Maoyuu Maou Yuusha Vol 3 Chapter 4

Volume 3 Chapter 4, “I love the both of you.”

 

 

———– The Holy Empire, the Octagonal Palace

Holy Imperial General: “The points on this map denote the new Villages of the Children of Light.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Hmm.”

Military Strategist: “We’ve achieved almost 80% of our target.”

Holy Imperial General: “However, there appears to be a rumour spreading.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “That was within the scope of our calculations. We don’t really need the rumours to be spreading, but we can just leave it as it is for now. At least they’ll help to increase interest in the project.”

Holy Imperial General: “Yes.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Hmm… However, now that we’re on this, the next problem is the production of gunpowder.”

Military Strategist: “Saltpetre, your Highness.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Can we procure more from the Kingdom of Copper?”

Military Strategist: “Yes. I have already sent people to secure that.”

Holy Imperial General: “But should we really be placing so much emphasis on these muskets? From what I can tell, the reload rate is fairly slow and the effective distance is not very far either. Their penetrative power is not bad, but a magical battalion has far more destructive power at their disposable, right?”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Hehehehe. Hahahaha.”

Holy Imperial General: “Your Highness…?”

Crown Prince Marshal: “No, no, you are correct. These are not particularly powerful weapons. It is as you say. However, that is because you only consider the battle to take place on the battlefield.”

Military Strategist: “Indeed.”

Holy Imperial General: “…The battle is outside of the battlefield?”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Think about it. Look at all these countries in the Central Continent. Let’s a.s.sume there is a war, what would the n.o.blemen do? First, they would issue a mustering order to their va.s.sal knights. If these knights have other va.s.sal knights, then they can muster them, their families, and any other soldiers. This will go on, all the way until n.o.body has any more subordinates. No matter how strong the n.o.blemen are, even the royalty will issue mustering orders and their subordinate n.o.blemen will ride to their banner. There are a few systems but this is more or less the same across the board. In other words, this is a military organisational problem. If we merely rely on mustering orders, then we miss out on a large portion of the population who could be in the army. Of course, when it comes to things like riding horses, it takes a specific skillset, and apart from those in the Kingdom of Red Horses, where they are the local product, we can’t expect those villages to be able to procure Warhorses*. Another way to put it, in the Central Continent, people who are prepared to fight = people who can ride and own warhorses = people who are rich enough to afford the training and equipment = people of the social status of knight and above, or people related to them.”

Holy Imperial General: “I-I see.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “The exception are mercenaries. These people have given their lives to battle, so they’re different. There are many reasons why this is so, but the biggest reason is that learning the techniques which allow you to be effective in a war requires a long time. For example, I, or for that matter, you, have been waving your sword around since you were old enough to hold one.”

Holy Imperial General: “Yeah. I was the son of a knight, and my father taught me to use a sword……”

 

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Explanation

Warhorse: A horse which has received the specific battle training to endure the loud sounds and stench of blood on the battlefield. Well-trained horses are capable of charging directly into a sharp wall of enemy spears and some can even be taught to stomp and bite the enemy. Breeding a warhorse requires a lot of time and money and as a result, only knights and those of higher social cla.s.ses can afford them.

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Crown Prince Marshal: “Yes, that’s the reality of the countries of the Central Continent.”

Holy Imperial General: “…”

Crown Prince Marshal: “That’s the issue of swordsmanship. You must also consider the issue of horsemanship. Being able to ride a horse is one thing, but how long does it take to learn how to fight from the back of a horse? It’s the same for bows. It’s true that a well-trained longbowman can probably fire ten times faster than a musket with twice the range, but that requires long years of training and practice.

“Moreover, the ability to use a bow effectively is very dependent on your physical condition. It is common knowledge that the ability to make an arrow go very far with significant penetrative ability is largely dependent on the strength of the individual. However, with a bullet propelled by black powder, we can expect even a woman or a child to have the same amount of power. Magical division? Out of the question. Each one of them requires twenty years of dedicated training and study.”

Holy Imperial General: “That is indeed true.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “The fact is that all the weapons that we humans have been using up till now have required an enormous amount of time to train before reaching a level where they can be used practically in battle. A knight takes about 15 years to train. A squire maybe 10 years. A mage will take 20 years. A mercenary is likely to have spent more time on the battlefield than any knight. They flit from battlefield to battlefield so they may reach their peak after just five years, even though most of them die before that.

“Spending time training soldiers means spending money on their upkeep. Very few people are willing to subject themselves to such training, so the price is likely to be quite high. It is because we use such expensive knights that our country is unable to field an exceptionally large army.  Even as the Holy Empire, we may only have a standing army of 2,500 knights. Any manpower above that will require a mustering order from the n.o.bility. Such a method of gathering troops will depend on the opinions of the va.s.sal n.o.blemen and the speed of their mobilisation. If supplies of rations get cut off, morale will crash almost instantly.”

Military Strategist: “Correct. That is the reason why the previous expedition failed.”

Holy Imperial General: “I understand.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “As for muskets…”

c.o.c.ks musket.

Holy Imperial General: “Their effectiveness, rather than being compared to bows, is more similar to crossbows. A musket is easier to aim and produces a larger sound than a crossbow. If it hits its target, it is capable of penetrating even metal armour. Moreover, the training time required is exceptionally short. Even a peasant levy will be able to learn its use in months and take to the field as elite soldiers.”

