Chapter 360: Chapter 357: To Spectate or Not?
’Greedy. I got greedy...’ Rorschach began to reflect after the second lieutenant left.
To quickly recoup his funds, he had been selling water gas to other workshops. For instance, the specialty glass manufacturers in Bayern needed to achieve high firing temperatures. They wouldn’t use hard-to-control coal or pathetic firewood, and Fire Magic was too expensive. So, they imported Lightweight Flammable Element from the Dwarves.
And Rorschach had just stolen that business from the Dwarves.
He never expected someone with a keen nose to discover his big new toy.
He started connecting the pieces of information he had received over the past few days.
The "Mini Holy Expeditionary Army," with the Holy Knight Order as its core, was approaching the Empire.
At first, when the "sky cavalry" instructors reported malfunctioning mobility gear, Rorschach had been misled by the theory of Ancient Magical Ruins. Now, with the appearance of people from the military department, he was reminded of his experience in the fortress city.
That night, the Rain of Forbidden Magic had fallen like tears.
The answer to how the Empire planned to counter the Church’s forces was becoming obvious.
But Rorschach didn’t know the technical details of the Empire’s methods. He had only extracted the basic principle from the Leather Armor, which he used to develop the [Forbidden Magic Roar]. His subsequent Anti-Spell Spells were also inspired by it.
However, that was his personal spell. On a battlefield, it would only be meaningful if deployed on a massive scale. How did the Empire manage it? The first possibility was collective Casting, performed by Advanced Casters loyal to the Empire.
After receiving the procurement order from the Empire Army for Lightweight Flammable Element, he thought of a second possibility: the Empire’s Forbidden Magic technology might rely on some kind of large-scale device. The Empire Army wanted hydrogen to fill Airships, which would carry this large device and provide it with mobility.
If they continued to purchase from the Dwarves’ gas stations, the number of prepared Airships and their operational status would be known to outsiders. That was why the second lieutenant and the group he represented were so eager for Rorschach’s gas production technology.
"It’s actually quite unsafe." Rorschach thought that on a battlefield, an Airship would likely become a sitting duck. It had nothing to fear from current firearms, which had zero anti-air capability, but as soon as a Valois Mage took the field, an Airship could easily turn into a massive aerial bomb, its crew cabin a disposable incinerator.
’Sigh, here I am, needlessly worrying about a client again. I really need to break this habit!’ Unaware of any secret railway, Rorschach inwardly criticized himself, wondering if his conscience had grown too big for its own good.
He pulled out a map and began to study the Holy Knight Order’s route of advance, cross-referencing it with newspaper reports. According to estimates, the main force consisted of about fifteen hundred cavalry, which included virtually all the Holy Knights from the northern Holy Kingdom, as well as Apprentice Knights who made up two-thirds of that number. In other words, the Kingdom’s Church was betting both its present and its future on this single gamble.
Over the ten-day march, the Servant Army had rapidly expanded to over eight thousand people, forming a ten-thousand-strong legion with the Holy Knights. This Servant Army included not only wagon drivers and servants but also Priests, choir members, and a civilian militia. Their combat strength could not be completely ignored.
The newspaper’s assessment was: "They might even be stronger than the invading Saint Valois Second Legion, for at least they have faith." In this world with Divine Spirits, "faith" was the real deal. Superstition and blind faith were even more terrifying—it meant they would readily obey the commands of the Clergy and provide powerful Magic Power resonance.
Extending the direction of their route and factoring in the terrain, Rorschach drew a possible line of advance. Its intersection with the national border fell upon the Empire’s southern gateway, the fortress city of Andorrella.
They weren’t considering the Sallo Battlefield opened up by the Second Legion. Just as holy crusades had always made a beeline for the Ancient Holy Land, the Holy Knights’ current advance was a straight punch, and the Empire would certainly have to find a way to take it.
They would decide the outcome on the plains outside Andorrella.
