Chapter 131

I Married the Dragon I Killed
Chapter 131: Drinking Water

Drinking Water
Chapter 131. Drinking Water
The morning sun rose indifferently.
Everyone who participated in the meeting at Valdrova Castle mobilized according to the countermeasures they had established the previous night.
Isabella declared a combat alert as the alarm bell rang in the center of Hestia Village.
The previous day, which they had enjoyed so much, dispersed like a midsummer night’s dream, and a nightmare began.
Isabella did not merely instill fear in them indiscriminately.
She simply let them know that the current situation was something they only needed to be cautious about.
The cooperation of the adventurers staying in the village proceeded smoothly under Erica’s direction.
— Did that legendary adventurer, Eri, come here?
— Of course I have to participate!!
Ferda didn’t know it, but Erica—no, Eri—was a legendary existence even among adventurers.
In the world, she was known as the Great Sage Eri or Eri the Golden Hand.
Thanks to her reputation that even a Bronze-rank adventurer could rise to Gold-rank after passing through her.
“She was part of the twelve-person expedition that killed the Demon King.”
She was definitely a proven adventurer in terms of experience, wisdom, and adaptability.
The fact that such a legendary figure became the branch master of the Far East Adventurer’s Guild was enough to make the morale of the adventurers who admired her overflow.
Then, Ferda felt curious about one thing and asked Isabella.
— Did she step down from the position of Master of the Blue Eye Tower?
— Probably not. The situation hasn’t stabilized, and she can’t do something so irresponsible.
Then, how does it work?
He was curious, but since she was a dragon hatchling who had lived longer than him, he decided not to worry unnecessarily.
While Erica persuaded the adventurers, Olivia gathered the nobles in the castle and persuaded them.
There was no better cure for a hangover than that.
The young lords and ladies who had not completely recovered from drunkenness came to their senses at the words that they would die soon.
— Uh, don’t we need to flee quickly?
— I, I’ll leave now…
Those who thought of escaping first fell into panic.
It turned into chaos in an instant.
Managing them was Olivia’s role.
— Everyone! Calm down and listen to me!
At that moment, Olivia’s beautiful voice resonated throughout the banquet hall.
The charisma of the Imperial Princess captivated them.
— The Far East is currently isolated! If we fall into panic and flee from here, it means a loss of military strength! It’s not just a simple loss of strength! We will lose the hope of escaping this crisis!
They calmed down at the words that they would lose more if they fell into confusion.
— Now is not the time to run away, but the time to unite. Why can’t wild wolves easily catch livestock? Because livestock always stay together. Even if their individual strength is trivial, if they unite, they can become a beacon and a spear to overcome this crisis. So…
Olivia shed tears, drop by drop.
— Please… this land, the Serdes Continent…! So that it is not taken by demons… please, lend your strength…!
The tears of the Princess.
That purity was enough to move everyone’s emotions.
— As fellow inhabitants of the Serdes Continent, it is something we cannot stand idly by and watch!
— As you say, we must unite to survive!
Agreement spread like wildfire in an autumn field.
— Thank you! Everyone!! Truly, thank you!!
Olivia could barely leave supported by someone, overcome with emotion.
As soon as she left the stage, she wiped her tears with her thumb.
— Phew.
The moisture in her voice was as dry as a wasteland, and a victorious smile formed on her face.
With a face that looked seductive, she asked Ferda.
— How was it? My speech?
— …Excellent.
She did not merely ask the Empire for help, but induced them to unite as people of the Serdes Continent.
Since it became a natural duty as members of the Serdes Continent rather than the Empire sending a relief force, she could reduce the amount of compensation demanded later.
She knew the current situation, she knew the crowd, and at the same time, she knew herself.
“Why did such a woman break her own stage and do that kind of thing?”
He wanted to question her about it, but remained silent.
The incident back then had resulted in something good for Ferda, and this was not the time for unnecessary fights.
Right now, he had to maintain momentum.
— What will you do next?
— I plan to hold a tactical competition to select the supreme commander and chief of staff. If I become supreme commander, it will be a huge stepping stone for my advancement.
— We are not the only ones trying to turn crisis into opportunity.
— We’re going to die anyway, so we have to try whatever we can, right?
Erica and Olivia each did their part.
Ferda also had to do what he could.
That’s why he went to look for Vernel.
He was moving busily with researchers and workers in the castle.
