just getting hungry.”

“I’d like something sweet.”

“You’re so easygoing…”

Shumel gave me a sympathetic look. I’ll have to rest while I can. You never know how many additional bomb squad candidates the harpies will bring in.

☆★☆

“Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?”

“Bombs? Is this a bomb?”

“Sun sun… ehehehe.”

A week later, I was working, half buried by the harpies, developing a new weapon. All of them are newcomers―or rather, they are all new harpies―who are sticking to me, hanging around me, or tripping on my back and sniffing my scent. Well, they are the smallest and youngest of the newcomers.

“I’m making a new weapon… it’s not a bomb, and there’s no gunpowder in it, so it’s not dangerous, but don’t touch it too much. And you, the girl on my back, get away from me.”

They are the daughters and sisters of the harpies who have newly joined the Merinard Royal Army and will serve in the harpy bomb squad. They are too small to fly with bombs dangling from their bodies, so they cannot work as bomb squad members. Their job now is to grow up until their bodies are ready.

So, for some reason, my workshop has taken on the aspect of a daycare center.

Well, maybe it’s because I am an uncle who is very close to their mother and sister―I have been told that I might become a father or an elder brother. As for me, I can’t leave dangerous things around here, so I’d like someone to do something about it.

“I don’t think you need an escort, do you?”

“If the place is surrounded by so many harpies, suspicious people won’t be able to get close to it.”

“Well, this is also part of your job…”

The three oni girls escorting me are also popular with the little harpies. The three oni girls are big enough to be treated like a springboard for flight training. They climb up their bodies and glide over their shoulders and heads.

Sometimes some children lie down and say, “hold me!” But… Well, they don’t seem to dislike children, and they take care of them very well. When I do dangerous experiments, they take care of the harpies’ children. To be honest, they are very helpful.

There are eight harpies’ children in this place now. The number of new members of the harpy bombing squad is 27. In total, 35 Harpies have joined the Merinard Royal Army.

However, it would take a few years for the harpies here to be able to work as bomb squad members.

What’s going on at night? So far, so calm, for now. I feel like it’s just a matter of time, but for now, I am having an extremely peaceful night. I hope this peace continues.

I’m concerned about the fact that the oni girls seem to be summoned in the middle of the night by the harpies, and they seem to be blowing something into their heads night after night. So far, none of the three of them have changed, but… I’m worried.

By the way, what are you making? Is it that “gun” thing again?”

“No, I’m making a mortar right now.”

“A morutaru?”

“I have no idea what it is, even though you told me it’s called that.”

“Oh, well, it’s a weapon that attacks within about an hour’s walk from…100m by sending air bombs that the harpies use.”

“Wouldn’t harpy’s bombs be more useful for that kind of range?”

“For now. But who knows what will happen in a year, two years, three years?”

“Is that how it is?”

“That’s the way it is. You don’t make something like this when you need it; you make it with the future in mind.”

Right now, there is nothing flying in the battlefield sky other than the harpies. But like I said, we don’t know what will happen two or three years from now. There may be people who will take control of the skies in some way and compete with the harpies. I am developing mortars in preparation for that time.

I will also need equipment to strengthen the harpies.

Right now, the harpies just grab the bomb with their legs, fly over the enemy, and drop the bomb. It is very difficult to equip them with heavy bombs, armor, or weapons for air combat because they cannot fly with heavy objects.

I need to think of some way to increase the payload of such harpies, make them armored, and give them the ability to defend themselves. There are several methods that come to mind, but whether they can be realized or not is another story. Harpies are flying by feel… To be honest, there is not a single harpy who can theoretically explain what kind of art theory they are flying by.

It is quite a difficult task to figure out a theory that even they don’t understand and to come up with equipment that will enhance it. Well, Isla and I have a theory in the process of making a recoil propulsion device using wind magic used in air boards.

To be honest, it seems difficult to strengthen the harpies by applying my knowledge of modern weapons, so I have no choice but to tell Isla and the others about the general direction of the project and ask them to develop it steadily. It’s going to be equipment in the realm of science fiction rather than modern weapons. In other words, the enhanced equipment of the harpies is truly in the realm of magic. The actuality of the flying principle, as well as the existence of the flying principle, is a fantasy existence.

“You are pondering something, aren’t you?”

“I think he’s thinking of something dangerous again.”

“No doubt.”

“You girls are terrible.”

They’re not wrong, though.

“Alright, that’s enough for today. Let’s go for a walk.”

“A walk!”

“Let’s go for a walk!”

“Yay!”

I put away all the mortar parts I had spread around in my inventory and decided to take the harpies for a walk around the base, which was gradually becoming more and more crowded. This is because it’s not good for them to be cooped up all the time.