The Demon King Seems to Conquer the World

Chapter 266: Noble Captive

New chapter of The Demon King is out! (1/2 chapters)

I assembled a pursuit unit centered around the remaining cavalry and sending them in pursuit. Then, I checked the damage situation and climbed the hill while congratulating my subordinates. The experimental cannon, which had the final task of destroying the gates of Kurtos, finally stopped breathing and was now resting.

As I climbed the mountain path, it was cleared of obstacles since the battle had ended. I saw traces of fierce combat and the carcass of a dragon. Several broken spears protruded from its body, covered in green scales. The ropes attached to the base of the spears were tied to the trees behind it, as if trying to pull it off the gun line.

It seemed to have worked effectively. It looked like the shafts of the spears broke under the weight of the falling dragon, but that was inevitable.

If you make the shaft of a long spear thick and sturdy, it becomes too heavy for a human to handle.

“Your Excellency!” (Krikohl)

“Oh, Krikohl. Were you unharmed?” (Yuri)

The man who called out to me was named Krikohl, a man who had just become a soldier. Originally, he was involved in development as an employee of Hou Company, but he joined the military as an instructor to create an artillery unit on short notice. He wass supposed to be the highest-ranking officer of the artillery unit.

“It was a big deal. What is that?” (Krikohl)

As always, his manner of speaking was frank, unlike a pure-blooded soldier with a knight’s badge on his chest.

“What about the damage?” (Yuri)

“5 dead in the artillery, 22 with serious and minor injuries!” (??)

The aide attached to Krikohl reported.

In the military, basic reports like these were essential, but Krikohl, being from a different field, couldn’t do it. That was why a capable aide was assigned to supplement that area.

“I see.” (Yuri)

Is 5 death considered as many or few? Considering the dragon’s sharp claws and a mouth that could swallow a person whole, it is probably on the lower side.

“Also, about the cannon, I don’t think it can be used anymore.” (Krikohl)

“Has it become unusable? How did it break?” (Yuri)

“It’s from burn erosion.” (Krikohl)

Ablation referred to the phenomenon where the inner surface of the gun barrel was burned by the heat of the gunpowder and worn away by friction with the projectile. It seemed that the metal surface becomes brittle when burned, and the closer it is to the burning propellant inside the barrel, the faster it wore down.

“We tried using it while pouring water on it, but it’s no good.” (Krikohl)

“Is it so bad that it needs to be scrapped?” (Yuri)

“Well, it can still be used, but… Towards the end, the range was already getting shorter.” (Krikohl)

The range of this cannon is about 2 km on flat ground. It reached the Dragon Empire’s army by placing it on a hill, but without the height advantage, it wouldn’t have reached them. Come to think of it, I don’t recall the cannon shots hitting the Dragon Empire toward the end. Rather than the power of the bombardment itself, the fact that they were being bombarded and the intimidation from the sound of the cannon caused them to rout.

“If it gets too loose for the belt to cover, the rifling won’t work in the end.” (Krikohl)

The shells used for this cannon had copper wrapped around the base of the shell like a headband. This band was slightly larger than the actual caliber of the gun, so it bit into the rifling when fired. Cannon shells were not made of soft lead like bullets, so if a cartridge belt was not used, the iron will rub against the iron and the barrel will quickly wear down.

“That said, there are still many cities to come. Cannons are useful for breaking down castle walls. If it bursts from the internal pressure when fired, then we’ll have no choice but to scrap it.” (Yuri)

“I don’t think it’ll come to that, but…” (Krikohl)

“Then let’s keep using it for a while longer. Just make sure it’s equipped with self-destruct charges so we can dispose of it at any time.”  (Yuri)

The self-destruct charge was essentially a lump of black powder with a cap that seals the muzzle instead of a warhead. When this was loaded and fired, the cannon couldn’t withstand the force of the explosion and exploded into pieces.

Originally, black powder, whether in guns or cannons, was too strong to be used as a propellant. Its combustion speed exceeded the speed of sound, giving unnecessary shock to the barrel.

Nitrocellulose, the main component of smokeless powder, not only produced less smoke but also burns at a slower rate than black powder. The fact that this cannon was lighter than earlier ones was largely because we stopped using black powder, allowing us to reduce the barrel’s thickness.

Therefore, if a lump of black powder was burned instead of smokeless powder, the cannon would not last. The self-destruct charge used this principle to make the cannon self-destruct.

Although parts like the breech plug, which were structurally independent of the main body, might remain intact, using this method prevented the cannon from being captured by the enemy and revealing all its secrets if there was no time to retreat.

