Chapter 83 – Mana Mortar Practice (1)
I looked up at Calere with sad eyes.
“Ugh! Sorry. This can’t be helped. Jazleen only rides in carriages with a gold badge.”
Kalere looks really sad, so I guess I’ll stop playing around.
Hehe. I know. Then, see you at the Plains of Frenu.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Give me a hug.”
At my words, Calle Le opens her arms and hugs me tightly. Calere was so tall that my face got stuck in her soft cleavage. A crush like this is always welcome.
When the hug was over, Kalere got on Jazlyn’s carriage, and I got on the carriage with Gopi and Joen because there was still a seat left.
As soon as I got on, Joen asked me with eyes full of curiosity.
“Zion! Since when have you been like that with Calele?!”
“I’ve been interested in it for a while.”
“I see.”
As I tried to solve the story, Gopi also listened with an interested expression.
“Yesterday, I went to the magic tower with sister Kalere, and we became really close.”
“What happened? “I’m curious, so tell me.”
“We went to the Magic Tower together and worked together, getting to know each other in detail. Afterward, I went to her restaurant in the evening with Calle Le to repay her.”
“That’s right. Kalere is crazy about meat.”
“We confirmed our feelings for each other while grilling and feeding each other meat at a restaurant.”
“It’s a novel meat date. But Calele is very muscular. Do you like muscular girls?”
“Of course. Tall, muscular women like Kale Le are her tastes. And Kalele is a good woman who is not only healthy on the inside but also on the inside.”
“Oh! Calere would be nice~”
When I take a quick look at Gopi, I see that Gopi is making an ambiguous expression whether the tall, muscular girl is not to her taste.
Suddenly, Joen came closer to me and asked a question subtly.
“So what did you do after eating meat?”
“Why?”
“Kalere wasn’t in the dormitory this morning. Then she said that last night she ate meat with you and stayed out, but Calle Le doesn’t stay out for no reason. “Tell me what happened at night.”
‘And. ‘Is this sister really sharp?’
No matter how much I do, I can’t spread the story of Calle Le and her sex.
“Sister Joen. “I will have no comment on this.”
“Just tell me. “I’ll keep it a secret.”
Next to me, Gopi is sticking out his ear towards me, and I’m sure the secret will be kept well.
“No. “This is privacy.”
“Hmph. Zeon is no fun~”
“No way. Please take a look. “I don’t want to show off my relationship with Kalere like a trophy.”
“Zion is a good man. “I’ll stop here too~”
“Thank you.”
Gopi is disappointed because she didn’t hear about my sex story, but I have to pretend not to notice.
Afterward, Joen continued to bother me by asking me questions about Calere’s good points and what she did with Calere at the Magic Tower. Are other people’s love stories that interesting?
“I can sleep easily.”
When I said the sleep hint keyword, Joen and Gopi fell asleep a few minutes later.
When the Silver Badges of the SS hear this sentence, they become drowsy and fall into sleep.
‘I should take this opportunity to give Joen a hint about keeping Paris in check.’
I removed the trust, friendship, and closeness that Joan had with Paris, and increased her trust and friendship with me.
After finishing Joen’s hypnosis adjustment and resting comfortably, the carriage stopped.
“We have arrived at the Plains of Frenu!”
I realized that I had arrived at my destination when I heard the coachman’s shout.
When I went outside, there were as many as 30 imperial soldiers standing at attention and lined up in a row.
As soon as Jazlyn got off the carriage, all the Imperial soldiers saluted loudly.
“Insect!!! Castle!!!”
As Jezlin approached the soldiers, the person who appeared to be the leader at the front introduced himself.
“This is Okto, the former artillery commander of the 246th Artillery Company! I am in charge of mana mortar training today!”
“Have you finished preparing for training?”
“Yes! We brought 2 mana mortars and 8 boxes of mana stones for the mortars, and set up scarecrows for practice!”
In fact, there are two mortars installed behind the soldiers. They look similar to the mortars seen in the Republic of Korea Army, but their diameter is quite large, about 50 cm. There are eight large wooden boxes placed around it. There are scarecrows standing here and there on the plain to be used as targets. All the slimes and horned rabbits seem to have run away and are nowhere to be seen.
“Have you prepared a place for me to rest?”
“Yes! The rest of you can rest under the tent over there! We have prepared cool drinks and snacks for you!”
There is a luxurious sofa and a dining table under the tent, and there are ordinary chairs around them, and a container of ice cubes, drinks, and snacks are placed on the table.
Jazlyn fanned a fan and praised Okto in a satisfied voice.
“It’s great. If this training goes well, good things will happen to you.”
“Thank you!!”
Jazlyn pointed at me with her fan.
“Zeon over there is my close associate. Teach Zeon everything about mortars.”
As Jazlyn walked to the large tent with those words, her personal guards followed in droves to serve her.
It seems like other SS members are watching me receive training.
Okto greeted me with a friendly smile.
“Zion. Nice to meet you From now on, we will begin mana mortar training.”
“Yes. Please take care of me.”
“I will explain the basic knowledge first.”
