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

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Upon hearing the news of Jeongjae’s resurgence, Jenis immediately realized that her active response was needed. Count Harker promptly drafted a short letter to Margaret. The letter read:

‘The North is cold, and when winter comes, snow falls. I hope to face you in the midst of enemy territory before the snow accumulates on the castle walls.’

The weather was gradually shifting from rain to snow. Another year was drawing to a close, and a response to the southern offensive was essential before entering the depths of winter. Jenis acknowledged that her 40,000 soldiers alone would not be enough to march directly to the Demon King’s Castle. Though she was clinging to a sturdy fortress, outside the castle walls lurked 500,000 of the Demon King’s Army.

The news of the Gargoyle Queen’s death was indeed a rare opportunity. Now, the Demon King’s Army had, aside from the Succubus Queen, virtually no commanders capable of making sound judgments on the battlefield. However, even if the enemy commander was an ignorant giant prince, and regardless of how low their quality might be, breaking through the tenfold difference in troops to topple a solid mountain fortress was no easy feat.

Jenis had a way to solve this puzzle somehow. The real issue was what to do after breaking through that mountain fortress.

“Baron, would you believe me if I said I have a way to move troops over that mountain fortress?”

Jenis asked Douglas Koesernis. Koesernis nodded.

“You killed the Kraken. Why would I not believe that?”

“How interesting. The method I have to breach those walls is quite similar to how I managed to kill the Kraken.”

“I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

Koesernis furrowed his brow. There was a distance between Febria Bay Fortress and the second line of defense of the Demon King’s Army, rendering cannon fire and Vanpleet magic ineffective. If an attack were possible, they would have set up Dragon Killer Cannons at the fortress and rained down destruction long ago. Jenis chuckled softly and shook her head.

“I’m not suggesting using cannons.”

“Then what exactly do you mean…”

“I mean we’ll use ships, Baron. Ships.”

“I don’t understand. You plan to use ships to destroy a mountain fortress on land?”

“If the wheels can bear the weight of the ship, it’s entirely feasible.”

Koesernis looked even more confused at Jenis’s words. Jenis Harker moved on without saying anything and headed toward the coast. The Baron quietly followed behind Harker.

Dozens of sailing ships were approaching Febria Bay. The allied ships, flying the flags of Eramenia and the Southern Alliance, were unloading tremendous amounts of cargo. The Baron turned to the Count and asked.

“Are those the items you ordered, my lord?”

“Those are the parts I’ve ordered. They’re for a very special purpose.”

“What on earth are you planning to create that requires such a large amount of imports from Eramenia?”

Without answering, Jenis approached an elf who was unloading goods and handed over the letter she had written.

“Please deliver this to the princess. This Harker eagerly awaits the day he sees the princess again.”

“I will deliver it properly, Great Sage.”

The elf accepted the note from Jenis, carefully placed it in their bosom, and nodded. Jenis did not know whether that elf was an important figure in Eramenian society, but the mere fact that they were an elf was enough for her.

In Jenis’s mind, even the most trivial fairy is better than the most important human. Only after ensuring the note would be delivered in a timely fashion did Jenis turn to Koesernis to answer his question.

“My professor, who taught me, shared some interesting stories about tools used in his world. While there were many that piqued my interest, the most fascinating was undoubtedly the tale of the ground battleship.”

“The ground battleship?”

“It’s a weapon that uses a large vehicle with special wheels as a moving cover to protect soldiers. Frankly, while interesting, it appeared to have no real use. I had no idea what kind of fuel would power such a vehicle, and it didn’t seem superior to Ironclad Knights. But lately, I’ve been wondering: what if we really bring a battleship to land?”

“A battleship… to the ground…”

Koesernis turned to look at the ironclad ship docked in the harbor. Upon seeing Jenis’s smile, the Baron widened his eyes.

“Are you referring to that? You want to bring that to land?”

“The designs for the tracked wheels that can handle the battleship’s weight have been completed. While I can’t guarantee they’ll withstand the load of the ship perfectly, if the Great Sage’s staff acts as the engine, it should hold up well enough. Only a very powerful siege weapon can break that mountain fortress, and the HMS Victory’s ramming ability is the best siege weapon we have. I just hadn’t thought of it until now.”

“How on earth can a ramming ship be a siege weapon? And what exactly is a tracked wheel?”

“You’ll understand once you see it. But I’m afraid I will need the Baron’s cooperation in assembling the parts and mounting them on the ship. Are you willing to help? Or does this sound unappealing to you?”

“I have no reason not to try. Just tell me what I need to do.”