Holy Imperial General: “Training time…”

Crown Prince Marshal: “You could say that is the only advantage, but it would still be the key to changing everything. With these muskets, fighting a war on continuous resources will be much less expensive. With muskets and suitable training, we can change the entire face of battle. We can throw a nearly inexhaustible supply of peasants onto the battlefield. Compared to other infantry men, these peasants who have been used to a life of poverty and hardship are much more capable of walking longer distances every day, even more so than the n.o.blemen. Longbows can shoot faster than muskets? In that case, I just need to field ten times more musketeers than longbowmen. Cavalry have more charge attack? In that case, I just need to field ten times more musketeers than cavalrymen. n.o.blemen have more battle spirit? In that case, I just need to field ten times more musketeers than n.o.blemen. All of this is possible because of the musket. If we can kill one enemy soldier, it will take them 5-10 years to train another soldier of a similar calibre. On the other hand, if they kill one of our soldiers, we will be able to replenish him in a matter of months.”

Military Strategist: “But there are other disadvantages.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “I will leave you to work out the logistics of the gunpowder.”

Military Strategist: “—Understood.”

Holy Imperial General: “It sounds wonderful. This is a very scary invention, how should I say it…”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Of course, it comes with many disadvantages. With us fielding this many people, they will require a lot of food, without which we will already begin to incur many casualties.”

Military Strategist: “Yes.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Furthermore, once we fire one volley, it will take time to load the next round into the musket. In that interval, we will be practically defenceless against the enemy.”

Military Strategist: “Correct.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “However, if I only had a frontline commander who could deal with these problems, it is no mistake to say that the Musketeer Companies will be the strongest throughout the land.”

Military Strategist: “If only we had the Black General…”

Crown Prince Marshal: “It is useless to dwell on dead people. That mischievous old general disappeared after getting involved in a scandal at the palace.”

Holy Imperial General: “The Hero of the Seven Miles?”

Crown Prince Marshal: “That is an old story.”

Military Strategist: “The Grey King of the Kingdom of the Mist once challenged our forces. With a few words of advice, he was able to turn the situation around.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Hmph. I once considered using him at the frontlines and taking command of the army myself.”

Military Strategist: “Hahaha. It is a long time to the summer.”

Holy Imperial General: “I shall speed up the construction of the Villages of Light.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “I’m counting on you. The Holy Empire shall rule over the Continent.”

 

——– The Village of Wintering, the Manor of the Demon King, Late at Night in the Central Courtyard

(—The world is big and without end. Here there are countless people, some are heartless and evil but some are kind and beautiful, every single type of existence is possible.)

Swish!

Elder Sister Maid: “!”

Clang! Swoosh!

Elder Sister Maid: “—!”

Swing! Whoosh!

Elder Sister Maid: “Hah!”

Swing!

Elder Sister Maid: “… Pant… Pant…”

Swing!

Elder Sister Maid: “Heh!”

—Clunk

Elder Sister Maid: “!”

The Female Paladin: “Ah, it’s me.”

Elder Sister Maid: “…Female Paladin.”

The Female Paladin: “Did I scare you?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Ah. No.”

The Female Paladin: “This is the sword that the Disciple Soldier used to use a long time ago, right? I think it’s too heavy for you.”

Elder Sister Maid: “But I’m used to it already.”

The Female Paladin: “I see. Well, I guess it’s something you can get used to. — When did you start?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Since last autumn.”

The Female Paladin: “A year…”

Elder Sister Maid: “—”

The Female Paladin: “Show me what you know.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Alright.”

The Female Paladin: “…”

Elder Sister Maid: “……”

The Female Paladin: “Don’t make such a troubled face. I won’t tell anyone.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yeah…”

The Female Paladin: “It’s this sort of era. Everyone should know a few self-protection techniques.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yeah.”

The Female Paladin: “But you don’t really have the physical strength. You’ve got to use your legs more. If you hold the sword so far away, you do increase your power, but your body will be forced to swing in the opposite direction. In that situation, you won’t be able to avoid the enemy’s attacks.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Is that… so…?”

The Female Paladin: “Yeah.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Use my legs…”

The Female Paladin: “Bend your knees more… Yeah.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yeah… Like… this?”

The Female Paladin: “Turn your body so you hide it in the shadow of your sword. Strike towards the head of the enemy, steady your blade. Pretend that there is another sword in between you and your opponent. Practice moving backwards, forwards, and sideways. Your wrist strength is enough for now. You probably don’t have the strength to cut through a suit of armour, but without armour, your current strength should be sufficient.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yes…”

The Female Paladin: “Listen to the sound of your breath, don’t transfer your weight to the heel of your foot.”

Elder Sister Maid: “…Yes!”

Swing!

The Female Paladin: “Good.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yes.”

The Female Paladin: “You don’t really have to do too much. Jumping around, flying all over the place, and shining laser beams of destruction all over the place is only possible if you’re of the same cla.s.s as the Hero. Try not to shake your body too much and don’t jump around without purpose. Above all, you need to calm down.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yes.”

The Female Paladin: “Alright, go on.”

Swing! Swish!

Elder Sister Maid: “Hah!”

The Female Paladin: “…”

Swing!”

Elder Sister Maid: “… Hah… Hah…”

The Female Paladin: “Good. Stretch out your wrist more.”

Elder Sister Maid: “…”

The Female Paladin: “Steel your chest and breathe slowly.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yes…”

The Female Paladin: “…”

Elder Sister Maid: “Umm… Can I ask something?”

