The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 101

“Your goal is to wipe out the monsters in the north, right? Just listen to my request. Then, I swear on my sword, I will be at the forefront of killing monsters more than anyone else.”

It was a tempting offer, hard to refuse. It was true that knights could overcome their existing limitations through the Titan [a powerful, human-piloted war machine], but even so, reaching the level of a Master was incredibly difficult. It was only natural since that level couldn’t be achieved through external means alone, which made Duke Pongke’s offer so appealing.

To consider it practically, the presence of an unmatched warrior, combined with the successful development of a dedicated machine, promised a spectacle beyond imagination.

“Okay. I’ll accept the offer.”

There was no reason to refuse. Either way, this was a study that needed to begin eventually, and there was nothing to lose even if the development failed. The production of Glory [likely referring to the Titan model] wouldn’t be significantly affected even without my direct involvement, and even if it failed, the data gathered would remain and be of considerable help later.

#

Clang, clang-

I headed to the workshop, not the laboratory, for the first time in a while. Since I’d received a request, I had to get to work. After asking around, I found the target: several wizards and artisans racking their brains while examining a Glory.

“Excuse me for a moment?”

“Whoa, Count!”

“Is this the Glory that Duke Pongke rode?”

There were no visible problems on the outside. Well, the damage was internal, not external, so that was to be expected. I could sense it even without taking it apart. The meticulously built machine was damaged from the core to its outer shell. Considering his personality, he probably forced magic power into it without consulting the previous rider, so it was fortunate that even traces of its original state remained.

“It seems difficult to repair; it would be much better to make a new one.”

“Is that so?”

The wizards’ inner thoughts spilled out at my words. They wanted to repair it somehow, even if it meant undoing all the effort they had put into making this Glory, but they were frustrated because they couldn’t see a solution. They seemed relieved that I stepped in and suggested making a new one, giving them permission to give up.

‘I thought I could learn something.’

If you know why a house collapsed, you can build a stronger house. It’s only logical. There’s no reason for it to collapse in the same way after the weakness is addressed. That’s why I visited the workshop to identify weaknesses, but it didn’t seem like I could gain anything useful. If only a part of it had collapsed, I could have reinforced that specific area, but with the whole thing falling apart, it was essentially like starting from scratch.

“Can you send it to the laboratory for now? I need it because there is an order from His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Understood.”

“Besides this, are there any other problems? Anything is fine. If there’s a problem hindering production, I will solve it.”

“That’s actually…”

Compared to the production speed of the first 30 Glory units, the current second mass production has noticeably slowed down. There are several reasons, but the artisan explained the most significant one.

“There is a shortage of materials.”

“Yes?”

No, what does it mean that there is a shortage of materials? This place was the imperial capital, the most populous place and the center where everything in the empire gathered. There was no way that there was a place more abundant in materials than the imperial capital unless it was a mining city, but I had no choice but to nod at the artisan’s explanation.

“You know how much material is needed to make one Glory.”

Who made it and doesn’t know that fact? Even if you only calculate the steel, which requires the largest amount of Glory’s materials, you can make thousands of swords, which is by no means a small amount.

“In just a few months, we used all the minerals that had been stockpiled and urgently procured from the surrounding area to make 30 units. No matter how skilled we are, we cannot produce results without materials.”

“…I heard that all the minerals of the empire are gathered here, but is it still not enough?”

“It’s not enough. If you had asked me to make hundreds of thousands of ordinary weapons, there would have been no problem. Even if it’s scrap iron, we can make swords that soldiers can use without any problems. But Glory is different. We have to insist on the best of the best, and as you know, iron ore of that quality is…”

Always lacking. Moreover, there were many places that needed iron ore of that quality. No matter how much the Emperor wanted it, he couldn’t simply take it away from essential industries.

“Still, there will be no disruption in production. Materials continue to come in, but I would like to clarify that it is impossible to mass-produce as quickly as in the first mass production.”

I understood why the artisan was saying this. The current speed was normal, but those in charge who remembered the speed of the first mass production might misunderstand why it was so slow and assume they were being lazy.

“Does that mean that the speed could be faster if there were enough materials?”

“…That’s right, but as the Count said, all the minerals of the empire are gathering here, so it’s practically impossible to get more.”

It’s not an impossible story. If you’re squeezing to the limit, you can just increase the limit. Others may not know, but at least it’s possible for me.