Gendering a smile, Jenis had already sensed that Koesernis would not back away from such a proposal.

While a literal ‘ground battleship’ was being born from the Great Sage’s hands, Margaret from Eramenia received Jenis’s letter that had flown from the far North and let out a weary laugh.

“Meeting in enemy territory before the snow piles up… This guy is putting pressure on me. No, it feels more like he’s urging me to stop acting like a coward and come out of my shell.”

“She has the right to say that. Isn’t she currently holding back 500,000 of the Demon King’s Army all by herself? For the honor of Eramenia, we must also go out and fight. If the princess cannot go, then I will step out myself.”

Phineas Marbellius pleaded to Margaret with a frustrated expression. Margaret shook her head.

“I’m sorry. But it must be me.”

“I understand. I do understand, but!”

Phineas pointed at the target in front of Margaret. An archery target set up about 500 meters away. At this distance, a normal elf’s archery skills should pierce the center without fail, yet Margaret’s arrows were merely circling around the center without hitting it.

If a human archer were to shoot, they would be credited with remarkable accuracy, but if it were the skill of a High Elf lord, it was indeed a somewhat concerning situation. Despite dozens, if not hundreds of attempts, Margaret’s trembling hands had not improved.

“Isn’t this enough? I can still hit the enemy, can’t I?”

“But can you reassure yourself?”

“I don’t care if I’m reassured or not, general. What matters more is whether the soldiers can be at ease when they see me.”

“It is also very important to ensure the princess feels at ease. The soldiers are not fools. They can sense what mood their lord is in while going into battle.”

“What I need is a decisive victory. Only my victory can restore me to health. That’s certain.”

“How will you win if you charge into battle unprepared?”

“She promised me victory. I believe those words.”

Margaret said, shaking Jenis’s note. Phineas shook his head.

“Do you really trust a twenty-year-old human girl?”

“I trust even my newborn sister. I have no doubt that she will become an excellent High Elf. What’s the problem?”

“That and this are different matters, aren’t they?”

“Exactly what’s different, General?”

Margaret asked with a smirk, leaving Phineas unable to respond clearly to her question. Margaret spoke in a relaxed tone.

“Belief comes from the inability to endure without any explanation or reasons. My belief that fairies and humans can unite as siblings is simply because if I didn’t believe it, there would be no way to overcome this war. I will trust that fellow to lead us to victory. Without that kind of belief, how will we navigate this fight filled with nothing but obstacles?”

“I understand your point.”

Phineas nodded his head. Margaret nodded back and picked up the matchlock gun resting against the pillar.

“I don’t tremble when holding a gun. Perhaps it’s because I don’t yet feel this is a weapon I’ll use in battle? But it intrigues me, even though I know it’s not very useful.”

“Perhaps because it’s the only weapon you can hold in your hand without that psychological burden. If you feel that way, it wouldn’t hurt to carry it around.”

“Hmm.”

Margaret stuffed bullets and ammunition into the barrel of the long gun with a stick, aimed at the target, and pulled the trigger.

With a bang, the bullet fired precisely pierced the center of the target, which the arrows had failed to hit. Margaret looked surprised.

“500 meters is doable. Did someone improve it in the meantime?”

“Baron Harriet left a request with our technicians before leaving Eramenia,” Phineas replied. Margaret tilted her head, showing she was hearing this for the first time.

“A request? What kind of request?”

“She said that while we wouldn’t need those weapons in bulk, they might be needed by the princess, so she left a request to pay extra attention to their performance. Since then, I believe some blacksmiths have been trying hard to increase the accuracy of that gun.”

“That fellow too…”

Margaret shook her head, carefully placing the gun back against the pillar. Jenis was basically a quiet person, but her ability to understand what others needed was extraordinary. Suddenly, Margaret recalled that Jenis also carried a firearm similar to a pistol in battle.

As Margaret’s mind wandered to the thought of Jenis using a small cannon called a ‘pistol’ in combat, a peculiar thought bloomed in her head. While she had no intention of carrying around such an impractical weapon, she felt an inexplicable desire to carry something akin to what Jenis used.

Unbeknownst to herself, this was also an expression of the strange jealousy she felt toward Jenis Harker. Both were remarkable magicians, shared much in common, and even wore robes of the same color during battles.

In contrast, though there were many points of contact between Jenis and Margaret, it was hard to find a clear commonality. Resolving her determination, Margaret lifted the matchlock gun and said.

“Now that I think about it, bringing this with me to the battlefield doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. I’m already carrying four swords and a bow to combat, so adding one more gun shouldn’t make it any heavier.”