The Female Paladin: “What?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Should normal peasants be allowed to hold swords…”

The Female Paladin: “The Holy Order does not think about such pointless things. Do you think they should?”

Elder Sister Maid: “…Yes.”

The Female Paladin: “It’s late… I wish you the best of dreams, Elder Sister Maid.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Thank you very much.”

 

——– In a Bar in a Nameless Settlement

～♪ ～～♪

Disciple Bard: “～♪ …♪”

Elderly Settler: “…”

Drunk Villager: “…Ahh, that was great!”

Innkeeper’s Daughter: “That was amazing.”

Innkeeper: “Ohh, lady, that was a good song. Have a gla.s.s on the house. And if you feel up to it, play another song!”

Disciple Bard: “Of course!”

Elderly Settler: “Ms. Bard, I ain’t never seen such an instrument before.”

Disciple Bard: “This is a Dragonshead Fiddle*. It’s got a sweet sound, doesn’t it?”

Elderly Settler: “Yeah, it’s a very pleasant sound.”

Drunk Villager: “For a bard to stop by a nondescript village like ours, you must just be stopping by to let us hear a little bit.”

Innkeeper: “Indeed.”

Disciple Bard: “Oh, really?”

Elderly Settler: “You mustn’t be from around here, miss. That’s some beautiful golden hair you’ve got there.”

Drunk Villager: “There’s a country called the Kingdom of Ice two kingdoms away. That place is filled with bards and minstrels. The Palace is really good to these artists and the city streets are like music halls. Since winter is the season of music, bards from all over the world gather at the Kingdom of Ice each winter.”

Innkeeper: “Registered minstrels often come under private sponsors once their skills become recognised enough. When they have sponsors, they’ll stay with them for years. That’s why there are live-in bards and even bards hired as private music teachers in the Kingdom of Ice. Since there are so many people there, it is known as the Home of the Bards. Most of the bards throughout the land have spent some time there, it’s a very festive mood.”

Disciple Bard: “Ehh! I’ve come from a very long way. Apart from this Home of the Bards, is there any other place famous for its music or instruments?”

Elderly Settler: “Hmm, let me think.”

Drunk Villager: “Hmm.”

Innkeeper: “Well, if it’s about music, there’re two.”

Disciple Bard: “Two?”

Innkeeper: “The first is the music of the bards. My niece has been to the Kingdom of Ice before so she’s more familiar with that.”

Disciple Bard: “Thank you. I’ve collected my skills in music, poetry, and playwriting before coming here!”

Innkeeper: “I see, I see! Then let me tell you something. But in return, you’ve got to stay the night. I’ll charge you a good price. And you can let the other customers listen to the music of foreign lands.”

Disciple Bard: “Sure!”

Innkeeper: “Right. First is the music of the bards. At pubs and festivals…. Well, on the streets and in the shrines, we’ve got a different kind of music. It’s light and fun and rowdy. I love it. The popular ones get transmitted by bards as they roam through the countries.”

 

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Explanation

Dragonshead Fiddle: This is modelled after the Mongolian Horsehead Fiddle (morin khuur) without a horse head but rather with a dragonhead. A horsehead fiddle is a bowed instrument, like a violin, which has only two strings, and the scroll is usually carved in the form of a horse’s head.

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Disciple Bard: “Is it like a chorus?”

Elderly Settler: “What’s a chorus?”

Disciple Bard: “Well, umm, is it sung?”

Innkeeper: “Yeah. Musical instruments are played and it’s sung along to. From time to time you get just one of them, but that’s not really very common. The musical instruments, well… I ain’t never seen anything like your Dragonshead Fiddle, but the most common are lutes*, rebecs*, gitterns*, lyres*, those sorts of instruments.”

Disciple Bard: “Hmm, I would like to see that.”

Innkeeper: “There is one more type of music, and that’s church music.”

Disciple Bard: “Church?”

Innkeeper: “In order to give praise to the Spirit, the Church plays some holy music every day. Most of us can sing at least a few hymns. We don’t have any in a small village like ours, but big cities tend to have Holy Choir Brigades.”

Disciple Bard: “Holy Choir Brigades?”

Innkeeper: “That’s right. There’s been a bunch of really talented singers among the latest group of faithful. Most are young boys and girls. The voices of children are much purer and clearer so when you get them to sing altogether, the music produced is something out of this world. Unlike bards, church musicians don’t need to move around very much so they can use some really huge instruments. Sometimes they even use instruments as big as entire sheds.”

Innkeeper’s Daughter: “Sheds?!”

Disciple Bard: “By sheds, do you mean those houses where they keep the farming implements?”

Innkeeper: “That’s the one. They’re as big as small houses, really.”

Innkeeper’s Daughter: “What!”

Disciple Bard: “How surprising.”

Elderly Settler: “It’s true.”

Innkeeper: “Furthermore, since bards usually travel alone, they don’t like to use instruments that require their mouths. Otherwise, they won’t be able to sing along.”

Innkeeper’s Daughter: “Now that you say it, I haven’t really seen many bards with flutes.”

Disciple Bard: “I see.”

Innkeeper: “Instruments like the fife* or the musette*, which resemble flutes, are commonly used in the church. Of course, there will be bards who are capable of using them as well.”

Disciple Bard: “I know fifes…”

Looks around.

