kscans

Chapter 51 - Chapter 7: Part 2 - Training

"You predicted the last monster flood and narrowed down the site of this current disaster to Kurtheite. Furthermore, according to the Grand Duchess and the sage, you’re even preparing to monitor large-scale fluctuations in the magic veins. The last monster flood in the west and this dragon attack are likely both related to such fluctuations. For someone like you, I thought you might have some kind of strategy. Come to think of it, that one-plate lunch I had the pleasure of trying at the Shoken Festival was also a style I’d never seen before."

I see. So that’s why I’m being so ridiculously overestimated. Claudia gave me a pitying look. Being an object of her sympathy was certainly a rare experience.

In reality, I’m just an ordinary person with knowledge from another world. And Earth didn’t have any dragons. However…

I looked at the prince. He was willing to take a risk himself against an incredibly dangerous opponent. I have my doubts about that, coming from a member of the royal family, but isn't this the kind of cause that makes you want to help? I despise risk, especially the life-threatening, incalculable kind. That’s precisely why one must show respect for those willing to bear that risk.

I recall that even in my old world, it was considered common sense in many countries to respect soldiers. Perhaps that was the reason why.

Based on the information I now had, two possibilities came to mind where I could apply my other worldly knowledge.

"My knowledge is limited, but there are two suggestions I can make. However, both are merely hypotheses at this stage, and they would have to be verified by the Knight Order."

"Tell me," Prince Craig said, leaning toward me.

"First, is proving the miners’ innocence."

"What!?"

My words had apparently surprised him. I explained the conditions of a high-altitude environment. Tuvil Mountain is over 1,800 meters tall. At such an altitude, people from the plains begin to have trouble breathing. In this kingdom, which consists mostly of flatlands, this is likely not common knowledge, at least not among the general populace.

"The air is thin?"

"Yes, at an altitude like Tuvil Mountain’s, the air is thinner than on the plains. Simply put, it becomes harder to breathe. I confirmed the location of the rock salt deposits on Tuvil. It’s a very harsh place, situated above the mountainside. The miners are accustomed to that thin air. Could that not be the reason they were able to escape faster than the Knight Order?"

"To suggest it was caused by the unique high-altitude environment is hard to believe on the spot…" one of the adjutants said, his face full of doubt.

"The knights of the Second Knight Order did mention that their bodies felt heavy on the mountain. We had assumed it was only natural since they couldn’t use their horses and were climbing uphill," the prince said, looking at his other adjutant.

"That matches the testimony we gathered from the miners. We had assumed they were just making excuses out of fear of punishment…"

"In that case, fighting on the mountain means we would be at a further disadvantage," the prince growled. Although the dragon was bound to an area near the magic vein, the only way to fight one that could fly freely was to climb the mountain that served as its base.

"There is a way to mitigate that disadvantage. Please show me the map."

As I asked, an adjutant spread a map out on the table.

"Let’s see… Marel Summit, located midway between the Royal Capital and Kurtheite, should work. You’ll need to train there for ten days, two weeks if possible. As for the methods, you should ask the miners. They likely have their own know-how for acclimatizing to high altitudes."

It was what we called high-altitude training. That technique was used to improve oxygen intake at high altitudes before competing in events on the plains, but the basic principle is the same.

"Wait. You want us to take ten days for a training method we’ve never heard of when we have so little time?" the female adjutant said. But the prince raised a hand to silence her.

"Just as this man said, we simply need to verify it. Dispatch a few of the imprisoned miners and some knights from the legion to this mountain. We will judge whether what he says is true based on the results."

The prince had given the answer before I could even suggest a method for verification.

"Yes, I believe that is an excellent decision."

"If what you say is true, then the miners’ cooperation will be indispensable for the subjugation. And…" The prince looked past me. "As a result, it will also prove what Count Adele’s actions truly were."

If the miners fled after the Knight Order was defeated, then it wasn’t a rout. And if it can be understood why the miners, in such a desperate situation, did not abandon Count Adele but carried him out, the truth will naturally come to light.

"Vinder…" I heard Claudia’s voice from behind me. Hey, it's not my fault if the truth turns out to be "the count was the first to flee."

"Hmm… and what is your other strategy?"

"It’s a countermeasure against the dragon’s flight capabilities. There are two key points. First, based on the dragon’s behavior, it’s highly likely its ability to fly is achieved through a combination of both magical power and muscular strength."

