第411話~瓦礫の山~
「投下!」
号令とともにガチャン! という音が鳴り、少しして轟音が鳴り響く。腹の底まで響くような爆発音だ。衝撃波と言い換えても良いかもしれない。
「効果確認、派手に吹っ飛んだな。アイラ、こちらコースケ。無差別絨毯爆撃を開始する。微速前進してくれ」
『ん、了解。微速前進』
魔道伝声管越しのアイラの声とほぼ同時に魔道飛行船が微速前進を開始する。そして俺がテッドに目配せをすると、彼は頷いて号令を発した。
「絨毯爆撃開始」
「「「アイアイサー!」」」
テッドの指揮で八人の魔銃兵達が爆弾投下装置に魔道飛行船用航空爆弾の装填をし始める。
まぁ、絨毯爆撃とは言っても数十、数百発と垂れ流すような派手な爆撃ではない。装填手八名が間断なく爆弾を投下するだけのものなので、延々と大量の爆弾が降り注ぐ本物の絨毯爆撃に比べれば大分迫力は控えめだろう。しかしこの世界において岩を粉々に砕くような威力の攻撃を一方的に空から叩きつけ続けるというのは悪夢のような出来事である。
「人工的なドラゴンとまで言うのは烏滸がましいけど、それに近い脅威だよな」
「確かに。既存の戦力では対抗のしようが無いですな」
竜はその身体の強靭さや力の強さ、そして竜の吐息の威力だけで恐れられるのではない。空から一方的にそれらを叩きつける能力を持つからこそ恐れられているのだ。
それに、この世界では投射兵器があまり発展していない。精々が粗末な弓か投石、投槍程度で、俺が作り出すまではクロスボウやそれに類する兵器なども開発はされていなかった。なんて言っても魔法があるからな。それに、魔道士達が投射兵器の発展を妨害していた節もあるし。
まぁ何が言いたいのかと言うと、高空の敵に対する攻撃手段というものが乏しいのである。この世界には。空からの脅威と言えばまぁドラゴンを筆頭として様々な魔物がいるわけなのだが、その中で空から遠距離攻撃を仕掛けてくるような魔物は殆ど居ないらしい。なので、あまり対空攻撃手段が発展しなかったという側面もあるようだ。接近戦を仕掛けてくるなら剣や槍で戦う戦士でも倒せるわけだからな。
え? ドラゴンも近接戦でなんとかなるのかって? ドラゴンは遠距離戦でも近接戦でも普通なんともなりません。げんこつでなんとかできるメルティが異常なだけです。
そして暫く爆撃が続き、ついに満載していた爆弾が底を突いた。八人で十五発ずつ。合計百二十発の爆弾が地表へとばら撒かれたわけだ。
「見事に更地というか、瓦礫の山だな」
「ですな」
テッドと一緒に効果確認用の小窓から地上――というかフライングバイターの巣を見下ろす。ゴツゴツとした岩場は魔道飛行船用の大型航空爆弾の雨によって無残に打ち砕かれ、瓦礫の山と化していた。爆撃前と比べると幾分地盤が沈下しているようにも見える。岩場の地下に空洞でもあったのだろうか? もしかしたらその地下空洞がフライングバイターの巣の本丸だったのかもな。
「ここまで完膚なきまでに破壊すれば戦術目標は達成したと見て良いだろう。竜騎兵に確認してもらうから、念の為それまで対地監視を続けておいてくれ」
頷くテッドに俺も頷き返し、魔道伝声管でアイラに連絡して竜騎兵に現地の確認を依頼するように支持を出してから航空爆弾の補給を始める。
「しかし百二十発ともなると相当な量だよなぁ。ああ、また資材が吹っ飛んだ......今度また補充せにゃならん」
「閣下にも悩みはあるんですね」
「そりゃあるさ。こうして何もない場所からポンポンと爆弾を取り出しているように見えるが、こいつは俺が予め用意しておいたものを出しているだけなんだ。水の上を優雅に泳いでいるように見える水鳥と同じだよ。見えない水面下ではバタバタと足を動かしているのさ」
そう言いながら魔道飛行船用の大型航空爆弾百二十発分の資材を頭の中で計算して内心溜息を吐く。外殻の主な構成素材は鉄で、あとは火薬と機械部品、それに信管に使う魔石を少々。この中だと意外と鉄がネックなんだよなぁ......火薬の材料は概ね街中で入手できるし、魔石なんかも大した量が必要なわけではないから、今まで討伐した魔物の死体から手に入れたもので十分賄える。だが、鉄は大量に手に入れようと思うと自分で採掘するのが一番効率が良い。それに、鉄って街で大量に買おうとすると高くつくし、俺が必要とするような量を無理矢理買うと鉄不足になって市場に与える影響が大き過ぎるんだよ。
「またどこかで採掘せんと......せっかく周りが岩山ばかりなんだから、こっちにいる間に一日くらい採掘デイにできんかな」
この魔道飛行船を作るのにも大量の資材――特にミスリルや銀、銅を使ったので在庫が心許ない。この辺の素材も岩をガンガン掘っていれば手に入るので、是非とも補充したいところだ。グランデに頼めば適当な岩山のてっぺんにでも連れて行ってくれるだろうから、頂上から地上に向けて掘っていけば山の一つくらいは更地にできるだろう。今ならミスリルツルハシもあるしな。ちょっと帰ったらドリアーダに相談してみよう。予備日は用意してあるから、一日二日くらいはそうやって使っても問題あるまい。ああ、でもさっさと帰ってお子様達の顔も見たいんだよな......実に悩ましい。
そんな事を考えながら爆弾の補充が終わった頃、アイラから連絡が入った。
『確認完了。フライングバイターの巣は完全に崩壊』
「了解。それじゃあ帰投しよう。竜騎兵に先導するよう伝えてくれ」
『ん、わかった。戻ってくる?』
「今から戻るよ」
魔道伝声管による通話を終え、テッド達と共に上甲板へと上がる。地上というか下方の監視に人は残さないのかって? パッシブ魔力レーダーがあるから人員は配置してないんだよな。魔力を使わずに魔道飛行船が航行する高度まで達してくる生物って基本的にはいないから。でも、今後は人員を配置するべきかもしれんな。だとすると対地監視に適した場所をどこかに作った方が良いかもしれん。この爆弾投下部屋は狭いし、ほぼ真下しか見ることが出来ないからな。うーん、そうなると船体の抜本的な改造が必要になるかな......考えてみれば船の形に拘る必要も無いのだし、強度の許す範囲で船殻に手を加えるのも良いかもしれない。
何にせよこの試作型魔道飛行船は突貫工事で作ったものだから粗が多いんだよな......他にも色々とプロジェクトが動いているからこの船にばかりかかずらっても居られないんだが、こいつはこいつで大きなプロジェクトだから中途半端に放り出すわけにもいかないし......まったく、困ったもんだ。
「現場の兵隊さんも大変だろうけど、開発者サイドも結構大変なんだよ......」
「ご自愛ください。閣下に倒れられてしまうと国が傾きますよ」
