Isekai For My Ex - 26 THE END OF COLD WEAPONRY

When morning came the soldiers and knights of Ethareri together with Kydus gave the refugees the promised help, sacks of food and heaps of cloth to be made as tents was given as supplies, this made the refugees happy as they have been eating nothing but fish the other day, those who didn’t know how to get food in the wild starved. They were lucky enough that the princess got help from the neighboring kingdom.

In the castle, Andrei faced sacks of ingredients he requested in different variants.

“For now, let’s try making gunpowder!” he said proudly.

“Are you sure you’re gonna make weapons from these Andrei? Are you perhaps an Alchemist? But these are useless ingredients, saltpeter is cheap it is being used for curing meat, these yellow ores are only trash from the mines and charcoal? Are you alright in the head?” Claire asked in curiosity nonchalantly dissing him, while looking at the sacks of charcoal, saltpeter and sulfur.

“That really hurts you know Claire” Andrei was hit with deadpan remarks from the girl who pinched her nose while looking at the ingredients.

“Ahhh sorry, but don’t worry I’ll keep my mouth shut from now on, yes yes” she nodded, and distanced herself from the smelly materials.

“To be honest it’s the first time I’m making this stuff” Andrei nervously said while fidgeting.

“Hey, are you sure this is safe?” Claire was worried hearing that it was Andrei’s first time making the powder.

“Don’t worry, I think it’s safe as long as there isn’t fire around us during we work”

” ‘I think’ is not going to save you when you get engulfed in flames you know”

“Hey I thought you were gonna shut up?”

“Ahhh, sorry” Claire turned around like it wasn’t her problem anymore and shrugged her shoulders.

Andrei covered his mouth with a cloth, and started working immediately, Claire only looked around him from afar as she wasn’t asked to help other than making the materials by her magic.

…

Andrei was born from a military family, but even his world, his country’s military was behind in terms of assets, in air, ground, and sea, they barely had any fighter planes and their flagship was a second-hand coast guard cutter donated by their ally which is a world power. However when it came to their soldiers, his country had the best elite squads in the world, due to internal conflicts such as extremists and terrorists, their elite soldiers were one of the best.

Andrei’s father was an air force officer, while his brother was a high ranked special elite soldier, who has expertise in demolition. Since Andrei was young he saw blueprints of bombs dangerously posted on his brother bedroom just like normal posters, living with a demolition-maniac brother, he was also taught on the basics of making simple bombs and IED’s as their brotherly bonding, even though this was supposed to be forbidden by the law, he would often tell young Andrei on how the terrorists use them and why they need to learn to make it.

With Andrei’s advanced knowledge in technology and through series of trial and errors, they were able to come up with gunpowder in four days, making the sample bombs took place after that, and finally they were able to finish a sample within the week.

The two showed up at the castles training yard with the sample, this time there was a separate area provided for Andrei to make the tests as the queen didn’t want to burn the stakes on the training ground which is being used by the Golden Knights to train.

“Okay you see, this is another bomb, but it’s made with steel Claire made and gunpowder which made from the resources I have ordered”

“Gun-powder? I can understand what powder means but what this thing called a “gun” Your Highness?” Erneis asked him with his hand on his chin.

“Well you see…” Andrei was about to keep his mouth shut again, however he remembered his promise with everyone, that is to share all his knowledge in order to support them.

“It’s another weapon but it’s harder to make given the time we have, I also forgot the process, I will probably try to make one when the mass production of this bomb starts”

Everyone was happy with the news, that besides the newly created weapon, Andrei already has something planned.

“You really are amazing Your Highness!” The old man was overjoyed of the news that he clenched both fists as if he’s a kid that got his parents to buy him the toy that he wanted, Andrei suppressed his laughter seeing the old man’s face.

“I just noticed that you changed how you call me, it feels awkward Erneis, so please, calling Andrei is fine” Andrei said to Erneis “Even if it’s the casual setting of this world, it still makes me cringe whenever somebody calls me “Your Highness”” he thought.

“That I cannot do, please understand as this is my pride as a knight” Erneis bowed to him with his chest puffed and hi right hand on his chest, making a small bang on the gold armor he was wearing.

Andrei was surprised of the old man’s tenacity that he thought it was better if he didn’t say anything anymore.

“Well… it’s fine I guess”

Rara arrived in a fluttery red dress, Michaela in her usual golden armor and Claire with bags under her eyes on her usual clothes.

