Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World

TL: Etude

Seeing Samar’s hesitant demeanor, Wizard Scott secretly scorned him.

“How can such a coward become a leader? I really don’t understand what Duke Jars was thinking,” he thought.contemporary romance

Scott believed that with his magic, he could easily conquer the fortress. He slowly stood up, bowed gently to Samar, who was sitting at the head of the table, and then looked around at the military officers present.

“Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to formally introduce to you the magic I specialize in—enchantment,” Scott said.

“My magic can temporarily or permanently enhance weapons, armor, and other equipment. For defensive armor, for instance, I can increase the protective ability of a piece of light leather armor to that of scale or chain mail. And a piece of light chain mail, I can enhance to the strength of plate armor.”

“Everyone must have seen the performance of our scouts a few days ago. Five of them fought against seven enemies and achieved an overwhelming victory. Except for one who escaped, four were killed, two were captured, and we only had three people with minor injuries.”

An officer exclaimed, “Yes, it was truly incredible. Your magic is extraordinary.”

Scott gave him a satisfied look.

“I can enchant swords, turning an ordinary iron sword into a steel one, and a roughly made weapon into one as powerful as those crafted by dwarven masters.”

The officers around the table gasped in amazement and started discussing the significance of enchantment in battle.

Samar asked, “How many people can you enchant? Is there no limit?”

Scott proudly replied, “With my and my subordinates’ abilities combined, we can enchant the armor of 500 soldiers wearing ordinary leather armor, elevating their defense to the level of plate armor. Moreover, if the soldiers wear leather boots and gloves, they can get the full set effect.”

“Is this enhancement permanent?” Samar inquired.

Scott’s voice lowered significantly, “Well… no, the effect lasts about five hours. But if enchantment is done during the crafting process, it can achieve a semi-permanent effect.”

Samar shook his head, “If we start now, it will be too late.”

“General!” Scott raised his voice again, “Four to five hours is completely enough. Think about it, 500 soldiers equipped with plate armor—if we use them as a spearhead to capture a point on the wall, and with the follow-up troops quickly moving in, we can take Thorn Fortress swiftly due to our numerical advantage.”

“Hmm…” Samar hesitated. 500 soldiers equipped with plate armor was indeed a considerable force. In the last hundred years, the entire Kingdom of Ordo probably hadn’t produced more than 300 sets of plate armor! Most of them were inherited from father to son, passed down among knights and nobles as heirlooms.

Seeing Samar seemed tempted, Scott continued, “General, there’s another advantage to my enchantment. The enchanted equipment maintains its original weight. An enchanted piece of leather armor still weighs the same as leather, not as heavy as plate armor.”

“Alright!” The final statement finally attracted Samar. The prospect of having the defense of plate armor while feeling as light as wearing leather armor was too appealing. Samar even considered joining the battle himself.

He turned to an officer beside him and ordered, “Within three days, select 500 strong and healthy soldiers. We will launch an attack in five days.”

The officer immediately stood up and responded, “Yes, my lord.”

Scott smiled satisfactorily. “You are wise, General!”

If they could take Thorn Fortress with his help, his position within the organization would rise another step.

Thinking this, Scott was inwardly thrilled.

…

Five days later, the warning bell in Thorn Fortress rang incessantly; the rebel army was finally launching its attack.

In the past few days, the frequency of rebel scouts entering the fortress’s alert zone had increased. Lester himself had caught several during his patrols, but they hadn’t discovered the situation described by the injured scout.

The increasing enemy reconnaissance had heightened the tension in Thorn Fortress, even though everyone knew this day was inevitable.

On November 15th, scouts swiftly reported that a large force of the rebel army had entered the alert zone and was heading straight for the fortress.

Duke Dodge immediately ordered the alarm bell to be rung, preparing all troops for battle. The fortress quickly buzzed into a state of activity.

The Duke, along with Klein and Lester, ascended the walls to command the battle.

Before long, they saw the rebel army’s banners.

“Since our last night ambush, they’ve never come with so many men,” one remarked.

“It looks like they’re serious this time.”

“It’s infuriating. If it weren’t for last year’s plague, I, a Duke, wouldn’t have been reduced to scraping together just a few thousand troops.”

The three discussed in low voices. Despite the immense tension, there was an unwavering determination in everyone’s eyes, with no trace of fear.

Duke Dodge drew his ancestral sword and held it aloft, the blade glittering under the sunlight.

“For the kingdom!” he declared.

Klein and Lester also drew their swords and raised them high, touching their blades with the Duke’s.

“For His Majesty the King! For Her Highness the Princess!”

Together, they shouted their resolve to annihilate the rebels. “We vow to destroy the rebels!”

…

Not far south of the fortress, the rebel army was already in formation for the attack.

Samar had brought a total of ten thousand soldiers for this offensive.

To keep an eye on Thorn Fortress, Jars had allocated a significant force here. Although the original plan wasn’t to attack the fortress, they still had to guard against the northern kingdom’s army advancing south.

Even though they had burned the granary at Crystal Shine, no one could guarantee that the royal family didn’t have more provisions elsewhere, so the defense force in this direction couldn’t be reduced.

Six siege towers stood ominously, looking quite new. These were hastily constructed by the rebel army in the last five days.

Once the attack began, soldiers would risk being shot by arrows from the fortress to push these towers to the walls. Then they would place the ladders on the walls, and the siege soldiers would bravely climb up to engage the defenders in combat.

Underneath one of the siege towers stood Wizard Scott, brimming with confidence, as if victory was already in his grasp.

“Finally, the moment has come!”

“History will remember this moment, for this will be the starting point of my, Scott’s, ascent!”

Many figures could be seen on the fortress walls. The defenders had reacted quickly and were already in position, seemingly well-trained for this moment.

But the wizard did not regard them highly.

“And all of you will become my sacrifices! A sacrifice to the Arcane Society!”

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