The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 23

“There are two main hypotheses about why monsters show a higher level of hostility towards humans than they do towards other monsters.

One is the hypothesis that they are designed from birth to have unconditional hostility towards humans. The other is that a monster that happened to eat a human started telling other monsters about it, and the monsters who learned that humans are incomparably tastier prey than other monsters passed this information down through generations.”

Innate factors and acquired factors. I was receiving a lecture from Ild on why monsters join forces with other monsters to devour humans.

It was already well-known information, and something a magician couldn’t possibly not know, but both I and Ild were silently concentrating on the lecture. This was because the purpose wasn’t to convey information, but rather an act close to a ritual of realizing we had survived by making the words we shared before the red alert a reality.

“Based on those two hypotheses, there are countless other hypotheses. Human mana attracts monsters.

Parents teach their children about the existence of humans. Well, that was proven wrong through experiments. And so on. Among them, the hypothesis that is considered closest to the truth is the one I mentioned at the beginning.

It’s just a hypothesis, but if we could figure out why monsters show more hostility towards humans, the Terra Barrier might one day become quiet. Don’t you think?”

“Do you think that day will ever come? I’d bet that the day monsters disappear from the monsters’ land will come sooner.”

“That’s one way the Terra Barrier could become quiet.”

The first red alert of this year caused great damage, befitting its reputation. The number of dead easily exceeded four digits, and if you include those with minor injuries, it was at a level where you couldn’t use two of your five fingers. The good news was that one finger and about two knuckles of the other finger could be used again after rehabilitation.

“Okay. That’s enough of this mismatched lecture. If you’ve recovered your mana, go up to the barrier. There’s a lot to do.”

“Yes.”

And the damage wasn’t limited to the loss of human resources. Because a high-ranking species had inappropriately sacrificed itself to batter the Terra Barrier, the barrier was damaged in places, and although it wasn’t major damage, flying monsters had invaded the interior of the barrier and caused a disturbance, so the interior wasn’t unscathed either.

When knights and soldiers cleared away the collapsed debris and neatly emptied the space, magicians built the barrier again with stones pulled up from the ground. Magicians who could create rocks from anywhere as long as they had mana, and knights who could easily lift huge rocks without any special tools, joined forces, and the restoration itself was progressing at a fairly rapid pace.

However, the biggest problem wasn’t the loss of soldiers, nor the destruction of the barrier and buildings. It was the loss of knights and magicians. Just as the saying ‘giving flesh and taking bone’ means that bone is a more fatal wound, soldiers were like flesh, while knights and magicians were like bones. Flesh heals quickly, but bones take a long time, so each and every one of them was sorely missed.

Last year, when I first arrived at the Terra Barrier, there were over three hundred knights and sixty magicians, including us. But now, the number of knights barely exceeded two hundred, and 1/3 of the magicians had died or left the front lines due to serious injuries, so it couldn’t be anything but a fatal blow.

Of course, this year had an unusually high number of casualties. I don’t remember the exact number of knights at the time, but the number of my magician classmates was only about ten, so even though there were still nearly 4 months left until the end of the year, nearly twice as many casualties had occurred. Laurent, a classmate in my group, was lucky enough to still be alive, but only three classmates from other groups remained.

“What are you doing! Can’t you see everyone’s busy? Bring one more stone instead of spacing out!”

“Yes, yes! I’m going!”

But there was no time to grieve their deaths. The empty space of the dead would be filled by someone else, and no one would care except for their families.

#

“We must deploy them in actual combat. Haven’t you experienced it? The number of monsters is one thing, but the high-ranking species rushed in without regard for their lives, causing so much damage. If we deploy the Scorpions [special ballistae] in actual combat, we will be able to prevent even the same scale of attack with much less damage.”

The special ballista that had undergone improvement after improvement, the ballista named ‘Scorpion’ by Duke Zieg, was in many ways a hot topic for the knights and magicians of the Terra Barrier as a means to effectively deal with high-ranking species.

“Its power is outstanding…”

“I heard that it killed an ogre with a single shot in a field test.”

“And the rate of fire is the same as a normal ballista, so it’s a jackpot.”

Everyone praised its power. In the field tests that followed each improvement, it silenced an ogre with a single shot, so its power itself was second to none, even compared to the strongest 5-circle magic, Explosion. There were only a handful of 5-circle magicians in the Terra Barrier, including the leaders of each group, so they couldn’t help but have high expectations.

If the power was a hot topic in a good way, the cost was a hot topic in a bad way.

“If it weren’t for the power, I would have said, ‘What is this thing?'”

“They wouldn’t have made it in the first place, right? The results are good, but with this cost… It would have been better if it was a little more efficient.”

No one didn’t know that the material that allowed the Scorpion to exert its certain power was a magic stone. The fact that it required a magic stone the size of a fist was enough to bring out negative comments despite its excellent power.