“I get it. It’s a carefully crafted corporate secret.” (Krikohl)

“Make sure it’s thorough. If the enemy gets their hands on it, it’ll cause a lot of trouble.” (Yuri)

This cannon was equipped with a screw-type breechblock using steel originally researched for breech-loading rifles, rifled, and fitted with a spring-type recoil system. A recoil system was supposed to absorb the shock between the gun carriage and the barrel, allowing only the barrel to move back and forth and preventing the cannon from recoiling backward. However, this hastily constructed model was a piece of junk and could only partially perform its function.

Not only did it added weight, but it also couldn’t fully absorb the recoil, causing the cannon to move backward, and the spring’s recoil would send it flying forward. Since it was such a poor piece of equipment, the cannon had to be stabilized on the ground by its gun carriage and fixed in place with ropes tied to trees or long stakes.

This cannon was a rough prototype with little refinement, but it was still packed with a mountain of new ideas. Even if it were stolen, the Isus countries wouldn’t be able to produce smokeless powder, so they wouldn’t be able to use it the same way. However, they might be able to replicate the breechblock mechanism.

“Well, considering how heavy it is, stealing it would be quite a task, but now that they know about it, the enemy will be desperate to get their hands on it. Keep an eye out.” (Yuri)

“That’s beyond my jurisdiction. You should tell that to the military.” (Krikohl)

“Ah… well, I suppose so.” (Yuri)

Although Krikohl is technically a soldier, he was only instructing under special circumstances. He was more of a corporate employee or researcher at heart.

“I’ll ensure the escort unit is thoroughly prepared. Rest assured.” (??)

The aide said. He was a highly capable person, so there shouldn’t be any problems.

At that moment, I heard the flapping sound of wings cutting through the wind. Perhaps because the bombardment and gunfire had worn on my ears, it sounded different than usual, but when I looked up, it was indeed an Eagle. A man dressed as a messenger descended.

“Your Excellency! I have a report!” (??)

“What is it?” (Yuri)

“We have captured someone who appears to be a prince of the Kururuan Dragon Empire. He is currently being escorted back. They urgently request instructions on how to proceed!” (??)

—

“XXXXX. XXXXX, XXXXX…” (Adil)

For the first time in a while, I was faced with the bewildering language of a foreign land. It was the Arn language.

“Can’t you speak Telor language?” (Yuri)

“I… I can’t speak Telor language.” (Adil)

The boy, who seemed to be Prince Adil, replied in very broken Telor language with an incredibly unique intonation. It was not like he could manage basic daily conversations. It was more like he studied for about three hours.

This is bad.

“What kind of situation led to his capture?” (Yuri)

In this world, there were almost no child soldiers, so the possibility that this boy was a prince or a decoy seems quite high. The reason there were no child soldiers wasn’t due to humanitarian considerations. Simply put, there were no small, lightweight, and powerful weapons that children could handle, so it was practically pointless.

Gathering children, giving them cheap swords or spears, and sending them to the battlefield could be done at a low cost if one wanted. However, they would quickly die in hand-to-hand combat against adults. They couldn’t be expected to be an effective fighting force. When considering that they also needed to be supplied, it was clear that there was no benefit to using them.

There were cases where merchants who came and went from camps used young apprentices for carrying luggage or attendants to take care of personal needs, but this boy’s clothing was far too fine for that, so it was unlikely. I had never seen such fabric before, but it was clear at a glance that a ridiculous amount of effort went into making it.

“Um… the details are unclear because the Royal Guard Dawn Cavalry that captured him under Dolla-dono immediately moved to pursue the enemy… However, it seems that he broke away from his group and veered off to the side. A unit noticed his strange movements, chased after him, and captured him as a prisoner.” (??)

Dolla was commanding the cavalry group on the left flank. Since they were currently in pursuit, it was true they were the first to clash with the Dragon Empire. If it was a trap, it didn’t seem like Dolla took the bait and suffered for it, and I had no idea what their goal could have been.

From what I heard, it sounded like they put him on the best horse for escape, but because of his poor horsemanship, he lost control and bolted. The escort immediately chased after him, but since the lightest boy was on the fastest horse, it was hard to catch up. If that was the case, it was honestly a ridiculously foolish story.

I understood why they couldn’t escape by riding double on a dragon. Unlike eagles, dragons were apparently quite difficult creatures to handle. They did become accustomed to humans, but telepathic communication didn’t really happen. Sometimes they get angry mid-air, and in such cases, even a seasoned dragon rider couldn’t quickly calm them down. In most cases, something could be done, but if their anger escalated, they might throw a tantrum in mid-air, hitting their own wings with their tail and causing a crash.