From what I’d heard, the dragon’s wings were woven from its arms using magic. The dragon alters the shape of those wings to achieve its maneuverability. It is subject to aerodynamic, physical constraints. The fact that it flaps its wings also tells me that its lift is generated using muscle power.

If its magical wings possessed some kind of anti-gravitational force, for example, it should have evolved in a direction that would make such flapping unnecessary.

In the first place, it consumes large quantities of creatures like humans because it cannot subsist on magic alone. If that thing belongs to any biological lineage I know of, it would possess the ability to generate more than ten times the energy per unit of body weight as a lizard, and would naturally require ten times the food.

I wouldn’t be so confident if the dragon’s wings grew from its back independently of its arms, but from what I’ve heard, that’s not the case.

If there is a struggle for survival among magical beasts, it’s more advantageous to evolve in a way that utilizes existing abilities. Evolution is fundamentally about becoming "better than before." The means may be the chance of mutation, but the struggle for survival forces it.

"And so…"

"It means that damage to the arms that support and move those magical wings would be effective. If you can break its arms, it will lose its ability to fly, even if it still has magical power."

"That’s not an unreasonable argument. But the dragon’s scales are hard and protected by magic."

"Don’t strike the scales. Transmit the impact to what lies beneath. Think of the dragon as a knight in full armor. When fighting in the mountains, you can’t use lances that rely on the charging power of a horse, can you? In that case, the most effective weapons are…"

"Blunt-force weapons like maces and hammers. I see. We don’t have as many of those as magic swords or spears, but… if we form a unit specializing in them and have them focus their attacks on its arms, we might just be able to rob it of its ability to fly."

That’s right. In medieval Europe, blunt weapons that could smash a knight, armor and all, were more effective than swords. Besides, if my prediction is correct, the dragon’s bones should be flexible but not very resistant to impact.

"However, this also requires verification of the bone’s properties. The Empire’s so-called know-how might include something on that. It might be interesting to probe them a little."

"We’ll do it."

"If the Empire claims to have the know-how to defeat dragons, could you ask them to show proof? Specifically, the appearance of a dragon whelp and an actual bone. You could say that you cannot trust the effectiveness of their reinforcements without first confirming if the dragon they speak of is truly the same one that has attacked us. Its size, shape, and a drawing if they have one would be even better."

We have to defeat this greedy dragon, or whatever kind of lizard, no, dinosaur it is. Its greatest weapons are its flight and its breath. We can hopefully neutralize its flight with the aforementioned blunt weapons. As for the breath…

"Let’s try it. …Though I do not understand how you can predict things about a dragon’s bones. Or why you want to know what a juvenile looks like…" The prince stared at me intently.

"Regarding that, I have no conclusive proof whatsoever. Please forgive me for not speaking on it here."

There’s no way I can say I have an idea for completely neutralizing its breath. It’s true that I have no proof. And what’s more, I can’t test this one.

The prince paused for a moment as if in thought, then looked at my face.

"Very well. The abnormal wisdom the Grand Duchess spoke of, I have seen it in full. I can see why my sister relies on you."

◇◇

"If this matter is resolved successfully, I would like to welcome you as a staff officer for the Knight Order."

After that heart-stopping remark and the please-spare-me-this treatment of being personally escorted to the fortress entrance, I was finally on my way home. I’m well aware of how convenient my position is, being protected, but I want nothing to do with military affairs.

In the first place, a self-preservationist like me is absolutely unsuited to be a soldier.

"I will never forget this debt."

As the carriage began to move, Claudia bowed her head to me.

"Whether your father is innocent or not will be decided by whether he is the man you believe him to be, Lady Claudia. That is all there is to it."

That’s what I said, though in reality there was more I wanted to say to this impulsive, muscle-for-brains knight.

"Besides, your lecture was a great help, Lady Claudia. Thanks to you, I felt much more confident."

"You, who went head-to-head with His Highness and made him accept all of your strategies… You really meant it when you said you were ignorant about the Knight Order."

"Hahaha…"

I can hardly tell her my knowledge comes from sports science.

"But do you truly have another strategy?"

"I made no promises. Not a single one. …………All I can say is that there’s a possibility. There are a few things I need to confirm. I will need the Director’s cooperation as well."

It’s an unbelievable coincidence, but if that can be used, we have a chance of victory.