I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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Eramenia Workshop Special Zone. Jeongjae was taken aback to see that many more Elf engineers were squatting in the space opened for human technicians to have their opportunities, developing various inventions. But what surprised Jeongjae the most were the strange yet familiar inventions created by those fairy engineers.

“What the heck is this? Do you even know what this is before bringing it in here?”

Jeongjae held up an object that looked like a wooden stick with a trigger, asking. Margaret snatched the flintlock gun from Jeongjae’s hand and replied.

“Give that here. It’s still under research. Honestly, I don’t think it’s very useful, but since we lifted the restrictions on gunpowder research, our workshop folks have started coming up with some bizarre things.”

“So do you even know what that is?”

“It’s a portable small cannon or something. I never told anyone to research this. It seems there were some oddballs secretly researching in retaliation to Eramenia’s anti-gunpowder weapon policy. During the process of setting up this special zone, we allowed all the technically prohibited research among the elves within the zone, and as soon as the permissions were granted, there were too many weird inventions pouring out.”

“But that’s a flintlock… It’s not even a clean hand cannon; it’s a well-made musket… It’s a similar weapon…”

“I don’t know what you mean, but it took more than a minute to shoot one shot. Why would anyone use this kind of weapon? And even its power…”

After placing the gun on the ground, Margaret loaded gunpowder and bullets into the barrel and lit the fuse on the trigger. The elf lord, having finished loading, aimed the gun at the archery target positioned in the training ground, aligned his sights, and pulled the trigger.

Bang! With that sound, a small bullet hole was made right in the center of the target about 300 meters away. Margaret nodded in satisfaction.

“Well, it hits well enough.”

“It seemed like that last loading took less than a minute, though.”

“Yeah, I tried practicing a few times to see if it was practical. But I doubt this weapon will be used in the kingdom’s army. Culturally, it doesn’t match, and its practicality is low. Do you wanna give it a shot?”

“Ah, no, I’m good, it’s fine.”

Honestly, Jeongjae wasn’t completely uninterested in the ‘flintlock gun developed by elves,’ but seeing Margaret hit the target accurately at 300 meters while criticizing the weapon’s practicality made him feel quite deflated. Jeongjae’s skill level was such that he could not guarantee hitting a target at a distance of 200 meters even when armed with a modern rifle.

As Jeongjae subtly stepped away from Margaret, who was tapping the handle of the flintlock, he noticed another bizarre weapon was set up and he flinched. Margaret casually tossed the gun onto the table and approached Jeongjae, shrugging her shoulders.

“Is that what you mean? I pointed out earlier that that weapon’s firing rate is garbage, and they made this toy to improve it. But it’s not that satisfying of a product.”

“But that clearly resembles a Gatling…”

“If you’re really that curious, I can show you directly.”

Margaret dragged what looked like a Gatling machine gun towards the shooting range, aiming it at the target. The elf lord skillfully used a long stick to load gunpowder and ammunition into all six barrels. As Margaret turned the handle of the gun, one bullet was fired with a bang.

“It’s tight to turn around, so it doesn’t shoot well!”

As Margaret vigorously turned the handle, another bullet was shot forward with a loud explosion. Jeongjae observed that this elf’s Gatling was capable of firing one shot roughly every two seconds, which was faster than an ordinary flintlock but far from deserving to be called a machine gun. In fact, after firing five shots, Margaret had to grunt as the handle wouldn’t turn anymore, eventually kicking the gun over in frustration.

“Looks like a jam. Our country’s bows don’t cause problems like this in real combat.”

“You shouldn’t handle a gun like that.”

Just as Jeongjae’s words fell, the last bullet from the fallen gun fired forward with a boom. Margaret chuckled softly and stood the gun back up.

“This is fun. Honestly, even when I realized it lacks practicality when I first saw it, it looked fun, so I learned how to use it. And to be honest, it does have some advantages. The mass of the bullets this weapon fires is lighter than the arrowheads shot by a bow. But if you utilize the power of gunpowder properly, it can achieve penetrating power beyond that. Making one bullet cast with an attack spell to penetrate enemy armor is indeed more economical than casting a penetration spell on a single arrowhead.”

“Isn’t it worth researching?”

“It’s tough from the standpoint of needing to win today’s battle. Moreover, I’ve found it hard to recover and recycle these bullets. Eramenia’s basic doctrine is to fight from a distance with bows and collapse the enemy’s formation, primarily defeating them with cavalry after that. In close-quarters, archers often recover arrows stuck in enemy corpses, too. When you consider that small ammunition likely can’t be seen as more economical than arrowheads.”

Combat in this world was greatly influenced by the presence of magic. As the defensive power of magical armor could nearly nullify the physical power of mass weapons, a dense formation of heavily armored infantry had become the norm as a countermeasure against artillery. The strategic knowledge Jeongjae was familiar with did not easily apply in this world. If the best way to mitigate the power of cannons was through a magical barrier, there was no strategic need for a line of infantry armed with flintlocks to appear.

“Moreover… I’ve got a bad feeling that while this weapon is useless for trained elves or imperial troops, if it falls into the hands of demons and is researched, it might actually be very useful. Among the miscellaneous demon armies, orcs often go to battle without proper armor or protective magic. Since bows are difficult weapons to master, the more we push, the less the proportion of skilled archers within the enemy will become. However, this weapon, despite being difficult to aim, isn’t exactly hard to master.”