「そうなんだろうけど割と酷使されてるんだよなぁ......使い勝手が良すぎるのも問題か。まぁ、不満はないけれども」
頼ってもらえるのは嬉しいことだしな。これから子供達も増えていくわけだし、頼れるお父さんの姿も見せていかないと。まぁ、頑張るにしても出張が多すぎて顔も覚えられていない、みたいな悲劇だけは避けたいところだ。今回の出張を終えたら暫くはのんびりしたいもんだな。
412 Episode 411 - A Pile Of Debris
Drop!
Along with the order, Gachan! There was a sound, and a roar sounded a little bit. It sounded like an explosion echoing down to the bottom of my stomach. It could be called a shockwave.
"Checking the effect, you blew it flashily." Aira, this is Korske. We are launching an indiscriminate carpet bombardment. I need you to go faster. "
"Mm-hmm. Speed ahead."
Almost simultaneously with Aira's voice through the magic voice tube, the magic airship began to advance at a fraction of the speed. And when I saw Ted, he nodded and issued an order.
"Carpet bombardment commenced."
"" Eyes! ""
Under Ted's command, eight demonic musketeers begin to load the bomb dropping device with a magic airship aerial bomb.
Well, a carpet bombardment isn't a flashy bombardment that drifts with dozens or hundreds of shots. Eight loaders dropped bombs uninterruptedly, so it would be much less powerful than a real carpet bomb with a lot of bombs raining down. However, in this world, it is a nightmare to continue to strike from the sky with a powerful attack that shatters the rock.
It's so annoying to call it an artificial dragon, but it's a close threat, isn't it?
Sure, I can't fight with my existing strength.
The dragon is not only afraid of the strength of its body, the strength of its strength, and the power of its breathing. They are feared because of their ability to strike them one-sidedly from the sky.
Besides, there are not many projectile weapons in this world. It was a crude bow, stone throwing, and spear throwing, and no crossbow or similar weapon was developed until I created it. Whatever you say, there's magic. In addition, some of the mages were obstructing the development of projectile weapons.
Well, what I'm trying to say is that we don't have the means to attack enemies in the sky. In this world. As for the threat from the sky, there were various monsters headed by dragons, but it seemed that there were few monsters that attacked from the sky from a distance. Therefore, it seems that the anti-aircraft means of attack did not develop much. If you're going to fight in close quarters, you can defeat a fighter who fights with a sword or spear.
What? You think the dragon can handle melee? Dragons are not common in ranged or melee combat. It's just that Melty can do something about it.
Then the bombing continued for a while, and finally the bomb that had been fully loaded pushed the bottom. Fifteen rounds for eight people. A total of 120 bombs were scattered over the surface.
It's a stunning piece of land or a pile of rubble.
That's right.