Disciple Bard: “These, right?”

 

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Explanation

Lute: A stringed instrument commonly used in Europe during the Middle Ages. Like a guitar, the strings are plucked with fingers. The body is shaped like a pear which has been cut into half. The front is flat but it has a rounded back.

Rebec: An ancestor of the violin. This medieval instrument is shaped like a lute but smaller. It used to be played with a bow.

Gittern: A medieval instrument also known as the citole. It also looks like a violin and was plucked by finger.

Fife: A woodwind instrument, but played vertically rather than horizontally. It is a relative of the flute and the piccolo.

Musette de Cour: A type of bagpipe. It is used as an oboe but produces a higher pitch sound.

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Elderly Settler: “Ahh, I’ve seen this.”

Drunk Villager: “My grandpa played this at festivals.”

Innkeeper: “That’s right. The shape isn’t really the same, but it’s a fife. Can you play this too?”

Disciple Bard: “Of course.”

Drunk Villager: “Let me hear a song, miss!”

Innkeeper: “Would you?”

Disciple Bard: “Of course. It’s no trouble.”

～♪ ～～♪

Disciple Bard: “～♪ ～～♪”

Elderly Settler: “Ahh, how beautiful.”

Drunk Villager: “Indeed.”

Innkeeper: “I’ve never seen such a skilled bard.”

Innkeeper’s Daughter: “Yeah, she’s incredibly good! It’s almost as if a bird had flown down from heaven…”

 

———- The Winter Palace, the Strategy Room

Disciple Merchant: “Hey. Hey.”

a.s.sistant: “Yes.” Scampers over.

Disciple Merchant: “What are you doing?”

a.s.sistant: “I’m tidying up the records and cleaning up the books.”

Disciple Merchant: “Alright. Good.”

a.s.sistant: “Hehe.”

Disciple Merchant: “Everyone’s been working like crazy.”

a.s.sistant: “Work has been insane.”

Disciple Merchant: “Is it really that crazy? You just sit there the whole day.”

a.s.sistant: “It’s because I sit here the whole day that it’s so crazy. There’re not a lot of people who can do this sort of work in this country.”

Disciple Merchant: “Is that so?”

a.s.sistant: “Yes.”

Disciple Merchant: “You don’t seem to be fazed by that.”

a.s.sistant: “I don’t really have anywhere else to go…”

Disciple Merchant: “I see. I see.”

a.s.sistant: “Hehe.”

Disciple Merchant: “In that case, I’ll think of something for you to do.”

a.s.sistant: “What?!”

Disciple Merchant: “Relax. A frog will die instantly if it is put in boiling water, but if you slowly increase the temperature of the water, then it can live for quite longer, right?”

a.s.sistant: “Wait, are you thinking of something terrible?”

Disciple Merchant: “Not at all.”

a.s.sistant: “Uhhhhhhhh.”

Disciple Merchant: “Don’t be so bothered. Make me a cup of tea first.”

a.s.sistant: “Yes.”

Runs off.

a.s.sistant: “Alright, let’s take a look at the work you’ve done. Let’s see. You’ve done a great job on the accounts. This memo… Haha. You’ve written down everything you don’t understand… so that you can ask questions later? You’re learning well. How nostalgic. Good job.”

Flip flip.

Disciple Merchant: “Hmm.”

“The potato is extremely delicious. It’s so good that you can never stop at just one, which is sad… Which is why we need to produce more potatoes.”

Disciple Merchant: “…What are you thinking about?”

“Today, a servant girl gave me a pastry made from eggs. She asked me out for dinner, but because I was afraid, I ran away. Sorry.”

Disciple Merchant: “…What is this?”

a.s.sistant: “The tea is here.”

Disciple Merchant: “Good job!”

a.s.sistant: “Really!”

Closes book.

Disciple Merchant: “Not bad.”

a.s.sistant: “Thank you.”

Disciple Merchant: “Then shall we deal with the issue of the census records?”

a.s.sistant: “Right, I’ve cleared all the census accounts.”

Disciple Merchant: “Very good. So what is your estimate?”

a.s.sistant: “Estimate…?”

Disciple Merchant: “Yeah. How much money do you think we’ll get?”

a.s.sistant: “Surely that’s just small change.”

Disciple Merchant: “It may seem that way, but in the Kingdom of Winter, the country’s main revenues come from tax receipts, right? A large proportion of that comes directly from the taxation of production and currency transfers. This comes roughly twice every year: spring and autumn. In other words, while this is a source of income, if we use this without planning, we won’t have enough money to last us through the next season and we’d end up starving. We’ve got to carefully plan our spending. That’s quite important, right?”

a.s.sistant: “Yes it is… But if it’s so important, why haven’t we done anything about it up till now?”

Disciple Merchant: “Because the scale has been so small. You need to have the ac.u.men of a merchant.”

a.s.sistant: “?”

Disciple Merchant: “It also increases the amount of work you need to do. The Kingdom of Winter, for many years, has been a mercenary country receiving food and monetary aid from the central Continent. There were a lot of settlers but those were mainly comprised of risk-takers with nothing to lose, those whom had hoped to avoid the heavy taxation in the Central Continent. At the time, to survive properly in the country, it would require a large gamble on the part of each individual. But now we have potatoes. Because of the potatoes, the population can increase and we can escape from the binds of the curse set on us by the Central Continent. That is how the Southern United Kingdoms were able to plan for independence.