“Are you fine Claire?” Michaela asked her while holding Claire’s face in front of her.

“It’s fine, Andrei just wouldn’t let me sleep last night” and she yawned as if she was half-asleep.

“Hoho” Michaela faced Andrei and smiled but here eyes weren’t, “You won’t even let me sleep with you and you…” Andrei jerked away from her and immediately protested to Claire, who was speaking while half-asleep.”Claire… you really shouldn’t be talking if you’re half asleep you’re gonna make me get killed please, I beg of you” Andrei muttered in a prayer like manner.

“Ann was scary when she gets jealous but Michaela is on another level” he thought to himself.

“Andrei you cheater! You should have done it with me first!” Michaela finally let out a protesting high-pitched tone, destroying her queenly facade in a flash, luckily besides the guest Rara, the only people present were Erneis, Claire, her and some of the maids.

Hearing the embarrassing accusation Andrei couldn’t help but to immediately retort,

“That’s not what happened!!! And really… is that what you’re worried about?”

However the two were interrupted when a the silver haired girl who seemed to have become impatient came between them, “Ahemm! I think we should begin the tests already”

Erneis facepalmed.

“That’s right! We should start the tests right now!” diverting the topic, Andrei immediately took the bomb in the shape of a cylinder with filaments that looks like it grows on it, carefully he ran to the field where there were stakes, disregarding the area given to him, when he reached a certain long distance from the audience who’s sitting on the second floor of the castle overlooking the training site, he looked at the audience and winked at Rara, and gave her a thumbs up from far away “Nice save Ms. Rara!” thinking he gave her a good job sign.

The young girl, didn’t know what it meant and looked at the man’s companions beside her, but to her surprise they were all already looking at her.

“Me?” she pointed herself in confusion.

“Does he hate me? To think that he would do that in front of the queen, now she’s staring daggers at me!” she straightened and looked away pretending not to notice Michaela’s expression.

After placing the bomb a few feet under the ground and covered it with soil, Andrei then ran back to where the spectators where.

“Why did you put that under the ground? And moreover are you gonna burn the training stakes again?” Michaela asked him, even for the kingdom’s queen, she wasn’t extravagant enough to let the training stakes made by craftsmen burn again.

“Ahhh, sorry Michaela, it’s got to setup like this or else you wouldn’t be able to see it’s whole effect” Andrei patted her shoulders excited to see the blueprint on his brothers room come to reality.

“I don’t really want to admit it, but this definitely interesting, I wonder if this is the reason why my brother became a demolition-maniac person? This excitement… ” in modern day earth, Andrei would have already been raided by the investigation bureau by now.

Before he began, he explained how it would work by his two hands, the mechanism, and how the bomb works together with gunpowder he made firsthand, everyone was amazed that such thing exists, everyone especially Rara had their eyes fixated on Andrei the whole time like a child in wonder.

“This person, if it wasn’t for him I think the queen wouldn’t have even considered my request” she thought, and then felt that her heartstrings are being tugged as she looked at him longer… and longer.

“No, my heart is beating faster, what’s happening? No, that shouldn’t be possible, since he’s the queen’s fiance after all, this can’t be! But… he’s cool”

Andrei finished the discussion with everyone’s mouth wide open, and Claire asleep, apparently Andrei gave her scrolls of blueprints of parts that he wanted to be made, and made the metal parts inside his room so she could ask any questions if there were any, it was the first time for her to see the shapes of the metals, that she never slept until she finished everything, Andrei on the other hand also didn’t sleep in order to make correction after correction, during the process they either were too focused or was busy bickering at each other – with Andrei on the defensive.

“So what should we use to step at that bomb? Just like what you’ve said something has to trigger those “filaments” right?” Michaela asked.

“What about a prisoner?” Erneis suggested nonchalantly.

“Please don’t, that would be scary!” Andrei stood up.

“I would like to avoid seeing human blood until a real battle” Andrei refused, while thinking, “This old man is cruel… really, doesn’t human rights exist on this planet?”

“Then what should we use?” Rara asked him tilting her head to one side, but eventually looked away when Andrei diverted his gaze to her to answer the question.

“Did I do something rude?” Andrei wanted to answer the question but didn’t expect she would turn away.

“About that what if we put an animal food around it, wild animals should come and… ” Andrei suggested while raising his index finger.

