Ludolph was no simple man, and Fritz had been delighted ever since he had his ‘reunion’ with him two days ago.
He was a captain from the Queen’s newly-raised experimental brigade, which she envisioned as a ‘new tool of the state’ that could go toe-to-toe with formations larger than it, and even individuals above Tier VII.
Of course, the idea led Fritz into great doubt.
A Tier VII individual, and anyone above that, would essentially be a one-man army. Someone who could possibly vanquish thousands of trained swordsmen, crossbowmen, and even lower-level mages.
If a Tier II sword arts user could take out ten to twenty lesser men on his own, a Tier V sword arts user may take out hundreds—and beyond that, they would be nightmares on the battlefield.
Fritz looked at the weapons arrayed before him in the firing range outside of Fort Stiglitz, the home of the 1st Assault Brigade ‘Glantzstadt’. It was the name of the unit that Ludolph Widmer belonged to.
The first thing he noticed about their combat gear was that it was starkly different from the equipment used by the rest of the Kingdom’s army. They wore only a light cuirass, alongside a blue-gray steel helmet, and a uniform of similar color underneath.
It was a fairly light combat gear for soldiers meant to counter powerful forces, which Fritz understood. Most soldiers would be Tier I to Tier II. It would be a struggle for them to carry anything heavier, thus, the almost non-existent protection.
“But, you see,” Ludolph excitedly spoke as he checked one of the weapons on the table. “They may not be as heavily armored as a swordsman or normal crossbowman, but see this.”
He tossed a strange crossbow in Fritz’s direction, which Fritz caught. It seemed to be a complicated one, for its construction was a bit different from standard crossbows. He didn’t sense anything magical on the weapon, but—down below was a lever. Above the string too was a ‘magazine’ that held ten special bolts inside.
Those bolts have a lot of mana on them. His eyes narrowed as he inspected it further. They’re enchanted.
“That right there in your hands, is the mainstay weapon of the soldiers from this brigade,” Ludolph smiled, as he took the second crossbow on the table. “They were designed a year after Cecilia took the throne when she threw a hundred thousand marks at your father and told him to design weapons she wanted for her new army.”
“So this is what it looks like,” Fritz admired it a bit. As an assassin, he remembered using bows and crossbows at times. Unfortunately, they were only really useful against individuals that weren’t above Tier III, for their power was too weak. “A repeating crossbow…”
“Indeed,” Ludolph smiled. “It’s been perfected by the Rolentz Corporation. Your father, one of the greatest enchanters in the continent, also developed specific formulas to create the strongest standardized bolts out there. The result is this—the Stinger crossbow.”
He pushed the lever underneath the crossbow forward, before pulling it back again. His hands then settled on the trigger and a handle at the front of the crossbow. Fritz watched it intently, noting that a single special bolt was automatically placed in front of the string.
“That’s…a fast way to load a bolt,” Fritz said. “But how powerful is it?”
“Watch closely mate,” Ludolph laughed, aiming it at their target, which was a reinforced steel plate, around a third of a mile away on the flat field. “This weapon is quite good, I swear.”
“But, it’s not even a heavy crossbow,” Fritz’s eyes scrounged up, skeptical. “How are you going to—?”
Ludolph pressed the trigger, loosening the bolt. It was completely silent save for the powerful hiss of air being displaced, yet, in a split-second, the distant steel plate was struck.
A massive hole was left in the heavy steel.
Fritz needed a double take, as Ludolph loaded another bolt, not even taking him a quarter of a second. Before he could look back to Ludolph, another bolt was sent downrange, but it missed. Ludolph quickly adjusted after loading another bolt in, missing again, then loading it again, and with a deep breath—firing a precise strike.
Another massive hole was left on the steel plate, almost as if it cut through it like a knife on butter.
Now it made sense to Fritz.
If it can travel that far so fast, even a three hundred sixty grain bolt will deal an egregious force on its target…
A massive grin grew on Fritz’s face. This…this was a weapon that could beat the Imperium one day. If they could just make so many of them, he could already see it…
Even the Empress would be utterly overwhelmed by thousands of these weapons firing at her!