According to Okto’s explanation, the Mana Mortar is a mana cannon that fires magic at an angle of more than 45 degrees to hit targets behind tall structures such as castle walls or buildings. When a mana stone for a mortar is placed into the muzzle (entrance of the gun) of a mana mortar, the mana stone goes down to the breech (tail of the gun), collides with the sinking ship, and then the firing magic circle is activated, transformed into magic, and fired. The mortar magic is made to be affected by gravity, so it flies in a parabola.
The Mana Mortar can rotate in two directions: up and down, and left and right. The angle above and below is called ‘elevation angle’. The elevation angle ranges from 0 to 90 degrees, with the angle of the floor being 0 degrees and the vertical angle from the floor being 90 degrees. The left and right angles are called ‘azimuths’ and total 360 degrees. Azimuth is expressed as ‘how many degrees to the left or how many degrees to the right’ the target is compared to the current direction.
To hit a target, you need to know the target’s azimuth and distance. If you know the azimuth of the target, rotate the mortar left and right so that the muzzle is pointed at the target. If you know the target’s distance, you can calculate the elevation angle that will cause the tip of the magic parabolic path to hit the target. Once you have adjusted the elevation angle by rotating the mana mortar up and down, you can insert a mana stone and fire the magic. Mortar magic does not have a high hit rate because it is affected by various factors such as wind, atmospheric mana concentration, measurement error, and initial firing speed, but splash damage occurs when the magic explodes, which offsets the low hit rate. In an actual battle, the commanders make complex calculations and inform the azimuth and elevation angles, and then the soldiers adjust the direction of the mana mortar and fire. In the Academy team competition, Jazlyn will calculate and give instructions for azimuth and elevation angles.
After Okto finished explaining, he instructed a soldier to hit the scarecrow 1 km in front of a demonstration.
The soldier rotated one of the mortars to adjust the azimuth and elevation angles and took out a red mana stone from the box. Mana stones are translucent minerals filled with mana and are often mistaken for gems, but they are different from gems, which are a type of rock, because they are crystals made of concentrated mana. Mana stones vary in color, such as blue, red, or green, depending on the nature of the mana they contain. The mana stone for the mortar is trimmed into a round shape and has a complex magic circle drawn on its surface.
The soldier put the red mana stone into the gun and pulled his hand out at the same time. The moment the mana stone touches the breech, magic is fired, so if you don’t want to throw your hand away, you must remove it right away.
Wow
A blazing fireball flies in a parabola with a deafening roar.
Swooooo
The moment the fireball passed by the scarecrow and fell slightly behind.
Kwaaaaa…
As the fireball exploded, a 3 m radius, including the scarecrow, was engulfed in flames.
After the soldier’s demonstration was over, Okto showed the inside of the mana stone box and explained the types of mana stones.
The blue mana stone is just a lump of mana, the red mana stone that feels fire is fire magic, the white mana stone that feels cold is ice magic, the green mana stone that feels poisonous is poison magic, and the black mana stone that feels death is curse. Since there are various types of magic, you must memorize the shape of the magic circle engraved on the mana stone to determine it. After hearing all the explanations, I feel like my head is going red.
Okto laughed while looking at me like that.
“Kikikick. When you join the artillery, the first thing you learn is how to memorize the magic circle shape. It may give you a headache at first, but if you keep watching and using it, you will naturally get used to it. Now, why don’t you try shooting it yourself?”
“I will do so.”
“Guess the scarecrow over there.”
A scarecrow erected in the middle of a plain about 1.2 km away became my target.
After making brain-busting calculations to find the azimuth and elevation angle and adjusting the direction of the mortar, I put the white mana stone into the gun muzzle.
Wow
An ice ball was fired from the gun port, blowing away chills.
Shooooo
The ice ball fell exactly on the scarecrow’s head and exploded, freezing the surrounding area. After a few seconds, the scarecrow breaks into pieces of ice.
“You’re so good at hitting the scarecrow’s head accurately, even though it’s your first time! Try guessing the other scarecrows too!!”
I fired the spell by adjusting the direction of the mortar based on the exact location information of the scarecrows provided by Okto.
Shoouuuuur Souuuuu?
So far, I’ve fired at 6 scarecrows, and all of them were headshots, with a 100% hit rate.
Okto and the soldiers look on with their mouths wide open with shocked expressions, forgetting what to say.
Now it’s time to fire at the last remaining scarecrow.
Turn 32.6 degrees to the left, adjust the elevation angle to 69.2 degrees, and insert the blue mana stone into the gun port.
Shoooooaa
A blue sphere made of pure mana passed by the scarecrow and crashed into an empty space.
Kwaaaaa…
As the mana sphere explodes, the soil rises, and a huge crater is created.
When I failed to hit the scarecrow, Okto comforted me in a relieved voice.
“The last one is a little disappointing, but this is normal! Zeon, you did well! Haha!”
If I had achieved 100% headshot, the soldiers who specialized in mana cannons would have lost their reputation.
Relief blooms on the soldiers’ faces.
‘Is this where my luck ends?’
At that time, Joen, who was under the tent, shouted.