Holding up a flintlock shaped like a musket, Margaret pointed it out. Jeongjae nodded. Guns are weapons whose convenience is their greatest strength, and if that strength can immediately affect the battlefield, it favors the less intelligent demon armies over the more intelligent allied forces. There was a reason why Margaret looks down on research in individual firearms.

“Well, anyway, you didn’t just come here to look around the workshop, right? So, what exactly is the specific purpose of your visit today?”

“Oh, right. I came to request permission for a diplomatic issue.”

Jeongjae suddenly remembered the reason he had come to Eramenia and widened his eyes. Not knowing what was happening in Eramenia, he had forgotten his mission entirely after being transfixed by the modern firearms being developed in the workshop and had been eagerly asking Margaret all sorts of questions.

The machine that automatically cuts wood using steam power was particularly impressive. If it weren’t for the fatal downside of needing two trees’ worth of wood to cut down one tree due to the lack of fossil fuels using firewood as fuel, Jeongjae would have been quite impressed with that machine as well.

“It’s a request from Jenis Harker. They wanted us to supply the items listed here from the Eramenia special zone. Through shipping to Febria Fortress.”

“Let me see.”

Taking the documents from Jeongjae’s hand, Margaret read Jenis’ request thoroughly, tilting her head.

“Most of these are metal parts requiring advanced metallurgy. What are they planning to do with all these parts collected? Are they possibly preparing to enhance the HMS Victory?”

“That’s what I was thinking…”

Jeongjae shrugged. As Margaret pointed out, Jenis was requesting an enormous quantity of nails, iron wire, iron plates, etc., that the imperial workshop of the Audrich Empire would find hard to manage. While it was a fact that the artisans of Eramenia had craftsmanship far superior to that of humanity, Margaret couldn’t quite grasp what they were going to use such parts for.

“Well, it’s not like he’s someone who would waste resources on meaningless things…”

Margaret shrugged her shoulders. Jeongjae nodded, agreeing with her opinion.

“Maybe he’s thinking about creating some weird stuff again. I’m looking forward to what the purpose is this time.”

“If we can get those making such nonsense in the workshop to stop and do their best, it seems like we can still meet that demand somehow. But what did he say he would repay us with if we give this to him?”

“I asked him, too… but all I got was ‘victory’ as an answer. He said it so confidently that I couldn’t ask him further.”

At Jeongjae’s words, the elf lord burst into laughter. After quite a while of chuckling, Margaret handed the documents back to Jeongjae while clapping her hands.

“Victory, right! That’s what a general should say—win! If you think about it, that’s really all the necessities, isn’t it? I like it. Tell him not to worry about the payment or debts. If it’s necessary supplies, we’ll provide them for free from our country. If it’s something needed to win, tell him to ask for anything! Be it weapons, food, anything! As long as he assures me it will repay with victory. Yes, isn’t that what I couldn’t obtain even with everything I had?”

“Margaret, you can win again. You haven’t put down your weapons, right?”

At Jeongjae’s question, Margaret’s expression darkened. Jeongjae was desperate in his own right. With Rose and Walter simultaneously withdrawing from the frontline, he was in urgent need of Margaret’s help to initiate a counterattack somehow. Understanding his importance, the elf lord unsheathed her sword from her waist and held it tightly.

Jeongjae frowned at the sight of Margaret’s hand trembling.

“Your hands…”

“It happens when I grip a weapon. To be exact, when I hold a weapon I handle in actual combat.”

In that moment, Jeongjae realized something and bit his lips. Margaret likely hadn’t simply learned how to use the gun for ‘fun.’ Under pressure of needing to return to the battlefield, it was a struggle.

Every time she gripped a bow, it was a means of overcoming the trauma of defeat that made her hands shake. Desperate to return to battle, she must have hoped this new flintlock would provide her the hope to grasp a weapon again. Eventually, realizing that its practicality was excruciatingly low, she must have given up now.

Jeongjae felt heavy-hearted, realizing that even the skill she had just shown in handling the flintlock was a direct reflection of the mental burden she bore.

Would it be okay for him to urge Margaret? Could he criticize her for not wanting to hold a weapon for the rest of her life? No, if it were for her benefit, shouldn’t he instead actively encourage her to put down her weapons?

But creating a situation where it would be fine for Margaret to put down her weapon was far too idealistic an assumption. He needed her support, no matter what. And as quickly as possible. It was imperative to drag even the elf who was too wounded to fight back into the battlefield. Jeongjae felt weighed down, feeling a pang of guilt as if he were forcing a crying child to grasp a knife and send them out as target practice.

Margaret finally managed to return her trembling hand and sheathed her sword. Jeongjae watched anxiously as the sword’s tip nearly grazed her thumb.

“I will overcome this.”

Margaret spoke, trying to reassure herself.

“I’m not that weak. I’m not some piece of trash high elf that would be forever crushed over just one defeat. Just look at you, rising up despite stumbling. Even when everyone around you was feeling bold, when all the heroes around you started to falter, you stood up magnificently. So for Margaret to fall is utterly unacceptable. I can’t accept it…”

Margaret bit her lip tightly. Jeongjae stood there in silence, unable to find words to comfort her.