Together with Ted, I looked down at the flying biter's nest from a small window to see if it worked. The rough rocky area was ruined by the rain of a large aerial bomb for a magic airship, turning it into a pile of rubble. Compared to before the bombardment, the ground seemed to settle somewhat. Could there have been a cavity under the rock? Maybe the underground cavity was the main circle of the Flying Biter's Nest.
"If you destroy it by the end of the day, you can see that you have achieved your tactical goals." I'll have the Dragon Cavalry check it out, just in case. Keep watching the ground until then. "
I nodded back to Ted, and after I contacted Aira with the magic tube and supported him to ask the Dragon Cavalry to check on the ground, I started resupplying the aerial bombs.
"However, it's quite a lot when it comes to 120 shots, isn't it?" Ah, the materials blew up again... I'll have to replenish them again. "
Your Lordship has a problem, too.
"That's right. It looks like you're pulling pom poms and bombs out of nowhere, but this is just what I've prepared for you." It's like a water bird that looks like it's elegantly swimming in the water. I'm moving my legs under invisible water. "
While saying that, she exhaled from her heart by calculating in her head the material for 120 large aerial bombs for the magic airship. The main constituent material of the outer shell was iron, followed by gunpowder, mechanical parts, and a few magic stones for the fuse. In this case, iron is the neck... Gunpowder ingredients are generally available throughout the city, and magic stones are not needed in large quantities, so I can pay enough for the things I got from the corpses of the monsters I've crushed. However, the most efficient way to get a lot of iron is to mine it yourself. Besides, when I try to buy a lot of iron in the city, I try to buy as much as I need. If I buy as much iron as I reasonably need, I will be short of iron, which will have too much impact on the market.
"I have to mine somewhere again... there are rocky mountains all around, so I wonder if I can mine for about a day while I'm here"
We also used a lot of materials to build this magic airship - especially mithril, silver, and copper - so we don't have enough in stock. The materials around here can be obtained by digging up rocks, so I'd definitely like to restock. Ask Grande to take you to the top of the right rocky mountain, and if you dig from the top to the ground, you can make one of the mountains more grounded. There was also a misril tsuruhashi right now. Let's talk to Doriada when we get home. I have a spare day, so there is no problem if I use it for about two days a day. Oh, but I want to go home and see your kids' faces... it's really troubling.
With that in mind, Aira contacted me when I finished refilling the bomb.
Confirmed. The Flying Biter's nest is completely destroyed.
Roger that. Let's go home. Tell the Dragon Cavalry to take the lead. "
Hmm, okay. Will you come back?
I'll be right back.
I finished the call using the magic tube and went up to the upper deck with Ted and the others. Are you saying there's no one left to watch from the ground or down there? I had a passive magic radar, so I didn't have the manpower. Because basically no creature reaches the altitude at which a magic airship sails without using magic power. But maybe we should deploy some personnel in the future. Perhaps we should find a suitable location for ground surveillance. This bomb dropping room is so small that you can only see it right underneath. Hmm, I wonder if a radical modification of the hull would be necessary... If you think about it, it is unnecessary to rely on the shape of the ship, and it may be better to add a hand to the hull as much as the strength allows.
Whatever it is, this prototype magic airship was built in the piercing construction, so it's a lot of coarse... There are many other projects going on, so I can't get caught up in this ship, but this is a big project, so I can't throw it out halfway... I'm in trouble.
"The soldiers on the scene are going to be tough, but the developers are also going to be tough..."
Please take care of yourself, my lord. If you fall, the country will tilt.
"I guess so, but I've been using it so hard... I guess it's a problem that it's too easy to use." Well, I'm not dissatisfied. "
I'm glad you can count on me. The number of children is going to increase, and I have to show my father that I can rely on him. Well, I just want to avoid the kind of tragedy where I can't remember my face because I travel too much for work. I'd like to relax for a while after this business trip.
Goshujin-sama to Yuku Isekai Survival!
ご主人様とゆく異世界サバイバル！
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/goshujin-sama-to-yuku-isekai-survival/
Action Adventure Comedy Fantasy Harem Mature Seinen Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Alchemy Animal Characteristics Army Building Artifact Crafting Average-looking Protagonist Beastkin Beautiful Female Lead Betrayal Calm Protagonist Caring Protagonist Character Growth Cheats Clingy Lover Couple Growth Crafting Cunning Protagonist Demi-Humans Demons Doting Love Interests Dragons Early Romance Elves Fairies Fantasy World Farming Female Master First Love First-time Interc**rse Game Elements Gamers Hard-Working Protagonist Human-Nonhuman Relationship Jack of All Trades Kind Love Interests Kingdom Building Kingdoms Level System Love Interest Falls in Love First Magic Magical Technology Male Protagonist Monsters Multiple POV Naive Protagonist Older Love Interests Overpowered Protagonist Polygamy Pregnancy Proactive Protagonist Racism Reverse R*pe Romantic Subplot Royalty S*ave Protagonist Special Abilities Strong Love Interests Survival Sword And Magic Technological Gap Threesome Transported to Another World Tsundere Wars Weak to Strong
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n3742ey/
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