“Not so fast with the celebrations,” Ludolph laughed beside Fritz. “This weapon is quite expensive. The bolts alone cost so much, that each soldier is only afforded around sixty. The contract to raise a single brigade cost the Queen nearly forty thousand marks. For the foreseeable future, the 1st Assault Brigade will be the only unit wielding these new weapons.”
He stowed the weapon back on the table.
“It must have a long way to go then,” Fritz said. “But it certainly is impressive. I knew my family’s corporation produced this, but I didn’t know it was this strong. With this, even a simple peasant can kill a low-level knight—at a great distance.”
“Indeed, that’s why I needed you today,” Ludolph’s voice turned cold. “I’ve received a notice from your father that the supplier of the special magical powders used to enchant the bolts for this crossbow stopped their shipments last month. A breach of contract or sabotage, we don’t know for sure…”
“Is that so?” Fritz asked. “Where is that supplier located?”
“Southwest of the country, at the Duchy of Wiese. Someone seems to disapprove of Cecilia’s idea of raising and supporting these experimental brigades,” Ludolph frowned. “More traitors are blocking the path to progress. They need to be given a clear message about how we do business in Cecilia’s Orellia.”
I see then…
“So, we’re going to Wiese?” asked Fritz. “I presume then that this will be my first mission as the head of the Decree Bureau?”Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
“Indeed. Cecilia already gave me the details of this job,” Ludolph grinned. “It’ll just be the two of us for now though. Gustav and Franz are still busy in their respective jobs. Instead, we’ll be accompanied by one of my platoons from the 3rd Infantry Battalion.”
“We’re expecting trouble then, huh?” Fritz laughed. “I see, I see…when will we go out?”
“In three days,” Ludolph replied. “Hopefully it goes smoothly. Now, I presume that even with your memories wiped, you know well how tough the opposition is whenever we come knocking in the name of the Queen, right?”
“Of course, I’ve read enough from the report files,” Fritz cocked the lever of his crossbow. Aiming for the steel plate on the horizon, Fritz took a calm breath, steadying his aim, feeling the experience of his previous life flow through him.
Dozens of important officials already once received the precise terror of the assassin prince’s crossbow bolt, and now—he could do it faster and better. He pulled the trigger, and the bolt pierced cleanly through near the center of the steel plate.
Imperfect. Fritz frowned, unsatisfied as he loaded another bolt. My lack of surgically improved eyesight is such a drag to my aiming skills.
He took a deep breath again as he took aim, and within another second, a bolt flew straight at the target, striking the steel plate cleanly at the center.
Fritz breathed out cooly as he admired the crossbow, while Ludolph was forced into a double take with his spyglass.
“Celea’s grace…you’re inhuman,” Ludolph said as he lowered his spyglass. “Where did you even learn how to be dead-eye accurate at using this?”
“I don’t know,” Fritz replied. “Besides, I fumbled the first shot. I’m clearly not there yet.”
“Nope, I think you’re good at it,” Ludolph declared. “You can keep that crossbow. A sword is best when you can use it well and you have the strength to back it up. But for now, you need an equalizer. And that thing in your hands is a damned good equalizer.”
+++
Three days passed, with Fritz and Ludolph preparing for the eventual expedition under the orders of the Queen. Each day, the two caught up with their fighting styles, magic, training, and even the weapons they might need.
Ludolph, unlike Fritz, was a powerful Tier V soul arts user. Certainly, not exactly close to Mary’s levels, and…whatever the Queen’s levels were, but Ludolph was still a capable soldier. His mastery of his sword too was far greater than Fritz’s, which helped considerably since he acted as his semi-instructor as well.
Indeed, Ludolph was a great help for his progress. Thus, he felt quite confident with this one.
“Seems like you’re liking that, huh?” Cecilia said.
They were standing beside the carriage that would carry Fritz and Ludolph to Fort Stiglitz. In front of them were Cecilia and Mary.
Fritz looked down at his stinger crossbow, before shrugging.
“I certainly can’t use it as a main weapon though,” Fritz replied. “My magic and skills are meant to suppress magic. This is a magical weapon that becomes useless without mana. That’s a bit of a complication, and it’s so bulky too. I can’t walk around as the Royal Messenger while holding this thing.”
