Ch.121Finding Work (3)

“Your Majesty, are you ready to depart?”

“…Yes.”

Tsk… That’s unfortunate.

I’ve avoided announcing my visits in advance because if people know I’m coming, they won’t show their true selves.

It’s like… when a military commander notifies a unit of his visit, doesn’t the battalion commander start doing things he never normally does to score points? The same would happen here, which is why I’ve always announced my destination only on the morning of my visit.

But that became impossible after yesterday, because of my promise to Chloe and Ines.

[“My lord, how are we supposed to provide security without advance notice?”]

[“From now on, please inform us of your destination beforehand.”]

Their arguments were entirely reasonable.

Being able to see people’s true selves because they can’t properly prepare also means that potential threats to my safety can’t be eliminated either.

In fact, at construction sites and factories, some workers have tried to touch me or speak to me without hesitation. Fortunately, none of them had ill intentions, but if they had, it could have become quite troublesome.

Anyway, I agreed with Chloe and Ines, and as a result, I now inform Leclerc of my destination a day in advance. Leclerc then sends personnel to conduct security checks and eliminate potential risks at the location.

“Then I shall escort you, Your Majesty.”

The well-prepared attendants instantly gather around me and bow slightly. As I begin walking, they match my pace exactly, and I suspect they’ll continue this way until I reach my destination.

No… this is… how should I put it… making too much of a spectacle…

Some people might enjoy walking with a large entourage flanking both sides, but I absolutely do not have such inclinations. If this kind of display actually elevated one’s authority and dignity, neighboring Karolin wouldn’t have erupted in rebellion in the first place.

“…With this many people, I’m concerned we might disrupt the place I’m inspecting.”

“Do not worry, Your Majesty. One-third of this personnel will wait outside once you arrive at your destination, another third will spread throughout the location to maintain security and eliminate potential threats. Only one-third will actually accompany you.”

That’s still disruptive, isn’t it?

Today’s destination is a forge researching the production of cannons and guns, and it can’t be that spacious. If two-thirds of these people—roughly 20 by my estimate—enter all at once, it will become extremely crowded.

Add the original forge workers to that… ugh.

“…If we proceed like this, the forge will become too crowded. Reduce the personnel by half.”

“Your Majesty, this is to ensure your safety—”

“Did I not make myself clear?”

“…As you wish. I shall reduce the personnel by half.”

Tsk, you should have listened from the start. Now the atmosphere has become awkward because I had to put some force in my voice.

Normally, attendants should immediately follow my orders, but I suppose they had Leclerc’s instructions and their professional duty to prioritize my safety above all else. Since they refused my order for valid reasons, I’ll let it slide this time.

……….

Click—!

“Presenting His Majesty!”

‘Wow…’

I’ve been on many inspections, but this is a first.

Everyone in the forge is saluting me in perfect unison. Their postures are so precise that for a moment I thought I’d arrived at a military barracks.

“You seem to have practiced extensively. Was someone forcing you?”

“Not at all, Your Majesty! We all voluntarily put in the effort to welcome you properly!”

It seems forced to me.

Craftsmen who should be busy working with iron have no reason to learn such precise military formations. They probably wouldn’t even know what a military formation is—who taught them this?

“…Do you know anything about this?”

“Lady Ines told Lord Leclerc that protocol should be considered second only to security.”

When I ask the attendant beside me, he whispers quietly in my ear so others can’t hear.

So it was Ines’s doing.

Hmm… I understand her reasoning. If the craftsmen were as boisterous as the workers at construction sites and factories, it would significantly damage my dignity.

But this is excessive. Looking at the craftsmen’s rigid postures, I can vaguely imagine how harshly they were drilled. Ugh…

“At ease, everyone.”

“But Your Majesty—”

“Did I not tell you to be at ease?”

Since they clearly weren’t going to relax with a mere suggestion, I issue a forceful command to make the craftsmen stand more naturally. They’re still not completely relaxed, standing somewhat awkwardly, but this is better.

“How far has the research progressed?”

I walk toward the craftsman standing at the front of the nervously assembled group and ask. He appears to be the representative here.

Hearing my question, the craftsman glances left and right at the attendants before slowly opening his mouth. They must have been drilled so severely that he’s checking the attendants’ reactions even with me standing right in front of him…

“We have prepared various research materials for cannons, which we’ll show you shortly. However, regarding guns—the smaller cannons—no matter what we try, they keep cracking or exploding…”

The craftsman spoke confidently about cannons, but when mentioning guns, his voice gradually diminished until I could barely hear him without paying close attention.

Does he think I’ll hold him responsible?

“Ah, that’s fine. I didn’t expect them to be developed in just two years anyway. I’d rather commend you for your good research on cannons.”

As if I would do that.

I never expected guns to be developed in just two years, especially in a world where materials science, mechanical engineering, chemistry, and other engineering disciplines aren’t properly developed. If such a thing were truly possible, the word “imperialism” would never have emerged on Earth.

……….

After looking around the forge, I discover a completely unadorned cannon mounted on two large wheels.

According to the description beside it, this is the only cannon that has achieved consistent firing. While other cannons behaved unpredictably despite using identical amounts of gunpowder, this one flies a distance proportional to the gunpowder used and maintains a relatively consistent trajectory.

“Is this the cannon in question?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The barrel is made of bronze, and we simplified it as much as possible according to your orders.”

Bronze, eh? Quite expensive, but unavoidable.

If we made cannons from iron, they would shatter and explode due to brittleness issues. Given the casting methods of this era, air bubbles inevitably remain in the metal no matter how careful the process, and using cast iron cannons with such defects would… lead to horrific consequences.

Pure cast iron cannons probably didn’t appear until the 19th century on Earth, if I remember correctly. Expecting that in this era would be beyond unreasonable—it would be insane. I’m quite satisfied with this.

“Would you like to fire it once?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. However… since it could be dangerous, would you please stand back during the firing?”

“Of course.”

Originally, I wanted to fire it myself, but given my promise to Chloe and Ines, that’s impossible.

At least I can watch from a distance.

As I nod and step back, the craftsmen pull the cannon outside the building, pour a measured amount of brownish gunpowder into the muzzle using a measuring cup, then carefully insert the cannonball. They tilt the cannon and load it slowly to prevent sparks from friction between the ball and barrel that could ignite the gunpowder prematurely.

…We’ll need to find a solution for this too. Loading so slowly on a battlefield would be disastrous.

“Preparations complete, Your Majesty. The target is that temporary wooden structure!”

“Fire!!”

BOOM—!!

As soon as I give the command, the fuse ignites and burns down, followed by a thunderous sound as smoke billows from the cannon.

Within seconds, the distant wooden structure collapses pathetically. Wooden fragments scatter in all directions as a bonus.

“Good… we got lucky…”

“Haa… haaaa…”

‘…Oh.’

The craftsmen who witnessed the same scene as I did collapse to the ground with sighs of relief. Even with a properly made cannon, demonstrating it before an important figure is an entirely different matter. Such reactions are natural given the potential for disaster.

Some attendants frown at this, but when I raise my hand, they all remain silent. There’s no harm in letting them simply enjoy their success.

“Master craftsman.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“How many of these can you mass-produce? And what’s the cost per unit?”

“Mass production is relatively simple since we’re using easily workable cast bronze. Regarding cost, if we provide the bronze cannon molds to the foundry, most expenses would be for the bronze material and finishing labor. Let me see… this cannon barrel alone requires 12 talents… I apologize, about 400 kilograms of bronze.”

…Shit.