“Up till now, in this time of strife, the Central Continent’s wallet has been bleeding due to various incidents. This has exacerbated the situation, which is why we now have to deal with this in this manner.”

a.s.sistant: “So it’s kind of like when the father leaves the house and the brother a.s.sumes his responsibilities?”

Disciple Merchant: “That’s a good a.n.a.logy.”

a.s.sistant: “Hehehe.”

Disciple Merchant: “Because of the Tripart.i.te Economic Union, the Kingdom of Winter has managed to achieve some splendid gains in production. However, it’s clear that there are some limitations to the union. We can easily gain metal products from the Kingdom of Metal, but every year our need for wood increases. Our kingdoms have quite a few forests but even these have limitations. On top of that, we also lack horses and bra.s.s*, spices, and textiles.”

a.s.sistant: “…”

Disciple Merchant: “Well, for all of these, what we will require is help. The merchants can basically ship in anything that we need.”

a.s.sistant: “Then what should I do?”

Disciple Merchant: “That’s your job. To figure out what it is that you should do.”

 

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Explanation

Bra.s.s: An alloy created from the fusion of copper and zinc, which was produced in very large quant.i.ties around the 17th century. The standard ratio is 65% copper and 35% zinc, but sometimes the amount of copper is more or less. The more copper there is, the redder the bra.s.s becomes; the less copper there is, the whiter the bra.s.s becomes. When more than 40% is zinc, the metal takes on a metallic sheen similar to gold and is hence often used as a replacement. A very close-to-home example of the usage of bra.s.s would be the 5 yen coin. Most gold-coloured instruments like trumpets are also made from bra.s.s.

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a.s.sistant: “Ummm. Ummm.”

Disciple Merchant: “What’s the most important thing?”

a.s.sistant: “…Greetings?”

Disciple Merchant: “That’s the first thing you do when you meet someone.”

a.s.sistant: “Yes.”

Disciple Merchant: “And then?”

a.s.sistant: “Umm… And then, a meal?”

Disciple Merchant: “Right. Food. If it’s about that, then potatoes should be fine. Also, the amount of livestock has increased as well, particularly pigs which are being reared in large numbers by the farmers. You must also consider the balance of wheat and barley production. Then you should consider the production of dairy and fruits. And what’s next?”

a.s.sistant: “Umm, if you don’t produce or buy the things you want, then you can’t get them.”

Disciple Merchant: “Very good. You’re learning fast.”

a.s.sistant: “Ehehe.”

Disciple Merchant: “Using money to buy the things is very easy, especially when we’ve already come up with estimates of what we will require. But if we just do the easy things, we’ll run out of money rapidly. The most important thing to consider is cost-effectiveness*. For example, there are many doubts within the statement, ‘We need to buy dairy products!’”

a.s.sistant: “Really?”

Disciple Merchant: “Well, to begin with, we should of course question if the money we’re paying is worth the value of the good, but there are a few other things we should consider as well. First, the word ‘need’.”

a.s.sistant: “Need?”

Disciple Merchant: “A need should be considered something that we would die without, right? If you think about it this way, there aren’t actually a lot of things that we need. If you don’t take care of such things, then you’ll think that you need everything and end up using a lot of money for these. That’s the first thing.”

a.s.sistant: “Yes.”

Disciple Merchant: “The second important point is to consider, ‘What could I do with the same sum of money?’”

a.s.sistant: “…?”

Disciple Merchant: “Don’t get it? Alright, let’s a.s.sume you’ve got no food to eat at home.”

a.s.sistant: “That’s sad.”

Disciple Merchant: “Then buy some bread!”

a.s.sistant: “Bread is delicious! Buy some bread!”

Disciple Merchant: “Good. But before its taste, if you don’t eat bread, you’ll starve to death. So bread is a ‘need’.”

a.s.sistant: “It’s a need.”

Disciple Merchant: “So you’ve bought bread. Buy another one!”

a.s.sistant: “Yes!”

Disciple Merchant: “But at that price, you could have bought two sacks of potatoes, right?”

a.s.sistant: “…?”

Disciple Merchant: “Right? See, so when you say something like ‘Buy some bread!’, you can’t just focus on the bread. That’s because money is limited. When you’re making plans for how to use your money, if you don’t consider the specifics of everything, then you’re going to make a mistake. Two sacks of potatoes are much more filling than two loaves of bread, right? That’s why saying things like ‘We should buy bread!’ or ‘It would be weird if we didn’t buy bread!’ or ‘We can’t eat money. This is not a problem of money. Not buying bread would be akin to murder!’ is false. We must consider that there are other ways to save lives using the same amount of money.”

a.s.sistant: “Yes.”

Disciple Merchant: “This shows us that the question ‘Should we buy bread?’ is not really the issue at hand. The real issue is trying to find out ‘Why do we need this thing?’ or ‘Out of all these things that we want, which one should we prioritise?’ and ‘How do we get the goods we want at a cheaper price? How do we get more of it?’”

a.s.sistant: “How very complicated…”

Disciple Merchant: “Well, think through this slowly. If you don’t understand, you should ask someone who does.”

a.s.sistant: “Yes…”

Disciple Merchant: “So the real question isn’t ‘Should we or should we not buy bread?’ but rather ‘What sort of food should we buy?’ or ‘What should we do to feed everyone in a healthy manner?’”

a.s.sistant: “…Yeah, I understand,”

Disciple Merchant: “Right. Now for your homework…”

a.s.sistant: “What?!”