I couldn’t say for certain, but it seemed to be a fact that neither the Entak Dragon Kingdom nor the Kururuan Dragon Empire used dragons as taxis, whether for civilians or officials.

It was probably not something they would put a prince on. It might be that they didn’t think the prince couldn’t ride a horse, but if that was the case, they should have sacrificed speed and let him ride double, even if it meant just sitting as dead weight.

“Didn’t the Dragon Empire troops pursue the prince?” (Yuri)

I was not familiar with the internal affairs of the Kururuan Dragon Empire, but if he was a prince, he must be an important figure. He was probably one of many, but surely they wouldn’t just abandon him.

“They did pursue him. They turned their entire army around to take him back, which left them stranded on the battlefield. Now, the Dragon Empire’s forces are stuck in the rear, trying to hold off our troops.” (??)

Wow… So, this kid really is the real deal. Under normal circumstances, this would be a welcome stroke of luck, but it’s a problem if the Dragon Empire’s forces, who probably have no particular desire to fight, are now getting desperate.

“Yuri-kun, how about sending a military envoy? The Kururuan Dragon Empire soldiers don’t have any obligation to fight for this country. If they dig in, it’ll just complicate our pursuit.” (Myaro)

“That’s true… but, Myaro, you don’t speak Arn, do you? Do we even have anyone in our army who speaks Arn?” (Yuri)

Maybe some of the returned ex-slaves who were Shanti might have studied it, so it’s not impossible that someone could be mixed in, but we never expected Arn would be necessary in a situation like this. We didn’t look for or bring anyone who could speak it. Among my acquaintances, only Eisa-sensei speaks it.

“Even if we don’t have one, I’m sure the Dragon Empire’s army has an interpreter who understands Telor language. It would be a problem if they couldn’t understand their orders.” (Myaro)

Ah, that makes sense. It’s obvious when you think about it.

“Alright, then I’ll write it in Telor language. I’ll say something like, ‘We’re willing to negotiate the prince’s return later, and we guarantee that he’ll be treated with the respect due to someone of his rank.’ Does that sound good?” (Yuri)

“That sounds fine.” (Myaro)

“I’ll write it.” (Yuri)

Since I have a better grasp of Telor language than Myaro, it’s better if I do it.

“Sure. Please do.” (Myaro)

“You write something too.” (Yuri)

I said to Prince Adil in Telor language while looking at him.

“Huh?” (Myaro)

Myaro made a strange noise.

The prince stood awkwardly at the edge of the tent, looking out of place. Looking at him again, he was a handsome boy with a deeply chiseled face and a dark complexion. However, something about him seemed off. It wasn’t that he was calm and composed, unfazed by the situation. Rather, it was as if he wasn’t grounded, as if he didn’t fully grasp that he was a prisoner, giving him an otherworldly air.

“You. Write.” (Yuri)

I placed a pen and paper in front of him, using simple Telor language words. Even though his speech was broken, he could speak a little, so he might understand basic meanings. At the very least, he should understand second-person pronouns.

“Yuri-kun, are you really going to have the prisoner write something? We can’t verify what he writes.” (Myaro)

“There’s a chance the Telor language interpreter went missing during the retreat. We haven’t shown him anything sensitive, so it should be fine.” (Yuri)

Ignoring Myaro’s concern, the prince surprisingly took the pen without protest and, for some reason, began writing while standing instead of sitting down. It seemed that he understood the intention. At least, he didn’t look like he was on the verge of breaking down in tears or writing something desperate like, “I’m about to be killed, help me.” It didn’t seem likely he would do that. After all, it would be inconvenient for him if there wasn’t anyone around who could act as an interpreter. Writing the letter would benefit him as well.

“Just the fact that we’re letting him write freely should make them think we’re not treating him too badly.” (Yuri)

“Hmm… yeah, that might be true.” (Myaro)

“Alright, I’ll write mine too.” (Yuri)

I carefully chose my words, writing slowly and deliberately before signing the letter. When I glanced over at the prince, he seemed to have already finished his letter.

“Write one more.” (Yuri)

I wanted to verify it afterward, just in case.

“Same thing, write.” (Yuri)

Using simple Telor language words, I placed another sheet of paper next to the first one. The prince seemed to understand what I wanted and began copying the content onto the new sheet. I couldn’t understand what was written, but the handwriting looked the same as the original. It seemed he was replicating it properly.

I took the copied letter, placed it together with the one I had written, rolled them up, and put them into the dispatch tube.

“Maybe we should include his personal belongings as well.” (Myaro)

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” (Yuri)

That might make them trust us more.

I carefully removed the ring from the prince’s finger, who offered no resistance, and placed it into the tube.

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