“Idiot, there aren’t wild animals in these ground” Claire dissed him and yawned

“Hmmm… I guess that would work, what about a hare?” Erneis pointed at the maid who was carrying a fat hare with her to the kitchen, apparently it was going to be their lunch.

The test proceeded and food was put around the bomb, the hare was released and when it saw the food on the ground it quickly approached it in high speed, in a few seconds when it sat on the ground, a click was heard and a big explosion happened.

Balls of shrapnels whistled as they scattered around the area, it almost hit all the stakes and some even flew right through where they were standing.

But Erneis being a knight with superhuman senses quickly took action, he stepped in front and chanted a one-line spell.

“Clipeum, the shield of light will protect me!” He scooped both hands from the ground upward and a large invisible bluish shield appeared in front of them deflected the pieces of metal that flew to them.

“You idiot, you should have told us that it would have reached us on this range” Claire was awaken and stood up.

“He he” Andrei shrugged as he made a wry smile, “I didn’t expect it to fly this way”

“This is… ” Rara imagined what would happen if her forces got caught in this explosion,

“Without any warning, when the cavalry of a large battalion charges and steps on this weapon, it would be… a massacre, and furthermore if this weapon is mass produced, it would make Ethareri and impregnable fortress filled with traps all over!”

Andrei would have been a war criminal if he was back on his world, giving birth to the anti-personnel landmine which was banned by the United Nations, a weapon that have caused great suffering in the past decades.

“I can’t believe it, that force from a single metal that flew, even a golden shield wouldn’t be able to hold out because of this speed” Erneis couldn’t believe when he saw the that have been broken beyond recognition, he imagined the knights who have trained for many years, but just by simply stepping on the trap would immediately make them lose their limbs, winning the war without losses from whoever own the weapon.

“This weapon, throws away the pride and honor of a battle in order to kill as much as it can in a single blow, achieving victory in the most horrid way, could it be that the queen have met such a very capable and at the same time a very dangerous person?”

Erneis thought as he looked Andrei with disbelief, who has a satisfied expression on his face.

“It’s too destructive, forget about getting near, the enemy will be shred to pieces if they went into our defenses without knowing that these are planted under their feet, we wouldn’t even have to put archers on the battlements if we had tons these” Michaela clenched her fist in the advantage that it could give them.

“Could it be, that the age of knights is over? And the countries in our continent are just so behind to rely on cold weapons? Where the hell did you come from Andrei?” Michaela thought as she saw the large explosion that made Erneis use his shield magic which she rarely seen him using in battles until it was a monster or a demon he was fighting.

“Sister… this may be the end of cold weapons” Claire who was still half asleep whispered to her from behind, and looked at the area where the smoke cleared and everything on the ground was a mess, the hare was nowhere to be seen, and some of the stakes were cleared out.

“Even I couldn’t believe that something like this could be made just with those scrap ingredients and just a few metals, just imagine what country would have this kind of weaponry, it could be that Andrei is a son of a noble who commands the soldiers there, but what would be more scary is that if he was just an ordinary civilian and have already knew how to make weapons such as that, the soldiers in Andrei’s country could be more dangerous than the enemy in terms of weaponry” she said in a serious tone as she focused her sight on the site.

“With this we might be able to take back Kydus!” Rara joyfully thought within her mind, at first she was scared on how frightening the weapon was, imagining what would happen to their enemies who will probably be their former comrades, however when she thought of the empire, she remembered his father and the task that she was given, “That’s right, even if it’s cruel, I have to do this, or else the empire is finished”

“That’s it, I’ve decided I will also marry you Andrei” she muttered. However Andrei couldn’t hear this as he was in deep thought, only Michaela and Claire heard her and stared at her with a smile, as Michaela was about to open her mouth a sudden phrase from Andrei made her stop.

“Isn’t the explosion still too weak? The balls spread fast but the explosion isn’t that loud, hmmmm maybe we should increase the powder?”

Andrei muttered while scratching the back of his head.

Everyone heard what he said and froze into their seats with wide eyes and open mouths, for some reason Claire didn’t care and fell asleep.

When she woke up, there were already blueprints on the table, with clumsily made note by Andrei who started to learn writing, it says, “Make these for me okay? I need it by tomorrow! ^_^”

Claire crumpled the note and cursed Andrei within her heart.