Disciple Merchant: “The Kingdom of Winter would like to produce more dairy products. More precisely, rather than milk, we need cheese. This is a matter of storage. Have you eaten cheese before?”

a.s.sistant: “Yes!”

Disciple Merchant: “Then I want you to study it. I want everybody to be eating cheese, and I want us to spend as little money as possible. Think of a way.”

a.s.sistant: “Hmmm.”

Disciple Merchant: “You must carefully consider our goals.”

a.s.sistant: “A hint. Give me a hint.”

Disciple Merchant: “I wouldn’t have something like that. There’s no right answer.”

a.s.sistant: “In that case, what would you do?”

Disciple Merchant: “I haven’t thought about it so I don’t know. But I guess… we could buy cheese in large quant.i.ties from foreign countries and sell them to everyone in the Kingdom of Winter.”

a.s.sistant: “Then let’s do that!”

Disciple Merchant: “That method would surely fail. Such a method wouldn’t even make 10% of what needs to be done.”

a.s.sistant: “…”

Disciple Merchant: “Right. Now that I’ve given you your homework, it’s time to work out today’s accounts.”

a.s.sistant: “Yes, Disciple Merchant!”

 

——– The Manor in the Village of Wintering, the Study

The Demon King: “Where are the studies on the crop rotation issues the Order did for us?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Here they are.”

Clatter clatter!

The Demon King: “Ugh.”

The Chief Maid: “Well, well, are you alright?”

The Demon King: “Sorry, I’ve knocked over all these reports.”

The Chief Maid: “I’ll get it cleaned up in a bit.”

The Demon King: “My right arm is so incapable of moving properly so I’m really clumsy.”

The Chief Maid: “Well, it’s all bandaged up. Just endure it.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Here are the letters we received today.”

The Demon King: “Hmm, just confirm them for me.”

The Chief Maid: “This is the salary from the Lone Winter King?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yeah.”

The Demon King: “What? I’m some kind of t.i.tular honorary n.o.bleman now?”

The Chief Maid: “You’re a type of marquis. You’re in an advisory position. You will receive a stipend four times a year for your service.”

Elder Sister Maid: “It’s in the treasury, right?”

The Demon King: “Is it? I never noticed.”

The Chief Maid: “Well, you may be an economist, but you have a very thin attachment to money.”

The Demon King: “Why would I develop an attachment to something like currency?”

The Chief Maid: “Well, well, even if it’s the object of your research…”

The Demon King: “The object of my research is the advancement of the economy in order to create a more harmonious society between people. And of course, also to establish an independent financial infrastructure in this area. Umm…”

The Chief Maid: “What is it?”

The Demon King: “Well, uhh… This is weird.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Hehehe. Are you looking for the minutes of the Conference of the Tribe or the plans for the Nine Tribes? They’re here.”

The Demon King: “That’s the one!”

The Chief Maid: “Hehehe.”

The Demon King: “Well. Even without me, the Demon Race is still the Demon Race.”

Flip.

The Demon King: “Hmm. Rebuilding the roads. The previous wars have really destroyed many of the bridges.”

Elder Sister Maid: “…”

The Chief Maid: “Bridges?”

The Demon King: “In many cases, bridges are important choke points in times of war. Traffic often necessarily pa.s.ses through them. As a result, they are important in deciding the speed of troops. For this reason, even though it’s better for bridges to be built out of stone, they are often specially built out of wood so that in times of crisis they can be easily burnt.”

The Chief Maid: “For the bridges to be rebuilt, that means that peace has been agreed to at least temporarily.”

The Demon King: “Correct. Even though we’re still left with the issue of the Demons of the Pale…”

The Chief Maid: “That’s going to take some time…”

Elder Sister Maid: “Umm…”

The Demon King: “What is it?”

The Chief Maid: “…?”

Elder Sister Maid: “No. Umm.”

The Demon King: “What is it? Are you feeling unwell?”

The Chief Maid: “—”

Elder Sister Maid: “No, um. I’ll go get some tea.”

The Demon King: “Yeah, please.”

Runs off.

The Chief Maid: “—”

 

——— The Holy Empire, a Secret Metal Factory

Clang! Clang!

Production Supervisor: “Raise the temperature! More kindling!”

Worker: “Yes!”

Production Supervisor: “Stop slacking off! You want your meals to get cut?!”

Clang! Clang!

Production Supervisor: “Don’t stop with the furnace*! Keep going!”

Worker: “Ahh… Ahh…”

Worker: “Hot… water…”

Production Supervisor: “Just a bit more to your rest! Work! Work!”

 

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Explanation

Furnace: A facility required for the production of metal. The oldest metal melting furnaces were produced in China in ancient times. The first modern furnace was constructed in England in the 12th century.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

 

Clang! Clang!

Head Craftsman: “The work is going well. Alright, now we can create some really high purity metals. Just from this, the quality will go up.”

Engineer: “I see.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “How is it? How’s the production?”

Head Craftsman: “Well, we should be able to fulfil our monthly quota of 800 muskets.”

Holy Imperial General: “If you can, then we would have stockpiled more than 5,000.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Too slow. Can we make them any faster?”

Head Craftsman: “That would cause problems with quality…”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Hmm, and what about the cannone*?”

Head Craftsman: “That is going on well, the non-defective yield* is very good. We’re producing at the pace of two a month.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Looks like there’s no issue with the cannone.”