’I really want to go see it...’ As a visitor to this Otherworld from a peaceful past life, Rorschach knew he’d feel awful if he missed the major spectacle that was about to unfold. Besides, he was dying to know what form the Empire’s secret weapon would take on the battlefield. This was crucial for the future of the Bayern Kingdom and for his own fate as a Caster.
Having found enough excuses and mentally prepared himself, Rorschach sprang into action.
He was going, but he certainly wouldn’t be foolish enough to go in person and risk danger. The [Descent Summoning Technique] he had learned from the Tower of Forest would come in handy.
Slipping out to a remote gully outside Kempson Town, Rorschach first used the [Earth Shaping Skill] to form the damp humus into a humanoid shape.
He scraped open the surface and took out a packet of powder from his Storage Ring, carefully and evenly sprinkling it over the figure. It was made from deactivated and dried Living Aquatic Microorganisms (Rorschach Bacteria).
When Rorschach poured a sugary soda over it, the carbon dioxide within was instantly released in a dense cloud of bubbles, proving that the bacteria were activating now that they had nutrients. Feeling it was necessary to improve this Stand-In’s Casting Ability, Rorschach then sprinkled in some Dulled Transmuting Dust.
Finally, he bit his finger and squeezed out a drop of his crimson blood, which shimmered with a hint of blue.
Compared to the spontaneous, life-filled Stand-Ins of the Natural Mages from the Tower of Forest, Rorschach’s was more... luxurious and complex. But regardless, piling on the expensive ingredients paid off. He began to construct two bridging Magic Arrays and split off a sliver of his Soul to activate the Stand-In.
’It’d be great to have a spare Soul right about now...’ But Rorschach wouldn’t let the Tower Spirit take his place. Once the casting was complete, the Stand-In began to form its own muscles and then struggled to its feet.
Rorschach now possessed two sets of senses. Because the Stand-In and his main body were so close, it was a dizzying experience. Following Master Humboldt’s teachings, he weakened the connection between them. Now, Rorschach’s main body would no longer be flooded with all the Stand-In’s sensations unless he actively chose to strengthen the link again.
That was much better. Rorschach dressed the Stand-In in plain clothes. The Stand-In’s height and build were nearly identical to his own, as this best fit the sliver of Soul he had split off, making it easier to control. However, since he planned to get a front-row seat to the drama on a complex battlefield, he absolutely could not use his own face.
Like adjusting parameters in a character creator, he sculpted a face that had a similar air to his own but was handsome in a completely different way.
The controlled Living Water Body emerged and covered the earthen surface. Combined with the mimicry from the Mapping, it formed moist, near-realistic skin. The Magic Power-infused Transmuting Dust then lit up its pupils.
Adding mimicked hair and the earth-yellow cloak Rorschach had prepared—perfect for blending into the wilderness—the newly made man was nearly complete.
The Stand-In, carrying Rorschach’s will, needed no command. It found its own direction, took the supplies of Transmuting Dust and sugar, and set off.
"Hey, hey, take the horse!" Rorschach had asked Andre to prepare a horse.
It was embarrassing to admit, but while his power was now at the pinnacle for his age (to put it modestly), he was still terrible with space-related Magic.
The only ones Rorschach had currently mastered were, one, the [Ethereal Membrane Space Compression Technique] he had used with his Stand-In in the Shadow City, and two, the [Gravity Fluctuation] inspired by the noble lord.
Both spells were "heavyweights," but the most practical Teleportation Magic had always been handled by Caroline.
Therefore, Rorschach dutifully prepared a horse for his Stand-In.
The Stand-In turned back with a cheeky grin. "I feel great. This body has endless strength." With that, it bent its legs and kicked off, leaping directly onto a branch more than ten meters high before dashing and bounding westward at extreme speed.
’Did I accidentally knead the soul of a Naruto fan into it?’ Its arms weren’t swinging but were stretched out behind it—a posture that existed in a superposition of silly and cool.
Rorschach watched his "ninja clone" disappear into the Dense Forest, then mounted his own horse. "Ah, whatever. Let it do its thing. I’ll use synesthesia to connect with the Stand-In once it reaches the battlefield."