“Don’t worry. I’ll have good news for you soon.”

“Y-You don’t have to do that. Count must be busy, and even now, it’s only slower than before, but we’ll be able to meet the deadline.”

The artisan who brought up the story waved his hand urgently, perhaps sensing something ominous in my smile, but it was already too late. How can I just sit back and watch when talented people are held back because they don’t have enough resources? Of course, I have to solve it.

#

The Emperor of the Empire never hid the achievements of Glory in the land of monsters. Rather, he promoted it ostentatiously. He filmed the scene of defeating a higher-level monster alone and spread it to the nobles, showing off his power as the only one who currently possesses the Titan.

Then, it wasn’t just the nobles of the empire who were alarmed. In the first place, the nobles who were worried about the Emperor’s power increasing were already participating in the Titan project, and it was only a matter of time before they would have Titans as well.

Other nobles had no reason to be dissatisfied because they calculated that they would benefit from the trickle-down effect as time passed, operating under the logic that even a dog is our dog. It was the kingdoms bordering the empire that were truly alarmed.

Bang-

“How the hell did this happen! Didn’t you say it would take at least five years!”

“…”

Aubes Kingdom, Juren Kingdom, Braheim Kingdom.

All three kingdoms trembled with fear. Although peace had lasted for a long time, there had been wars that risked the fate of the kingdom only two generations ago, and small-scale displays of force – such as moving soldiers near the border under the guise of subduing bandits or monsters – had continued to this day. In such a situation, the empire was introducing a new weapon of formidable power, so naturally, fear arose about future actions.

“I have nothing to say.”

The head of the intelligence department had nothing to say to his lord either. He was the one who clearly stated that it would take a long time. To be exact, it was the conclusion of the wizards in the department, but he was the person in charge.

“Hoo. Hoo. So what should we do now? There’s no guarantee that they won’t attack immediately!”

“War will not start right away. No matter how excellent the Titan is, their numbers are small, and the movement of soldiers and supplies is far from preparing for war.”

“Is that all? Even if the empire only moves the troops in the south, they can advance significantly if combined with that new weapon? Are you just praying that war won’t happen right now, and that’s all you have for a plan!”

He, who had served the king for a long time, knew well what kind of answer the king wanted. In the end, to appease the king,

“We will develop a weapon that can respond to it as soon as possible.”

He had no choice but to say something that was not in his heart and had no feasibility.

“You’ve arrived.”

When he returned to his original position, many people who had been waiting for him were waiting in silence. In particular, about half of the people couldn’t raise their heads; they were the ones who had told him some time ago that it would take at least several years to see the weapon called Titan in action.

He wanted to raise his voice, but he knew through long experience that nothing would be solved by doing so, so he sighed inwardly and opened his mouth calmly.

“Everyone must have seen this video.”

Why wouldn’t they have seen it? They also watched the video with their eyes rubbed, and it was a video that a spy in the empire had obtained with difficulty, but when they first saw it, they even thought that the empire had deliberately leaked manipulated information to deceive them.

“…The possibility of a manipulated video…”

“Why would the empire create this manipulation? Even without such a weapon, the empire’s military power is not weak, so there is no reason to increase our vigilance for no reason.”

That’s right. The empire didn’t need to show off its power. Even without doing so, the empire was a country that could handle two or three kingdoms.

“His Majesty has ordered us to develop a weapon that can respond to this as soon as possible. Is it possible?”

“…It seems difficult in the short term. In the first place, it was a study with little possibility, as we assumed at least several years. To ask them to do the same thing that the enemies have done…”

That’s right. What was easy for a genius couldn’t be easy for ordinary people. He asked his aide about the progress of the mission he had entrusted to him with his last hope, but the reality was bleak.

“It seems that we need more time. We are trying our best, but the security and guards are so strict… Moreover, even if we manage to get something, we only know a part of it, so we are having difficulty obtaining overall data.”

“What happened to that guy, Jo Jo?”

“…I’m sorry. We have contacted him, but there is still no news.”

The atmosphere in the conference room became bleak with the continuous bad news. In the end, after making the obvious conclusion that they would do their best, when the meeting broke up and they were about to return to their respective jobs, a person approached the aide. He rushed over and handed something to the aide, and the aide’s face brightened noticeably after checking the contents.

Baron’s Family Second Son – Episode 101 – End