Seisan Mahoushi no Rakuraku Henkyou Kaitaku – Saikyou no Ajintachi to Howaito Kokka wo Kizukimasu!

Chapter 5 – I Made a Crossbow!

Mette watched the others carry Iria to the tent, and then she glared at me guardedly.

This girl with the ponytail was just as beautiful as Iria.

She had the sharp eyes and muscular physique that showed she was a warrior.

But there was still a youthfulness that remained in her face. She would probably give off a cuter impression if she smiled.

After a brief moment, Mette bowed as if coming to a decision.

“I thank you…for saving the princess…and for one of our own!”

“There’s no need to thank me. And don’t worry, I’ll be taking my leave immediately.”

“That won’t do. The princess ordered me to keep you here.”

“But I’m a human? Surely you would rest easier if I was gone?”

“It’s true that we have a grudge towards humans. But it seems like you are different. Besides, you…”

Mette stumbled awkwardly on her words, and then she bowed her head again.

“Please! It can be anything. But will you teach us some magic!?”

Mette raised her head and looked at me seriously.

“The other humans refused to negotiate with us… We have asked to trade things for tools and knowledge of magic, but they won’t even listen to what we have to say. But you helped us.”

Mette took out a sharpened stone and held it against her own horn.

“Our horns have value to you, do they not? Then I shall give you my horn. No, even this body! But please share your skills with my tribe!”

“Mette… Stop this.”

I grabbed Mette’s arm as she was about to hit her own horn.

“I haven’t been trained to instruct anyone to use magic. But I can make tools.”

“You will give us…tools?”

“Aye. That’s my role as a Production Magician. If you can prepare for me…food, water, and a place to sleep. And then I will be able to make tools for this village for some time.”

Tears rolled down Mette’s face as she bowed.

Tools and crafters existed because there was demand.

If they wanted tools, then I wanted to meet their expectations.

And so I decided to stay in Fendel Village for now.

“I see… So these are the tools you use.”

Mette then took me to the tent where their weapons and tools were stored.

I wanted to see what kind of equipment and tools the Fendel tribe had.

“Most of it is sharpened stone…and bones from beasts.”

They did not use their own horns.

Even if a horn had lost its magic, it would still be durable.

However, they would not want to use the bodies of friends as tools.

“Aye. Though, there are some made of obsidian, but that is rare.”

Mette showed me the black, shiny rock.

Sharpened obsidian could cut very well.

However, these were not sharpened enough, and would not be a match for iron weapons.

Regardless, these stones and obsidian spearheads were attached to wooden sticks. Such were the main weapons of the Fendel tribe.

Also, there were some bows…

But both the bows and spears looked more like tree branches.

They would be lacking in accuracy and durability. Practically useless, I think.

I also saw a sling, which would be used to throw rocks. But it would take a great deal of skill to aim with precision…

A thread was used as bowstrings and to attach the spearheads.

That meant they knew how to make twine from hemp. In fact, their clothes were made of hemp and beast skin. I also saw some fishing nets.

However, there were no farming tools at all, which was no surprise.

They relied entirely on hunting, fishing and gathering for food.

As I had no knowledge of farming, it would be no good to try and make farming tools.

…I did wonder about what resources there were in the area, but first, it would be best to focus on making hunting weapons.

And so I asked Mette.

“Mette. What is the population of the Fendel tribe?”

“Our tribe? About seven hundred.”

“And about how many of you can use bows and slings well?”

“Ten… No, I’m probably the only one who can hit a rabbit. Most just get as close as they can and use their spears.”

“I see. In that case, I should make weapons that anyone can use.”

“Would that be a spear?”

“No, something called a crossbow.”

“A cross…bow?”

Mette looked confused as she tilted her head to the side.

“…In any case, I’m going to make it. And I’ll be using the materials you have here.”

There was plenty of wood and hemp. And I wanted iron for triggers and springs. I could melt the equipment from the slave hunters and use that.

The actual construction of a crossbow was complex.

However, once it was turned into a recipe with Production Magic, you can automate the process.

“Craft…Crossbow.”

The first time I had made it, it took me two whole days…

But now, I could make one in a minute. The effect of making something into a recipe was great indeed.

As Mette watched me intently, a crossbow was suddenly summoned into my hand.

“Wh-what!? That bow-like thing just appeared! What kind of act of god!?”

“Act of god… You’re exaggerating… This is Production Magic. Here, take it.”

“O-oh… I can tell that it is amazing, but how do you use it? It is like a bow, but also like an axe…”

Mette’s eyes shone as she looked at this new weapon. She held it like a bow, and then started swinging it around like a sword. She clearly did not know how to use it.

I had never seen someone so stunned by a crossbow.

It was almost childish…

I smiled and said to Mette,

“I’ll make some bolts. And then you can set them in here.”

I took the crossbow from Mette and quickly made a bolt and set it.

The bolt was thicker than an arrow, and the head was made of iron. As for the feather, it was just a thin piece of wood for now.

I could make ten bolts in a second… Perhaps I could make more if I tried hard enough.

“Wiz. Could you place that branch outside so that it’s standing? I want to shoot it.”

And then Wiz the slime took the branch outside of the tent.

Once Wiz was about 50 beters away, it plunged the tree branch into the ground.

This was a distance that was most common with target practice.

“Now, I’m going to hit that.”

I said, and Mette burst into laughter.

“But it’s so far away. There is no way you can hit it!”

Well, I wasn’t actually that confident, but it would at least serve to demonstrate the range this weapon had.

And so I aimed and pulled the trigger.

“…Whaaaat!?”

Mette was stunned as she saw the bolt pierce the tree branch.

“Wh-wha-what? How did you shoot it from so far away…”

…Should you really be that surprised?

But then again, with the bows that the Fendel tribe had, they probably wouldn’t even be able to hit targets that were 10 beters away.

Also, there was something nice about getting such a reaction to something I made.

After all, when I was at the knights order, no one had ever reacted to my creations.

“You try shooting too, Mette. And after some practice, we should go hunting in order to test it.”

“Very well!”

After that, I gave Mette simple instructions on how to use the crossbow.