It will be useful though when I’m trying to eliminate someone silently from far away. Like the old days.
“It’s for emergencies,” Cecilia smiled. “Besides, your father designed those weapons. Like most people, you’ll view those new tools as something unwieldy and foreign. But, I believe everyone should see the utility of an unconventional weapon and use it to its maximum potential.”
“She’s justifying spending tens of thousands of marks on it again—” Ludolph snickered beside him, before being shushed by Cecilia.
“Shut up,” she crossed her arms. “You should all instead see the ingenuity in it. I swear, you all will have your jaws drop when those things are mass-produced. It is just another investment for the future, hmph.”
“Well, I think it’s useful for the common person,” Fritz smiled. “But, I think I’ll stick to more traditional approaches. I’m more familiar with it anyway. I do respect it though, that’s why…I’m on board with screwing the fools trying to sabotage your rearmament scheme.”
“Right,” Ludolph confidently smirked. “Besides, your father might be quite pissed at you considering you still refuse to visit him. So you ought to give the old man something to be pleased about before coming home.”
Ah…I forgot about that.
“I am still too focused on catching up on things,” Fritz’s shoulders sagged. “I’ll try to visit him after this one, I guess…”
He felt Ludolph pat his back with a bit of force.
“It’s fine,” the soldier laughed. “I’m sure he’ll be mighty damn pleased when his son saves his golden cash cow.”
“Right,” Fritz replied. “I hope that’s true.”
“Anyhow,” Cecilia approached Fritz. She pulled something out of her pocket, producing two vials in her hand, one of them red, and one of them blue. “I finally managed to prepare the special elixirs I was talking about.”
Fritz eyed them intently.
“Are those…”
“Yep,” Cecilia smiled. “They’ll help you greatly. The blue one will boost your attribute stats considerably, and the red one will help you control your skills and magic. I prepared these myself. Take it when you can, preferably at night…because it does have some minor side effects.”
“Um…I do wonder though,” Fritz graciously took it from her gloved hand. “How special is this?”
“Oh, nothing. It only cost me two thousand marks to get the necessary ingredients.”
“...”
“...”
“...”
Mary, Fritz, and Ludolph all stared blankly at Cecilia.
That’s nearly my entire wealth…
“What?” Cecilia asked, confused. “Hey, for your information, I did not take it from the taxpayer’s coffers. I paid it with my money, for my friend in need—”
“Okay, okay,” Fritz smiled, taking it close to his chest. “Thank you for these elixirs. I appreciate it greatly. Ever since I woke up, you’ve all been nothing but a great help to me. Now that I’m going on a potentially dangerous mission, the fact you gave me something like this as an extra, means even more to me. Again thank you, Cecilia.”
Cecilia smiled again, breathing a relieved sigh.
“You're welcome,” she nodded. “Now, do your job well. I am expecting results.”
“I swear we won’t screw this up,” Ludolph quickly said behind Fritz. “The Decree Bureau never fails, even at fifty-percent staffing.”
“Except that one time,” Mary chimed in, teasing. “I might have to intervene again if you numbskulls mess up.”
“Oi, watch your mouth, or do you want another foolish duel?!” Ludolph shot back as he held the hilt of his sword, annoyed. Fritz held him off with his left hand, laughing a bit.
“Alright, enough of that stuff,” Fritz said. “We’ll be going out now. Goodbye.”
“Good luck,” Cecilia said. “And stay safe please, I mean it. The both of you.”
Waving their hands, the two soon boarded their carriage.
Fritz took his pipe and lit it up. On the other hand, when their carriage strolled forward out of the Burgundy Palace, his partner, Ludolph, fell asleep nice and fast for what must be a pre-planned afternoon siesta.
He’s a bit of an easygoing guy. Fritz thought as he puffed a smoke, leaning back on his seat as he watched the countryside pass by them. On the other hand, defending a nascent industry is quite an interesting task.
As they drove deeper into the forest ahead of them, Fritz started to hear the tell-tale signs of movement from the trees. He looked at his repeating crossbow briefly, as the sounds intensified.
Ambush.
“I see then,” Fritz smiled. “So they indeed want to sabotage us immediately. I see how it is, Miss ‘Sophie von Wismar’.”