Head Craftsman: “Well, it’s because we’ve been using The Genius’ Ma.n.u.script.”

Knock knock.

Head Craftsman: “You can come in.”

Engineer: “Did you call?”

Experienced Technician: “I came as fast as I could.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Who are those people?”

Head Craftsman: “The Genius’ Ma.n.u.script that you handed to me has a lot of sketches and notes written on it. Muskets and cannones were experimental products. It’s a bit too early to reproduce them but there are many other designs apart from these.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “I know. I gave you the instructions after all.”

Head Craftsman: “Yes. It’s quite scary.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “So, what about them?”

Engineer: “Well…”

Crown Prince Marshal: “I don’t mind. I respect the views of other qualified and talented individuals. You may answer freely, so tell me in detail.”

Engineer: “In that case…”

Experienced Technician: “First of all, The Genius’ Ma.n.u.script is brilliant. It’s almost like a blessing from the Spirit of Light himself! Most of the entries are written about in detail and the rest are sketched out so you can get an idea of it right away!”

Engineer: “Yes. Beginning with the muskets, a lot of different observations are written here.”

Experienced Technician: “For example, we pulled this charcoal-like rock from the ground, and it burns.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Hmm, that’s from the North, right?”

Engineer: “The Genius’ Ma.n.u.script details how to steam these rocks at an appropriate temperature to produce something known as c.o.ke*. Using this c.o.ke, we can produce a stronger metal than usual.”

Experienced Technician: “Furthermore, The Genius’ Ma.n.u.script also has this sketch. I’ve enlarged it and cleaned it up a bit.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Is this… a percussion hammer?”

Experienced Technician: “Your Highness, I had no idea you were so familiar with muskets?!”

Crown Prince Marshal: “How could I not be familiar with the weaponry of the soldiers I lead myself?”

Experienced Technician: “Wow! Amazing! Then allow me to explain. This appears to show an improvement to the musket, it may perhaps be its very successor.”

 

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Explanation

Cannone: Italian for cannon. It was used primarily throughout the 16th century as a smoothbore cannon with direct fire. This means that the weapon was aimed directly at the enemy.

Non-Defective Yield: The ratio of non-defective goods to totally produced goods. If there are no defective goods, then the non-defective yield will be 100%, but in reality, defective goods are far more common. As an industrial standard, in most cases a 95% non-defective yield is superb.

c.o.ke: If c.o.ke is burnt on a metal furnace, higher temperatures can be reached, resulting in a purer metal. Furthermore, carbon produced during the burning of c.o.ke can mix with the liquid metal, resulting in carbonisation that can create a stronger metal, further creating steel from iron. c.o.ke was first used by the Chinese circa 200BC and was heavily used in Europe beginning from the 18th century.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

 

Crown Prince Marshal: “Hmm.”

Experienced Technician: “The percussion hammer strikes a flint at this portion here, this also opens the cap of the small housing below.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “And how big will this housing be?”

Experienced Technician: “It looks big in the sketch but in reality, it will be smaller than your finger tip. However, the cap will have to be allowed to open and close, hence we will have to install a spring action. This allows the sparks from the flint to fall inside the housing and ignite the gunpowder, firing the musket. In this way, we can create muskets that do not require fuses.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Hmm.”

Experienced Technician: “Do you understand?”

Crown Prince Marshal: “I understand. Are there issues with usage or production?”

Experienced Technician: “As for usage, we still do not completely understand but firstly, since there is no need for a match or a fuse, the posture for firing is a lot more natural. Moreover, in adverse conditions, since there is no need for a naked flame, it will not be put out. Reloading is also easier and can be fired in more constrained positions.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Constrained positions… How about in tight formation?”

Experienced Technician: “That may require some training but I believe it is possible.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “You will require more time, right?”

Experienced Technician: “Of course. This will be harder to produce than regular muskets and requires more detailed and precise work which only a team of highly skilled craftsmen can achieve.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “In any case, produce a few for me.”

Experienced Technician: “Yes.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Chief.”

Head Craftsman: “Yes.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “You’d better think of a production method.”

Head Craftsman: “Ehh?!”

Engineer: “…”

Crown Prince Marshal: “That’s your job, isn’t it?”

Head Craftsman: “Y-yes.”

Engineer: “Your Highness, I’m afraid…”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Speak freely.”

Engineer: “Each of these weapons are made individually. We may have a new idea for a weapon but all of these items require highly skilled engineers and craftsmen.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Hmm.”

Engineer: “Hence, I do not think that we should produce the muskets one by one as we do now. What if one part was produced by a certain craftsman and another part was produced by another craftsman. What do you think of this Division of Labour*?”

Crown Prince Marshal: “…!”

Engineer: “If we do this, each craftsman has to remember less of his work. If we only used middle-skilled craftsmen, they would still be able to produce high quality parts as long as they do not produce anything else. They could learn from working alongside more skilled craftsmen and they would still be able to contribute. The more complicated mechanisms should be entrusted to the experts while the less-skilled can work on the bulkier and less precise parts. This will also allow us to train new craftsmen.”

Head Craftsman: “But what would the guilds say! Such a method of teaching would completely destroy all the years they’ve spent training their apprentices! Our way has always been to train each craftsman slowly and wholesomely. Through this education, we are able to keep the ways of our guild private and hidden so that we don’t sabotage our own benefits!”

