WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Ceaseless

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◈ The Medieval Heretic King is Too Good at Developing ◈

Chapter 6: I Fell into 15th-Century Europe (6)

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A short while later.

A scarecrow dressed in old armor stood in the middle of the courtyard.

The moment I appeared at the center of the yard with a strange jar in hand, everyone in the castle turned their attention to me.

Servants, maids, soldiers, even Konrad and Sir Kuno.

The incomprehensible events of the past few days had been more than enough to deepen their unease about their new lord.

"They say the lord has completely lost his mind..."

"What could possibly be inside that jar?"

"I heard it's black magic he obtained by selling his soul to the devil."

There were rumors that my father's death had driven me mad, along with sinister whispers that I had sold my soul to the devil and was practicing forbidden sorcery.

I saw countless emotions swirling in their eyes.

Doubt, unease, fear, and the faintest hint of hope...

This wasn't merely a test of a new weapon.

I had to show them hope.

"Everyone, this may be dangerous, so move at least twenty paces away from me!"

Sir Kuno stepped forward with a worried expression.

"My lord, if it's truly dangerous, allow me to do it instead. There's no need for you to risk yourself..."

"No, Sir Kuno. This is something I must do myself."

Perhaps he saw the look in my eyes and realized he couldn't stop me. Sir Kuno silently stepped back.

I lit the jar's fuse myself. The oil-soaked cloth crackled as it caught fire.

After taking a deep breath, I hurled the burning jar at the scarecrow with all my strength.

The jar flew in a perfect arc.

Crash!

It struck the scarecrow squarely in the chest and shattered. The thin ceramic broke exactly as intended.

At the same time, black, sticky liquid splashed in every direction, clinging hideously to the scarecrow's body.

Then, the next moment.

Fwoooooosh!

A blinding flash erupted, and the scarecrow was engulfed in searing flames.

"Aaaah!"

"W-What is that!?"

Everyone gathered in the courtyard screamed and stumbled backward.

It was on an entirely different level from an ordinary fire. Heat rolled over them from dozens of paces away, accompanied not by the sound of burning wood, but an eerie noise like boiling oil.

The flames did not simply burn. They clung to the scarecrow like a living creature, melting away its form.

"...!!"

Faced with that overwhelming, destructive sight, everyone could only gape in silence.

The first to regain his senses was Konrad, the chamberlain.

He was an old man who had spent his entire life with this family and weathered every hardship, yet even he could not hide his astonishment.

"M-My lord... W-what in the world is this? Is it magic that you command... no, is it alchemy?"

Unable to take my eyes off the burning scarecrow, I spoke quietly.

"It's neither magic nor alchemy."

"Pardon? Then what is it...?"

"Chemistry."

A faint smile spread across my face.

"Though calling this chemistry is giving it too much credit. It's only the most basic level."

Chemistry.

It was a word I knew all too well.

In my previous life, I had earned a doctorate in chemistry from KAIST and worked as a senior researcher at the laboratory of South Korea's leading company.

My life had been made up of molecular formulas, chemical reactions, and data.

In this primitive Middle Ages, knowledge from the future was the only means of survival I had left.

Fwoooosh!

The flames still showed no sign of dying out. The old armor around the scarecrow glowed red-hot before beginning to melt entirely.

The others could only stare blankly at the sight. Not one of them dared to speak.

Kuno broke the silence. The shock and fear had vanished from his face.

"Good heavens..."

He wasn't looking at a burning scarecrow. He looked as though he were watching an enemy siege tower and castle gate go up in flames.

"My lord! With this new weapon, we can defeat those Hussite bastards! No, we can defeat any enemy! Their wagon fortress will be nothing but a pile of firewood before these flames!"

At Kuno's words, the soldiers who had stood frozen began to stir. Life gradually returned to eyes that had been consumed by fear of defeat.

With the burning scarecrow behind me, I looked at my people gathered in the courtyard and declared,

"Sir Kuno is right."

"Ooh...!"

Hope of survival slowly spread across faces that had been filled with nothing but fear and doubt.

"Listen well. The Hussites will soon attack. But we have no reason to fear them any longer."

I pointed at the melting scarecrow.

"This new weapon is called Ulrich's Wrath. It is Sternberg's new strength. These flames will protect our walls and our families!"

Ulrich's Wrath.

Even I thought it was a somewhat childish name, but it couldn't be helped.

A direct, simple name would be most effective for soldiers gripped by fear.

When they threw Ulrich's Wrath, they would truly see those flames as their lord's anger.

"Konrad."

"Yes, my lord. Give the order."

"Mobilize everyone in the castle to help produce this new weapon. Make sure the walls are repaired and our defenses are fully prepared. Check the food and water again as well."

"I'll see to it at once."

