Chapter 545
You’ll Have to Get to Work. (3)
In Fenris, mages were treated a bit differently compared to elsewhere.
Here, mages were neither beings who ruled over others with supernatural power nor revered scholars.
Rather, they were closer to "workers" just ones with slightly greater strength and much higher efficiency.
Most of them were assigned to construction work necessary for territorial development.
Of course, that didn't mean they only did manual labor. They were deployed wherever magic-related skills were needed.
And Ghislain hadn’t stopped developing new weapons even in the midst of war.
— “You can fight and work at the same time.”
— “But I only have one body.”
— “I’ll assign some priests to you. That way, you can work twice as long as others. Twice the time means it’s like having two bodies.”
It was true by receiving recovery from priests instead of sleeping, it was possible. It had been done frequently even before the war.
Under the lord’s firm decree, mages had to both participate in battle and contribute to labor efforts.
Naturally, priests had to fight in the war as well while also healing the workers.
In other words, it was business as usual.
However, Jerome, who was still unfamiliar with Fenris’s peculiar “culture,” tilted his head in confusion.
“What work? Is there something I need to do?”
What could be more important for a mage than standing on the battlefield?
Ghislain explained in a calm tone.
“Our knights and soldiers wear special equipment. But it’s not quite enough.”
Fenris knights were clad in magical armor crafted from Galvaniium. Even the soldiers were fully equipped with Galvaniium gear.
By any standard, this gave them an overwhelming combat advantage over soldiers from other kingdoms. But Ghislain wasn’t satisfied with just that.
“The knights activate the magic in their armor using their own mana. But maintaining it for long durations is difficult. So, I want to create artifacts that don’t require mana to use.”
“Artifacts?”
“Yes. Since we’re at war, I want each of them to at least have an auxiliary weapon. They should, at the very least, be able to fire off a few Fireballs.”
Artifacts were treasures imbued with magic.
They were typically divided into two types ones that required the user’s mana and ones that didn’t.
Naturally, artifacts that could be used without mana were far more expensive.
They were one of the main sources of income for magic towers, but they were difficult to create.
The materials were rare and costly, but an even bigger issue was the time required to craft them. The lower the mage’s circle, the longer the process took exponentially so.
But Jerome had reached the level of an 8th-Circle mage. That meant he could craft artifacts faster than anyone else.
Jerome broke into a cold sweat.
“A-artifacts? Do I have to be the one to make them? Wouldn’t it be better if I just fought on the battlefield instead?”
“Oh, of course, you’ll still fight. But we need to increase our combat effectiveness as much as possible. That way, we can minimize casualties. Listen carefully.”
The goal of this war was total annihilation of the enemy. It wasn’t something that could be achieved just by having a few powerful individuals.
No matter how strong Jerome was, fighting all over the battlefield alone would be difficult. The war would inevitably take time.
It was far more efficient to develop weapons quickly and multiply their forces’ combat capabilities several times over.
Ghislain, having finished his explanation, pressed Jerome with an intense gaze that was difficult to refuse.
“You can do it, right? You will do it. You’re an 8th-Circle mage. This is absolutely necessary.”
The reason they hadn’t been able to craft artifacts before was simple there just weren’t enough mages.
The territory had too few mages, and those they had were of lower circles. There were countless other magical tasks required for territorial development as well.
"Vanessa barely managed to craft the knights' armor back then after reaching the 6th Circle."
Only after recruiting mages through war had they finally built a system capable of mass production. But ironically, war itself made it difficult to craft anything in peace.
"And yet, you showed up at just the right time!"
In his past life, Jerome had been an outstanding artifact maker. He had fought on the battlefield plenty, but he had been even more devoted to research and crafting.
As the only 8th-Circle mage, it was inevitable that he had been put in charge of research and development.
"This guy was amazing. I really benefited from his work."
Jerome worked alongside scholars to create monst[a][b][c]rous equipment, collaborated with dwarves to develop hot-air balloons, crafted magical armor for knights, and conducted research on sealing rifts.
As expected of a high-ranking mage, he participated in numerous studies. Without him, the Allied Forces in his past life would have struggled even more.