Engineer: “That’s… I suppose…”

 

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Explanation

Division of Labour: The Division of Labour was first put into a proper philosophical work by the 18th century economist Adam Smith. The Demon King’s civilising achievements may be beginning to take root in the world but this is not just limited to the Demon King. Even from the enemy, other Renaissance thinkers are beginning to make their appearance.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

 

Crown Prince Marshal: “Hmm, Chief, I have a proposition for you on this subject. How about we make a law which says that even if this technology manages to get disclosed, any musket or related technology produced within the influence and jurisdiction of the Holy Empire must have the approval of the metallurgy guilds of the Kingdom of Copper or a directive from the Guildmaster? I could issue a decree if you’d like.”

Head Craftsman: “Really?!”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Yeah, The Genius’ Ma.n.u.script was taken from the Kingdom of Metal anyway. Hasn’t the Kingdom of Copper’s technologies always been stolen by the Kingdom of Metal? …If you think about it, it’s not a bad thing for things to happen in reverse. So, Experienced Technician, Engineer, what about it?”

Engineer: “Yes!”

Experienced Technician: “Yes!”

Crown Prince Marshal: “I expect to see results from your young selves. Please help the Chief to revolutionise and modernise the industry.”

Engineer: “It would be an honour!”

Experienced Technician: “We pledge to serve!”

Crown Prince Marshal: “Hmm. Right. I’m a bit busy, so if there’s anything else, we can leave it to next time.”

Head Craftsman: “Allow me to send you out, Your Highness!”

Clang!

Crown Prince Marshal: “Good, their work seems up to scratch. I’ve got high expectations for this.”

Holy Imperial General: “Chief, this is enough. Please speak to the Engineer and the Experienced Technician about this.”

Closes door.

Crown Prince Marshal: “General.”

Holy Imperial General: “Yes.”

Crown Prince Marshal: “When you have the opportunity, liquidate that Chief. I think it’d be best if we leave the running of the factory to younger, more nimble minds.”

Holy Imperial General: “With pleasure.”

 

——— The Manor in the Village of Wintering, the Study

Writing…

Elder Sister Maid: “…”

Writing…

Elder Sister Maid: (With this, I’ve settled the work for the last two years… Now I’ve got to the do the finances for this year)

Writing…

The Demon King: “…”

Writing…

The Demon King: “Elder Sister Maid.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Ah, Mistress!”

The Demon King: “You’re working too hard.”

The Chief Maid: “Yeah, what would you do if you spoil your body?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Chief Maid… I’m sorry. May I help you with anything?”

The Demon King: “What are you so fl.u.s.tered about?”

Elder Sister Maid: “…”

Elder Sister Maid: “No…”

The Demon King: “?”

Elder Sister Maid: “I’m not fl.u.s.tered — Mistress.”

The Demon King: “…?”

The Chief Maid smiles.

Elder Sister Maid: “I have something to ask of you.”

The Demon King: “What is it?”

Elder Sister Maid: “I would like to take a vacation.”

The Demon King: “…”

The Chief Maid: “—”

The Demon King: “Where will you go?”

Elder Sister Maid: “I don’t know. But—not here.”

The Demon King: “And your sister?”

Elder Sister Maid: “I have spoken to her. Staying here is her dream after all… I’m sorry for being so stubborn. You and the Chief Maid saved my very life. I am really sorry.”

The Demon King: “I… see…”

The Chief Maid: “Your Majesty.”

The Demon King: “I understand.”

Elder Sister Maid smiles.

The Demon King: “…”

Elder Sister Maid: “Ah…”

The Demon King: “What are you looking at with those two eyes of yours…. Do you have anything else?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yes, I… I will definitely come back.”

The Demon King: “Then have fun. Spread your wings. Go off and seek your own destiny.”

Elder Sister Maid smiles.

The Demon King: “You’re not leaving because you hate this place, right?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Not at all. This house is my entire life. — Everything, the most kind-hearted, the friendliest… It’s the most… important place in my life. I don’t really want to leave it. But I must. I cannot allow myself not to… I have a lot of responsibilities I need to fulfil. — I can no longer allow myself not to walk on my own too fee, it’s a harsh reality… Because of what I said that day at that square. Because of what I said, I must now understand the repercussions of my actions.”

The Demon King: “You don’t really owe anyone anything for that.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Then, I want to choose.”

The Demon King: “…”

The Chief Maid: “Go.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yes.”

The Demon King: “Will you take whatever I have taught you with you?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yes. I will never forget the care and concern you have shown me. I will come back with a broadened view of the world.”

The Demon King: “—What of?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Probably war.”

The Demon King: “…”

The Chief Maid: “—”

Elder Sister Maid: “It’s not about the other people, it is something which I must see for myself.”

The Demon King: “…I suppose you wouldn’t listen if I told you to stop.”

The Chief Maid: “Yeah…”

Elder Sister Maid: “It’ll be alright. I am not exactly a maid.But having received the guidance of the Chief Maid, I believe I have surpa.s.sed maids, especially since I have received the golden treasures of lessons from the Mistress, the Hero, the Female Paladin, and even the Three Disciples.”

The Demon King: “…I understand.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Mistress. In this ledger you will find the completed accounts for the last two years. The contents are all contained in this small cabinet here. You will find a content page here.”

The Demon King: “Hmm.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Umm, this may be presumptuous, but I have also thought of areas where further w