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Chapter 251: An Absolutely Incredible Place (1)

The soldiers cast suspicious glances at the unbelievable weight. Now that I think about it, the color of the armor wasn’t the shiny silver that knights usually wore.

It had a matte silver finish, which looked a bit more upscale and subdued, but it only raised more doubts.

It was definitely made from shoddy materials. Assuming someone was playing a prank, the soldiers began to mess with the armor.

“Hey, hey, give this a hit!”

At one soldier’s shout, another drew his sword and struck down. If they got caught by their superior, they could simply say they were testing what had been issued to them.

If sending the armor in the first place was someone’s joke, they would likely just let it slide whether or not they played around.

Kaaang!

“……?”

The soldier holding the armor, the one wielding the sword, and the soldiers watching all blinked in disbelief.

If the armor were a fake, it should have dented or broken where it was hit. But there wasn’t even a scratch on the armor.

In particular, the soldier who swung the sword looked at his hand, unable to believe what just happened.

“This is…… the impact was almost the same as hitting real armor?”

He had swung it with a strong, careless motion as part of the prank, and the shock had transferred directly to his hand.

A stinging pain that made his hand feel numb. This was definitely like striking solid plate armor.

Just as everyone fell silent in shock, a light infantry captain rushed in, sweating.

“Gah! Sorry, I overslept after taking a crap. Did everyone receive their armor?”

“This… is this really for us?”

“Yeah, it’s the Lord’s order to change all soldiers’ armaments to this. From now on, we’re to stop wearing crappy armor.”

“……Wow.”

It was widely known that when the lord spent money, he spent a fortune.

But there were 3,000 soldiers in the territory. To change all their armaments?

Such distribution wasn’t even something the royal family could show off.

One soldier raised his hand and asked.

“But why is this armor so light? Is there some kind of magic on it?”

“No, no. This is a new material developed by the dwarves. So, while the defense is similar to conventional armor, the weight is less than half.”

“Woah….”

The soldiers broke into wide smiles.

Plate armor is said to be the pinnacle of metallurgy. Unless you crush the armor with a heavy weapon or attack the gaps in the joints, it’s tough to kill someone wearing plate armor.

While the effectiveness might differ depending on the opponent’s skill when facing knights, plate armor boasts overwhelming defense against ordinary soldiers.

Yet now, this heavy armor had been reduced to the weight of leather armor. Beyond amazing, this was a miracle.

“Yay!”

Everyone cheered with joy.

The soldiers who stepped onto the battlefield feared one thing above all: death. But what if they fought in full plate armor? They could kill several opposing soldiers all by themselves.

Even the cavalry and archers in training shared in the joy. The lighter the armor, the less fatigued their horses became.

As the production of armor increased, more and more soldiers donned the new gear. At a glance, it was hard to distinguish who among them was a knight.

The calm silver armor, adorned with the emblem of a red wolf on the left chest.

This had now become the symbol of Penris soldiers.

Weapons made of Galbarium, including spears and shields, as well as swords tailored to each soldier type, were also issued.

The soldiers couldn’t hold back their admiration again.

“Wow, the weapons are incredibly light too?”

“I won’t get tired even after carrying them around all day!”

“With this, I could swing it all day long!”

Though blunt weapons were only slightly lighter than before, blades had become significantly lighter and easier to handle.

The most thrilled were the heavy infantry. They had to carry large, thick, and heavy shields throughout the battle, making them one of the toughest types of soldiers.

But after receiving their new shields, everything had changed.

“Attack with your shields while running!”

As the instructors shouted, the shield soldiers swung their shields with one hand while running. And these were massive shields that could cover their entire bodies.

Now, the concept of heavy infantry had disappeared in the Penris territory. The types of weapons and the sizes of shields differed, but everyone was now equipped to move at speeds exceeding that of light infantry.

Moreover, everyone was training to ride horses, meaning the concept of cavalry might also vanish.

However, just because they wore better gear didn’t mean the soldiers had it easier. The training they received became increasingly intense day by day.

“More! Swing and move faster! Don’t rely on your gear! You need to become strong enough to kill the enemy barehanded!”

Even under Gillian’s shouts, the soldiers fell one by one with expressions that screamed death.

“Ugh!”

“I-I feel like I’m about to die.”

“Why is it getting harder even though we got incredibly good gear?”

The gear only aids in achieving the best efficiency during actual combat. Ultimately, if the wielder is weak, they can’t extract that power properly.

Humans themselves must become stronger. That was Ghislaine’s belief.

And here stood someone determined to perfectly execute Ghislaine’s command.

“What are you doing! Move more! Keep moving, you fools! If you keep moving like that, you’ll die before even facing the enemy! If you don’t get up immediately, I’ll break your legs!”

One could tell Gillian was once a mercenary; he was like a demon when it came to training soldiers.

Well-fed and boosted in stamina, the soldiers rolled around daily as if they were on the verge of death.

“This place is hell! They’re all demons!”

“This is insane. Are they planning to make everyone into knights? This territory really is crazy.”

“I’m well-fed, getting paid a lot, and things are nice, but something feels off! I want to escape!”

While the soldiers’ inner thoughts were a blend of joy and despair, the territory’s residents felt nothing but pure joy.

Most of the iron tools they had been using were now replaced with Galbarium tools. The territory residents couldn’t stop praising the changed tools to the point of drooling.

“I never thought farming tools could be this light! They’re sturdier than wood and way lighter than iron!”

“Since the pots are lighter, they’re easier to move with! I don’t even have to secure them when using the big ones.”

“This applies to the iron plates too. This is truly an insane product!”