However, Jerome had no idea he had accomplished such great feats.
“Ugh… I-I don’t like this kind of stuff.”
Jerome was the type of person whose mind and body often moved separately. Like a true mage, he was prone to bouts of whimsy. Even in his village, he was well known for being quite lazy.
His mentor always told the villagers:
— “My kid is smart, but he doesn’t study much.”
That was the kind of man Jerome was.
Seeing his reluctance, Ghislain spoke up again.
“You won’t be doing it alone. Vanessa and the other mages have already started on it. You just need to help out a little.”
“Ugh…”
“You’ll do it, right? We’re friends, aren’t we?”
“O-Okay…”
The stronger their forces became, the fewer casualties they would suffer, and the easier it would be to defeat the enemy. It was a hassle, but as a mage, this was his responsibility.
Resolving himself, Jerome nodded.
“A-Alright. But how do we do it now? We can’t exactly work here.”
There was no way they could perform such large-scale crafting while on horseback. They needed a proper workshop.
At that, Galbarik responded with a confident grin.
“That’s nothing to worry about! In Fenris, we’re always prepared to work anytime, anywhere.”
“How?”
Galbarik pointed toward a cluster of massive wagons in the distance.
“Ta-da! These beauties were built by none other than the great blacksmith Galbarik and his friends the ‘Mobile Workshop’!”
‘What the… This place is terrifying…’
Jerome’s jaw dropped. Those ridiculously large wagons were actually workshops?
A creeping sense of foreboding started to settle in. The mages and dwarves had been working while traveling on the battlefield!
He had never heard of such a territory, let alone imagined one.
As soon as Jerome agreed, Ghislain quickly switched mental gears.
“Well, I’m busy, so I’ll be off now. Just hop on the mobile workshop and follow along. Galbarik and Vanessa will explain the rest.”
“O-Okay. Got it.”
With that, Ghislain hurriedly fled, leading the Mobile Corps away. Now, only the mages, dwarves, and a few priests remained.
Galbarik patted Jerome on the back.
“Alright, hop in. We’ve got everything nice and toasty inside. Once we forge the spears with runestones, you just have to enchant them with the other mages.”
“O-Okay… Understood.”
“But you know we have to work fast, right? If we delay, it’s just going to make everyone more exhausted.”
“Y-Yeah, I get it. But we have to make 400 of them, so it’s going to take quite a while.”
The Fenris Knights numbered around 400.
Even if he only imbued them with lower-circle magic appropriate for his level, and even with the help of other mages, the process would still take a long time.
But Galbarik gave him a puzzled look.
“400? Who said 400?”
“Isn’t it 400? We need one for each knight, don’t we?”
“Who told you that?”
“Well… isn’t that normally how it works?”
Galbarik shook his head.
“No, no. You still don’t get how our territory operates. If it were just 400, we’d have finished long ago.”
“Then… how many?”
“The target number is 20,000.”
“…I must have misheard you.”
“Nope. 20,000.”
Jerome pointed at Galbarik and laughed nervously.
“Aha-ha, you’re messing with me since I just joined, right? This is one of those pranks on the newbie, isn’t it?”
“I’m serious! The entire Mobile Corps is going to be using them! We only need about 16,000 more we’ve been making them nonstop.”
Jerome spun around to look at the mages in horror.
‘So that’s what those dark circles are from…’
It wasn’t from following the battlefield it was from sheer exhaustion!
“N-No way! How are we supposed to finish all that? I can’t do it!”
Alfoi bursted into laughter beside him.
“Puhahaha! You think you’ve got a choice? Du-da-da-da-da! Hahaha!”
Even with blood trickling from his lips, he found Jerome’s distress amusing.
Vanessa, her eyes dark with fatigue, spoke with a chilling tone.
“You can do it.”
“H-How?!”
“We’ve always done it.”
“……”
“Once you actually start, it’s nothing special. Just think of it as repeating the same day over and over again.”
She absolutely had to secure Jerome. Even with her, a 7th-circle mage, and the other mages working together, their progress was slow.
For mages below the 4th circle, enchanting took far too long, making them barely useful as manpower. They could only handle the most basic tasks.