— We have raised the efficiency of the mana stone to 25%. We have also improved the mana leakage, and the actual figure is 20.32%, slightly higher than 1/5.
Stimulated by what happened in Halim, he showed remarkable development.
Ferda picked up one of the finished stones.
Compared to the beginning, the shape was gradually setting, and the interior was beginning to clear up.
— How many shots can be fired with one mana stone?
— Adjusting the power, 2 shots can be used.
— How many rifles and mana stones are there?
— Currently there are 150 magitechnology rifles, and a total of 520 mana stones for them. Adjusting the power to 2 shots per stone, that adds up to 1,040 rounds of ammunition.
— If they all hit, that means we can kill 1,040 of them.
Which meant it wasn’t hopeful.
— We don’t have that much time. Can you increase production a bit more?
— The rifles we can somehow make… but the mana stones are the problem.
— How many more can you make?
— In terms of volume, 300 seems to be the limit.
Mana stones were items produced by processing monsters.
They were supplied through the Pascal Company, but with that supply chain cut off, they couldn’t manufacture any more.
“1,600 shots is the limit, then.”
Wasn’t there a good method?
Ferda looked at the magitechnology rifle Vernel had made and asked.
— Just out of curiosity…
— Yes.
— Can I replenish mana in this magitechnology rifle and fire it?
Since it uses mana, he thought it might work.
Contrary to that thought, Vernel’s reaction was negative.
— That is not possible. It only works with mana stones.
— I don’t fully understand.
— You can introduce mana into mana crystals and take it out to use it. But mana stones don’t work like that, right? It means they operate with mana and principles that humans cannot replace.
— So the mana we use and the mana used in mana stones are practically separate things.
— That’s right.
Indeed.
If the shapes were identical or similar, they could have converted residual mana into a usable form.
Then, suddenly, he remembered something about the distant future.
“How did the revival of magitechnology happen?”
The extraction of mana stones was possible because monsters existed.
It was not an era where monsters overflowed like now, and naturally, extractable resources were limited.
Ferda let his imagination run wild.
Was it Vernel who produced and massacred monsters illegally en masse?
“Did Vernel also plan to overthrow this continent…?”
Ferda shook his head vigorously.
He erased those useless speculations from his mind.
It was rude to suspect with useless imagination about work outside his field.
“I should have investigated more thoroughly.”
Regretting the past days he had wasted focusing only on useless anger, he turned his eyes back to reality.
He had to prepare for the coming war.
— First, process the mana stones side. We need to create an immediate use for them.
— Understood.
He had to operate magitechnology soldiers.
160 rifles.
That meant he could operate 160 magitechnology soldiers.
“No, not even 160.”
Referencing the operations of crossbow soldiers, crossbow soldiers always carried an extra crossbow as a spare.
Even pushing it, he had to create 100 soldiers.
100 soldiers.
One shot, one kill, 1,600 in total.
It would be ideal if everything turned out so simple, but he didn’t think optimistically.
In his life, optimism had never helped.
— Regent-nim.
As if to prove it, Isabella arrived.
— We have finished distributing all war supplies and barracks support.
— Good work.
The Spring Festival was a festival that prayed for the abundance of spring.
Spring was the beginning of life, but ironically, it was also the poorest time.
However, thanks to regional characteristics and the preparation of materials for the Spring Festival, they had prepared a vast amount of food, so they were able to handle all the mouths that suddenly increased.
If another territory had been in this situation, it would have been truly difficult.
“Simple calculations say a month would be enough.”
But she didn’t seem to have come just to give a progress report.
The proof was that Isabella’s hair was messy.
The fact that she, always so neat, was disheveled meant there was an annoying problem that couldn’t be resolved.
Isabella parted her sticky lips with effort and spoke.
— But a problem has arisen.
As expected.
— It’s the drinking water.
— Is there a problem with the water supply?
— Yes.
Isabella spread out the map she had brought.
It was a diagram where she had grasped the flow of various resources since becoming administrator.
— Look here. Our water source is the water that flows from the North.
— Correct.
— Monsters are blocking that route, and we have confirmed that they are even contaminating the drinking water.
Her messy hair made sense.
The worst scenario.
— And how did they handle it?
— The Blue Eye side seems to have handled it already. To prevent the spread of contamination, they intervened in the river outside the domain and diverted it.
— That’s fortunate.
There was no secondary damage, but the water shortage persisted.
— Groundwater?
— There is water left in the reservoir, so if we purify it properly we can drink it… but at most, a week is the limit.