Konrad's manner was far more respectful than before. He was no longer dealing with a young lord, but the master of the Sternberg family.

I gave Sir Kuno his next order.

"Sir Kuno, gather the surviving soldiers at once. We must begin training them to use that new weapon."

"Yes! It will be done, my lord!"

Kuno answered in a booming voice. There was no longer any shadow of defeat on his face.

With this, I had earned the trust of the people under my rule.

Now all that remained was to survive the coming crisis with that trust as my foundation.

* * *

On the way back to the workshop after testing the new weapon, János Hunyadi shouted excitedly.

"My lord! With this, we'll be able to teach those Hussite bastards a lesson! We can turn every one of them climbing the walls into ashes!"

Unlike the excited János Hunyadi, I told him the cold truth I hadn't shared with the others.

"No. This alone isn't enough."

"Pardon? Not enough? After seeing that much power, how can you say such a thing?"

I calmly explained the reality to him.

"No matter how powerful it is, it's still a weapon thrown by hand. Its range is short, so the enemy must come right beneath the walls before it can show its true effect. But what happens if we let an enemy army get that close with only about thirty soldiers left?"

"Ah..."

János Hunyadi's expression stiffened.

That was right. What use was it if one soldier could suppress ten enemies with a single firebomb? The enemy would come in numbers dozens, even hundreds of times greater.

The moment we allowed them to reach the walls, the castle would be taken in an instant. The difference in our numbers was simply too great.

János Hunyadi asked hesitantly,

"But didn't you say a moment ago that we had nothing to worry about with this new weapon? Were you lying?"

"When did I say I was lying?"

"Pardon...?"

I smiled confidently at my squire.

"If we can't fire it like an arrow, we simply need to make something that can send these jars farther."

I opened the workshop door and stepped inside. Two people were already waiting for me there.

"I'm Tomáš, the blacksmith."

"I'm Jakub, the carpenter, my lord."

The blacksmith fidgeted, unsure where to put his soot-stained hands, while the carpenter hurriedly brushed sawdust from his clothes.

They had rushed over at their lord's summons, yet they seemed puzzled that they had been called to a shed filled with strange tools instead of a proper office.

I went straight to the point.

"I need your skills. There's something I need built."

"Yes, my lord. Please tell us."

"I'm thinking of building a trebuchet."

At those words, the two craftsmen stared blankly at each other.

Their eyes were full of the awkward discomfort of men who thought their young lord was speaking nonsense.

Tomáš, the blacksmith, cautiously opened his mouth.

"My lord, forgive me, but a trebuchet is a siege engine used to attack castles. It would be useless for defending one. It would be far more worthwhile to have the men fire even one more arrow instead of operating such a thing."

Jakub the carpenter added from beside him, raising a more technical concern.

"That's not all, my lord. A trebuchet is not a simple machine. Balancing the enormous counterweight and throwing arm requires advanced skill. To be honest... it's beyond my ability."

It was the reaction I expected.

"Did I ask you to build a giant monster that throws stones?"

"...?"

"Just look."

I spread out the blueprint I had drawn on parchment before the two puzzled craftsmen.

They reluctantly examined it, then their eyes widened.

"T-This isn't a trebuchet, is it?"

What was drawn on the parchment was completely different from an ordinary trebuchet.

A Mangonel.

The place where a massive counterweight should have been was empty. Instead, a broad platform had been drawn on the opposite end.

I pointed at the platform on the blueprint.

"This isn't a counterweight. It's a catapult powered by human strength. Several soldiers jump down from this platform, using their weight to drive it."

Even I didn't know the complex construction methods of medieval catapults.

But as long as I understood the core principle of the lever, there was no need to take the complicated route.

"And this is what we'll throw, not stones."

I picked up a thin ceramic jar lying beside me.

"A jar...?"

At that moment, Tomáš's eyes flashed.

He looked back and forth between the blueprint and the jar, then cried out as if he had realized something.

"Of course! If we're throwing a light jar like that, it won't need the strength required to throw heavy stones! The iron fittings at the joints and the supports can be made much more simply without any problem!"

Jakub looked over the blueprint with interest. The discomfort in his eyes had been replaced by a craftsman's curiosity.

"That's right. The structure will be much simpler as well. Without a counterweight, balancing it will be far easier. At this level, I think we can build it ourselves."

I nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. Then install at least two of them atop the castle towers within four days."

"T-Two of them in four days?"

Alarm crossed both craftsmen's faces again.

"I'll provide as much manpower as you need. If you succeed, I'll reward you generously in silver coins. Is it still impossible?"

"Well, that is..."

Even with its simpler structure, it was still a catapult. Asking them to build two of those enormous machines in four days was an unreasonable demand.

Still, the two men soon set their expressions with resolve.

"Even if we have to work through the nights, we'll make it happen."

Footnotes:

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