Of course, tools like hammers or pickaxes, where weight served a purpose, hadn’t changed much. However, tools where weight was less critical quickly began to be replaced with Galbarium.

If tools are heavy, it becomes hard to handle and labor-intensive. Changing a single person’s tool would only result in minor convenience, but when that change spreads throughout the territory, the narrative shifts.

As the productivity of territorial citizens increased, related industries saw a boost in productivity as well. The change Galbarium brought to the territory was tremendous.

People sang the praises of the lord and the dwarves who created such new materials.

“Of course, it’s our lord. Isn’t this all due to the techniques the lord showed us?”

“They wouldn’t have succeeded without the dwarves.”

“They say it’s called Galbarium because they blended in Galbarik? That’s what someone said.”

Ghislaine observed the changes in the territory with satisfaction.

However, it was still not enough. There were still many resources lacking in the territory.

Resources that were hard to obtain, almost like money. It was now time to gather those.

*

Claude spoke with a serious face.

“There’s a problem.”

“I know.”

“……Really?”

Ghislaine continued in a nonchalant tone.

“Leather supply is becoming difficult, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. How did you know?”

“Of course. Since the production of all items has increased since developing Galbarium, the demand for leather has also soared.”

“I wish you had been prepared for this beforehand! Or we could reduce production a bit right now.”

When Claude spoke assertively, Ghislaine made an incredulous face.

“Do I have two bodies? Originally, I was going to seek out leather as soon as I got the horses. Galbarium was completed first, so that took priority. Well, I don’t plan to reduce production, so we need to find a solution quickly before this becomes too much of a problem.”

Leather is one of the most widely used resources. It’s used for making clothing, shoes, gloves, and more, and it’s also used for protecting items.

When making weapons or armor, leather components are included, and leather straps are often used to connect things.

Since gear and tools started being mass-produced using Galbarium, the demand for leather naturally surged.

When Ghislaine said she already had some plans in mind, Claude’s curiosity was piqued.

“So how are we getting it this time? Can we just create it like cosmetics or Galbarium?”

“No, am I a god? How can I just create leather?”

“……So then, are we going to go steal it like we did for the horses or iron ore?”

“No, am I a robber? Do you think I can just take whatever I need? What do you think I am, I’m not like that!”

‘Why does talking to this guy always get me so fired up?’

The lord brought out nonsensical knowledge whenever problems arose. If not that, they would use force to beat someone up and take whatever needed.

So naturally, she thought he would do something similar this time, bringing out odd knowledge or suggestions on where to steal from.

But instead, Claude was turning the tables and pointing fingers, which only made her angrier.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Claude asked again.

“So what will you do then? It’s getting harder to find leather these days. It’s becoming increasingly difficult.”

The shortage of meat was due to the drought, which caused many livestock to die. With the reduction in livestock, the leather obtained from them also decreased.

However, the supply situation was slightly better compared to food or meat. That was because monsters existed all over the continent.

Ghislaine quickly pointed that out.

“We need to hunt down monsters to get monster leather. It’s hard to find as it is right now, and taking it from others is quite difficult too.”

“……That won’t be easy.”

In the Ruthania Kingdom, there aren’t many habitats for monsters to begin with. Humans have been constantly hunting monsters to expand their territory for a long time.

Thanks to the long-standing policies of the kingdom, the number of monsters had diminished significantly. It’s no wonder the Ruthania Kingdom is considered a strong nation.

With the drought, the situation worsened as monster numbers further declined. The remaining monsters were either being hunted down by eager humans or had become increasingly difficult to spot.

Particularly in the north, before the drought arrived, they had nearly stripped every monster clean. That was how impoverished the region had become.

Claude spoke with a look that asked what exactly she was thinking.

“We hardly see monsters in our territory. We’ve already hunted down and eaten every last one. Other territories nearby are likely in the same boat. There have to be monsters for us to catch, right?”

“So we need to go where there are more monsters.”

Upon Ghislaine’s response, Claude seemed to realize something and nodded.

“Oh, you mean the Forest of Monsters?”

“No.”

“Not that? Thinking about it, going in there might not be a bad idea. Didn’t you say you had some success in hunting at the entrance back then?”

“That place isn’t cost-effective. There are more monsters that aren’t suitable for collecting leather than there are suitable ones. Things like man-eating plants or pudding trees won’t yield much. Hunting those only to get leather is a waste. It takes too much time.”

“I recall you said you planned to hunt in the Forest of Monsters again last time?”

“There’s a plan, yes. But not now. We need to go when we have the minimum strength needed to minimize casualties.”

The first time they had pushed to hunt in the Forest of Monsters was mainly due to the nearby Runestone. At that time, it was the only way to gather a significant amount of money.

However, going there to hunt now would only be a loss. Ghislaine’s plan was to gather resources when they could sweep through the forest overwhelmingly.

Hearing that the Forest of Monsters wasn’t the answer, Claude rubbed his forehead, already getting an idea of what she might do next.

“Are you going to head out of the territory like you did when fighting the barbarians?”

“Exactly. You’ve caught on quickly.”

“Ah, this time, it sounds like you’ll be going a bit farther.”

“Oh, you already know where?”

“Of course. If there’s a shortage of monsters, we just go to where the monsters are plentiful. That’s your style, right? Now I know everything.”

At Claude’s words, Ghislaine smiled broadly. Indeed, people get to know one another better over time.

With a satisfied smile, Ghislaine said,

“Right. We’re heading to the Shadow Mountain Range of the Turian Kingdom. It’s a place overflowing with monsters, an absolutely incredible place.”

 

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