As a compromise, they tried to replace the necessary magic stones with different sizes, but in that case, not only would the number of shots be reduced, but the power, which was its pride, would also be reduced, so there was no choice but to achieve the initial goal. The debate over whether it could be deployed in actual combat continued for a while, and a few days later, I received a call from Duke Zieg.

“Go to the capital.”

“Yes?”

Go to the capital? Me? Why? Did I do something wrong? Or is the request from the Magic Tower something he can no longer stop?

As all sorts of thoughts chased each other, he began to explain why I had to go to the capital, as if he had no intention of not explaining the reason.

“You know very well that there’s a lot of talk about the Scorpion’s deployment in actual combat.”

“Yes. I guess there’s no way there wouldn’t be talk since the size of the magic stone required is so large.”

“Now that the development of the mine hasn’t even started, we can never deploy the Scorpion in actual combat with the magic stones stored within the Terra Barrier. But not only I, but everyone else is keenly aware of its necessity.”

No matter how skilled he was as a swordsman, he didn’t have multiple bodies, so he couldn’t protect the entire long Terra Barrier. That’s why he knew how great the Scorpion was and the necessity of deploying it in actual combat. However, the shackles holding him back were shackles that even Duke Zieg couldn’t easily break.

“Go to the capital and present my letter to His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Can I know the contents?”

“It’s nothing much. It’s just a request for magic stones because the Scorpion cannot be deployed in actual combat with the resources of the Terra Barrier alone, so that’s why you’re going to the capital as a messenger.”

Certainly, if that was the reason, it was reasonable for me to go.

“I don’t know much about magic, but they say your power is essential for the production of the Scorpion. Unfortunately, it would take too long to carry the Scorpion to the capital. So, I want you to make the Scorpion in the capital and demonstrate its power to His Majesty the Emperor. Do you understand what I mean?”

“I will do my best.”

With that, I left the Terra Barrier, which I had grown fond of, with a heavy mission, and set off for the capital.

#

“Is this your first time in the capital, or is it your second time?”

“I think it’s my fourth or fifth time. My hometown is a remote village, so I had no reason to go unless I had business with the Magic Tower.”

I couldn’t go that far alone, so I was heading to the capital with a small number of soldiers. Still, it wasn’t lonely because there was a familiar face. Wisp, who had been with me on the autumn expedition, was accompanying me. Wisp had a lot of experience, but he was just a regular knight, so his circumstances were different from others who had positions and couldn’t leave their posts.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

“Does it look like that?”

It wasn’t just Wisp’s thing. The faces of the soldiers who followed us, even though they had to walk a long way, were also very bright. I didn’t ask why, but I felt like I knew the reason.

“You seem to be in a good mood… That’s right. I’m really sorry to my colleagues, but I’m so happy that I can leave the Terra Barrier for a while that I feel sorry.”

“It’s a natural reaction for people. Don’t blame yourself too much.”

For them, or rather for us, the Terra Barrier was a death trap. A place where death is closer than anywhere else in the world. Who wouldn’t be happy to get away from such a place? I wasn’t much different either. However, unlike them, who only had to go and come back, I had the burden of having to get support, so it wasn’t expressed outwardly.

Even though Duke Zieg was sending a personal letter, the Emperor would think positively, but if the Scorpion’s power didn’t suit the Emperor’s temperament, he might send less support, or in the worst case, not send any at all. At the same time, I remembered what Ild had said to me before leaving the Terra Barrier.

[It won’t be an easy road. If you say you’re sending magic stones to the Terra Barrier, those who have magic stones will oppose it. Especially the people of the Magic Tower, they might find fault with something and oppose it. Prepare thoroughly and don’t be swayed by other people’s words.]

That’s right. People who haven’t experienced the Terra Barrier don’t realize the necessity of the Scorpion. They’ll say, ‘We’ve been blocking it well so far, so why do we need to deploy such a money-eating monster?’ Ignoring the sacrifices of so many people so far. I had to get support to see the dismayed faces of those guys.

As I imagined what would happen in the capital and hurried my steps, the high walls of the capital came into view. Compared to the time it took to go from the capital to the Terra Barrier about a year ago, it was a short journey.

“To submit a report when it’s not a regular report, did something happen at the Terra Barrier?”

After safely passing through the city gates and heading to the Imperial Palace, we were guided to one side of the Imperial Palace after showing Duke Zieg’s mark stamped on the outside of Duke Zieg’s personal letter.

The man named Count Winchester, who appeared there, tilted his head after receiving the letter. After telling him that the red alert had caused great damage, he nodded and left the room, saying to wait a moment. Count Winchester returned a moment later and led the way, saying to follow him.

“Tell His Majesty the Emperor that you have returned with the messenger of the Terra Barrier by order of His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Please wait a moment.”

A moment later, the knight returned.

“His Majesty the Emperor has ordered both of you to enter.”

“Thank you.”

Squeak-

And so, for the first time in my life, I faced the supreme ruler of this empire. The Emperor who sits in a higher position than anyone else.

“So you’re the guy named Renil. I heard your words that merit needs reward.”

Baron’s Family Second Son – Episode 23 End