The 5th- and 6th-circle mages who had joined so far were doing their best, but even they weren’t able to produce results at a rapid pace.
In the end, Vanessa had to take the lead in handling the critical parts while the other mages could only provide support.
‘That’s why Sir Jerome needs to help out!’
If an 8th-circle mage like him worked at full capacity, their progress would at least double.
As Jerome’s hands trembled in fear, Vanessa hastily continued.
“It’s for the people! The faster we make this, the more lives we can save! I’m telling you, once you actually do it, it’s really not that bad!”
“Ugh, uhh…”
It was undeniable if all 20,000 soldiers were armed with enchanted weapons and capable of casting Fireball, the battlefield would be a spectacle of shock and awe.
Even if the Mobile Corps launched just a single magical barrage before charging, the enemy’s formation would be completely shattered.
That was, in fact, the ideal form of assault that Ghislain envisioned.
‘But… do we really have to do this?’
That thought reached the tip of Jerome’s tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. Vanessa was pushing too hard for him to refuse.
In the end, Jerome sighed in resignation and asked,
“By… by when do we have to finish?”
‘A year? Two years? That wouldn’t be too bad.’
Vanessa beamed.
“The sooner, the better. Now that you’re here, Sir Jerome, wouldn’t two months be possible?”
Galbarik, the dwarves, and the other mages all nodded in agreement.
Jerome’s face twisted in disbelief.
‘That’s… possible?’
Physically speaking, it was impossible. Sure, he could last several days without eating or sleeping, but that didn’t apply to everyone else.
Then Piote spoke up.
“Judging by our progress so far, it should be doable. If we manage our stamina carefully and reduce sleep time…”
Piote and the priests were discussing a recovery plan together. After working alongside Fenris for so long, they had practically become specialists in overwork.
Jerome thought to himself.
‘They’re all insane…’
Everyone was treating this absurd workload as perfectly normal and even strategizing around it.
Once again, Jerome wondered if he was the one who was out of place.
Then Galbarik shouted,
“Alright! We can fine-tune the work plan on the way! Everyone, get on!”
At his command, the group hurried toward the carriages. They all seemed used to it, finding their designated seats with ease.
Vanessa grabbed Jerome’s hand and pulled him along.
“Sir Jerome, this one is yours.”
[For Mage Use]
“……”
The carriages were clearly labeled with designated passengers.
With a deep sigh, Jerome climbed inside. The spacious interior was packed with tools and stacks of weapons waiting to be enchanted.
‘They even prepared name tags?’
His name was already placed on a specific worktable. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like they had planned for his arrival in advance.
Rumble! Clank! Clatter!
As soon as he sat down, the carriage door closed. Thick iron bars slid down over it, sealing him inside.
It didn’t feel like a workshop it felt like a prison.
“……”
Just as he was blankly staring at the iron bars, a small window on the door slid open, revealing Galbarik’s face.
“Normally, we work in two shifts, but since we’re in a hurry, we’ll be running nonstop. The door will only open for meals and short breaks. Oh, and the priests will come by regularly for recovery sessions.”
“……”
“First time working in our territory, huh? Don’t take it too hard it’s all to help everyone stay focused. But don’t worry, we make sure you get plenty of food.”
Clack.
Without waiting for a response, Galbarik slammed the small window shut.
“……”
Jerome couldn’t believe this was actually happening.
He slowly turned his head.
“Alright, let’s get started!”
At Vanessa’s call, the mages immediately took their seats and began working.
Jerome thought to himself.
‘Oh… so this is just how everyone lives. I was the one who didn’t know. I’ve been living too comfortably.’
For the sake of his own sanity, it was best to just accept it.
He might have chosen the wrong friends, but it was too late to back out now.
With a heavy sigh, Jerome lowered his head and quietly started working.
Meanwhile, further ahead, Claude, who was leading the main force, received word of Jerome’s enlistment and muttered to himself,
“For the new guy… fifty years should be about right?”
The Fenris territory continued to gain more and more excellent workers.
[a]missing article but more importantly I don't remember what this is referring to, do you mean the chicken coups?
[b]It probably meant something else, I have no idea what it means, we can remove it though
[c]or monstrous equipment