— We’ll have to ration it.
One week.
War commonly involved besieging a castle.
A struggle over which side raised the white flag first from exhaustion.
Because that way the least damage was caused and it was the most effective.
The situation surrounded by monsters showed effects beyond a typical human siege formation.
And the most important thing: water.
Contaminating the water humans need and cutting their lifeline.
“Besides, what was distributed was all stored dried food…”
Since they were made with as much moisture removed as possible, more water than usual was needed.
A countermeasure was needed.
— What about filling it using water magic?
— Even if we gather all the mages and use water creation magic, it’s barely enough for the nobles in the castle. What would help in this situation is rain cloud magic, but unless it’s the extreme South, it consumes the territory’s lifespan, so we must be cautious.
— Because it alters the climate…
Supplementing with water creation magic was difficult.
The problem with climate magic was that the aftermath was too great.
There was the disadvantage that a severe drought could occur in summer, when it is truly needed.
The South, with its extreme climate of heavy rains or droughts, was free in that regard.
Skipping some meals was not a big deal, but water was different.
Ferda’s choice had become incredibly important.
If he created rain clouds, he would have to consume the territory’s lifespan,
But a quick decisive battle was not possible because preparations were not made,
What could help in this situation was Iorga, but if they intervened, the power to exercise autonomy would decrease.
“Not a month, but breaking through in a week…”
Tough.
He wondered if this could really be finished at a human level.
After worrying for a while, he opened his eyes.
“I have to find water.”
Whether dirty water or shit water, if purified, it is drinkable.
Ferda examined the map Isabella had spread out.
The original positions of the waterways were marked with blue marker lines.
Similarly, a blue marker line caught his attention.
— Here is a waterway.
— There is, but…
A reluctant reaction.
Ferda had pointed out of reflex, so he realized late.
The water source was the depths of the Devil’s Land.
Which meant it was contaminated water full of impurities like residual mana.
Even for Ferda, who looked even for dirty water, it was difficult to say ‘but it’s still a water source, right?’
What would happen if they drank this water?
The residual mana would twist the molecules inside the body.
Then they would lose their humanity and transform into forms close to the Molten.
Not only would they fall ill, but it would be fatal water causing mutation.
That was why Blue Eye changed the river flow without any special request.
— Regent-nim.
Isabella spoke cautiously given the gravity of the situation.
— This matter seems unsolvable by us alone. It is not too late even now, so how about we formally request help from Iorga?
…
Ferda also felt his mind leaning in that direction.
If he had the ability to overcome this situation, it would be different, but he was just a simple human.
“It would be nice if water suddenly gushed from the ground…”
Such a convenient story would not happen.
A method was needed.
— Um, Regent-nim…
While he was worrying, Vernel interrupted.
— What is it?
— Are you saying we need drinking water? And that we need it even if it’s water coming from the Devil’s Land right now.
— That’s right.
Vernel thought deeply about something upon hearing those words.
He raised his head with a face that seemed to have grasped a clue and held out three fingers.
— Three days.
— ?
— Just, give me exactly three days. I will definitely find a solution!
Isabella looked at Vernel with irritated eyes.
— Do you mean you can solve this problem?
— I, I can’t guarantee it, of course. But with only one week remaining, if it’s a time when we must take risks, please give me just a little time!
With Iorga’s scion, the Water Phase, looking at him with such distrustful eyes, he wondered if entrusting this to Vernel was the right thing.
Setting aside his impatient mind, he thought more carefully.
“Now that I think about it…”
Ferda suddenly realized he had forgotten who Vernel was.
He was not a person who made weapons, but a man who wanted to give commoners a better life.
— Let’s entrust this to him.
Already in a situation where the future of this territory was at stake, there was no retreat.
Ferda decided to believe in those he had believed in and recruited.
Vernel ran out hastily as if every minute and second were precious.
Isabella looked at his back and asked Ferda.
— Do you think that magitechnology engineer can solve it?
— I’m not sure either.
But Ferda knew roughly what kind of person Vernel was in the distant future.
He was the pioneer of magitechnology, the man who caused a technological revolution.
The reason he manufactured mana stones was for the development of public welfare.
Instead of rifles, he manufactured agricultural tools and machines to do the work humans struggled with, or trivial work for mages.
Could that development of public welfare also be related to contaminated water?
He was always strong in crises.
Ferda had no choice but to believe in Vernel’s intuition.