334 – Heart

I don’t guarantee a 100% perfect translation.

Feel free to correct me in the comments.

This is my own project, not trying to steal Volare’s novel, but since they are slow I was thinking of trying my best at doing a so-so translation.

Next chapter in 12+ hours

 

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Andrea had just climbed a corner of the city wall, and saw a scene that shocked her.

She saw a row of soldiers at the top of the wall dressed in uniform clothes, in their hands they held a strange weapon, probably the one Ash referred as flintlock. As the group of demonic beasts approached, the flintlock erupted in flames and thick smoke, with continuous crack sounds reverberating in her ears.

This should be a type of weapon similar to the crossbow, but she cannot see the crossbow arrow that the opposite party launched, probably the reason being all the smoke. The demon beasts at the front came rushing but as if hit severely by something, their body falls to the ground one after another.

But the soldiers have not started cheering for victory, nor they filled the crossbow-like weapon again, but they continue to shoot at the enemy, although the speed of her own bow is a little faster.

„Is this that fearful weapon you talked about?” Andrea felt her lips somewhat dry, „the rate of fire is indeed fast, but the hit chance is a little……”

„Those people recruited in the first army, were working as miners, farmers and hunters before” Ash interrupted her while saying „the time they have used this weapon is also less than half a year”

A well-trained soldier takes five years to prepare, the archers take longer, even if they take the shortest training time in the crossbow, they still must spend about half a year in order to make a farmer capable of loading arrows without panic of counterattack. As for actual battle? Only God knows if they can hit a target at all, most of the situations would revolve around a strong momentum.

Andrea couldn’t help herself to swallow, she was not strange to military training, her family also once trained excessively outstanding Knights, therefore she naturally understood what being ready for actual combat in half a year or so meant. So as long as weapons and food can be fully supplied, Roland could piece together a huge army in a short amount of time, moreover this army would not be so fragile to collapse at the first enemy encounter, taking into account the rate of fire, even a group of elite Knights would have a hard time approaching.

This had nothing to do with the will and courage of the militia, it was the weapon that had made them a powerful force.

„Do you understand how this flintlock works?” Tilly pondered for a moment and then asked Silvy

The latter nodded, „I have carefully observed it many times, it is indeed a weapon similar to the crossbow, the arrow is very short, not having the long shaft nor the tail feathers of a normal arrow. The different lies in the arrow not needing to depend on the tension of the string, but the impact of the black powder explosion making the arrow instantly fly at a very high speed.”

„Black powder?” asked Ash „what is that?”

„Its probably an alchemy product,” she shakes her head, „about the specific ingredients, I am not sure.” 

„It should be very expensive,” said Andrea „goods created by an alchemist are never at a bargain price” 

Ash curls her lips „no matter how you look at it…… by the way they fire it, it doesn’t look like its expensive at all” 

„Wait, what is that thing over there?” Silvy is startled slightly while looking at the battlefield „God, is that also a demon beast? Its heading to the city wall fast! It seems like a giant turtle with a huge shell in its back”

Andrea suddenly became high spirited, „Shell? I fear these flintlocks will have a limited effect on it, as long as I am close to a ten-step range, even the city walls cannot block my magic arrows. Ash, you cover me.”

„OK” Ash shouts, removing the big sword from her back „finally we agree on something, after all I don’t want to lose face in front of Lady Tilly”

„Don’t go” Silvy tried to stop them „they have-” 

Andrea couldn’t hear the other half of the words, she only heard a deafening roar, likely a heavenly thunder striking near her ears. Turning her head, atop of the city wall she spotted a carriage with a big metal pipe spraying a big flame, this time, she vaguely caught sight of the arrow on its trajectory like a shadow flying at lightning speed, towards the body of the demonic beast in the distance.

After a moment’s breath, at the sides of the monster several pillars of snow raised violently, only to fall gently at top of the demonic beast, it still launched its attack at its fixed speed making it obvious that the attack did not hit it.

But even so, it was enough to make Andrea extremely surprised…… The distance, had gone far beyond the reach of the longbow and heavy crossbow, „this is……”

„His Royal Highness called it field artillery, simply speaking, its an enlarged flintlock,” Silvy loosens the hands covering her ears „Its power is larger than the flintlock, the firing range is also many times more, he used this on the fork of the Scarlet Water River to defeat Timothy’s fleet of militia easily.”

The demonic beast’s luck did not continue, the second round of bombing had two rounds accurately hitting its shell, Andrea saw it very clearly, the uneven shell raised a thin layer of fog after the hit produced a dull sound, at the side of its head there were two big holes with black blood and internal organs flowing out and splashing everywhere.

The fight did not take long to come to an end, before the city wall were the corpses of demonic beasts covering the snow like a thin layer, the warm blood flowing through the snow let out white mist and the soldiers began to work on the aftermath, but she never found an opportunity to fight.

„It seems like I was mistaken” Tilly said with a reluctant smile „he did not need the help of combat witches.” 

„The last time I came to this town, this weapon was not popularized, only the Chief Knight had it, now he has made these many…… ” Ash sighed unexpectedly „perhaps this why Your Highness dares to be open about the existence of witches in the town even under the pressure of the Church.”

Andrea unusually didn’t say a thing, even if not directed at her she will always try to ridicule or taunt Ash, but now she just felt her heart exceptionally oppressed, and even the strength to quarrel was gone.

Back in the castle, His Royal Highness Roland was still having a sumptuous lunch with the witches.

Seeing the colorful table of various cooked dishes, Andrea felt her heart stop.

The upper nobility of Kingdom of Dawn are fastidious about the beauty in their diet, they are willing to spend a lot of gold royals and energy, purchasing some rare cherished ingredients, and then having them cook in a way to have the most original taste and flavor. Looking at the various dishes in front of her, sprinkling the food with spices and having the meat covered in sauces, was an extremely vulgar practice done in order to cover the flaws the food might have, and in her eyes the dishes having these many defects only meant the taste would be worse.

…

I can’t choose…… every dish on the table is terribly delicious.

Like these grilled mushrooms, so plump and juicy, I wonder where does His Highness finds such mushrooms? With a small bite, the overflowing juice is enough to fill the mouth.

There is also this vegetable soup, it looks like a very ordinary clear soup, but the moment you drink it, it has a very thick and fresh fragrance, as if it had lots of chicken, ribs and kelp in it.

The most particular dish was this snack called ice cream bread. The rich milk fragrance overflowing the ice cream clamps between two slices of bread, after a single biting, the cold and soft feeling makes her indulge in an unrestrained way, even though its „winter”, it does not prevent her to continue to eat up.

Damn, even this is a complete lose.

Ash looks at her while trying to provoke her with a smile, but Andrea for the first time had no time to respond while wallowing.

 

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