Elf Tensei Kara no Cheat Kenkoku-ki - Book 4: Chapter 12-2: Negotiations Concluded

Azul can hit the target 20 meters away sometimes, but there’s no sign of her hitting the target 50 meters away.

「Elves have wind magic, you see. They’re not affected by wind resistance or influence at all. Crossbows have shorter arrows compared to regular bows, so they don’t have as much inertia, and they can only use small arrow feathers, which reduces their straight-line accuracy and makes them vulnerable to the wind. Long-distance sniping with a crossbow is a feat that only elves can accomplish.」

「Well, it’s a minor issue.」

Azul fired the crossbow at a 45-degree angle, and the arrow flew in a graceful arc. Despite being affected by the wind, the arrow still had enough power to penetrate the ground. It flew for 300 meters.

「Anyone can shoot this far with this much power. It’s more than enough. Unlike the elves, we rely on numbers to create a barrage, so it’s not a problem. Cyril-san, how many can you make in a day if you have the materials?」

「Let me see, in a day… I suppose twenty would be the limit?」

「Could we purchase four hundred of them per month on an annual contract? I’ll pay five gold coins for each one (300,000 yen). We’ll provide the materials. That’s a deal for 24,000 gold coins (1.44 billion) annually. Not a bad deal, I think.」

「Ojou-sama, is it really okay to just casually offer such a large sum of money!?」

「It’s fine. Compared to the cost of raising someone for several years, five gold coins (300,000 yen) per unit is nothing.」

Her decisiveness was so manly that a smile involuntarily crept onto my face. Indeed, compared to the cost of training soldiers, there was a significant cost advantage.

「In the first place, we’re on the verge of losing the place to spend that money, so it doesn’t matter how much you pay for them.」

「Of course, if you sell us the crossbows, we won’t stop the trade.」

「I see, understood. We’ll decline.」

I immediately refused. The crossbows I made were too dangerous. If there was distance, elves could deflect arrows with wind magic, but due to the overwhelming initial velocity of the crossbow, they couldn’t deflect arrows shot within 20 meters.

Furthermore, unlike regular arrows, you could move around with the arrow set, making it highly effective for ambushes.

I don’t mind Erin creating inferior products with the iron technology they have obtained today. The resulting products would have significantly lower power and accuracy. However, it was inconceivable to give them the same thing made in Erucy.

「I thought that showing us the crossbow meant you intended to sell it.」

「Our only card is the iron technology, so I only showed you the crossbow to let you recognize the value of this iron. Even if you can’t make the same thing, I think you can make inferior ones.」

「It’s a shame. But I’ll take this idea.」

「Yes, please do.」

Her demand for iron seemed to have increased.

「I oppose introducing such a thing to Erin.」

However, Jii interjected.

「Jii, what do you mean?」

「This bow kills too many people. Until now, not that many people have died in wars, right? Soldiers in armor fight until sunset, and arrows can’t easily penetrate armor.」

What Jii said made sense. In wars of this era, not many people died. Since only the Empire had proper iron equipment, most arrowheads were made of copper or stone, which couldn’t easily penetrate thick leather armor. Those who fought with swords couldn’t inflict fatal wounds easily either. It was possible to spend the entire day fighting the same opponent with swords and finish the day unscathed.

「But if this crossbow becomes widespread, everything will change. It will penetrate all the current armor. It kills when fired. Hundreds of people in an instant. The number of people who die in a single war will increase hundreds of times. The meaning of going to war will become much heavier. Such a thing should not be on the battlefield.」

In a sense, wars between countries with power were like sports. There were casualties, but not many. They determined the rights and guarantees through negotiations after fighting at a set time and location.

However, as Jii said, if crossbows became widespread, there would be no such leeway. People would die easily in an instant, and countries would suffer damage that could destroy them in a single war.

「Jii, I understand that. But crossbows are already out in the world. The worst thing would be if a country different from Erin’s gets a weapon like the crossbow first. If Erin had to fight against a country that had already acquired a thousand crossbows, Erin would definitely be destroyed.」

「…My apologies Ojou-sama, I spoke out of turn.」

Jii bowed to her. Neither of them was wrong.

「Well then, shall we leave it at that? Is there anything else you want to see?」

「Could you show me the glasshouse?」

After that, I guided them to the glasshouse and I was exposed to a barrage of questions.

She seemed to have a lot of interest in the glasshouse. A stable food supply regardless of weather conditions was one of the aspirations of any ruler, after all. When I remarked that this glasshouse had a track record of raising potatoes year-round, she got extremely interested.

And the carriage. When she made her horse pull the carriage that I had made, she seemed impressed. With half the weight of conventional carriages and plastic wheels for shock absorption, it had increased speed and off-road performance and provided a comfortable ride.

As the head of Erin, she would have more opportunities to use carriages, so she would definitely want a high-performance carriage.