Later that day, we gathered at the outskirts of the magic city to see off the original Sheila.
“Till we meet again,” she said as she straddled her white horse, straightened her back, and rode off into the sinking sun beyond the horizon. Not once did she look back, as if she had accomplished everything she’d come for and left without any lingering regrets. It was an incredibly refreshing sight.
“Well, somebody’s in high spirits,” I mused, mostly to myself.
“But of course,” answered her clone. “Once she wraps up the finishing touches to her plan, she can finally deal with the grand duke and become the ruler of an entire nation.”
“True. Should I help?”
“How so?”
“I could send Gai or Chris over. Or both, if you’d like.”
“I must respectfully decline,” Sheila’s clone replied instantly.
“You sure?”
“Who knows what kinds of accusations we will be subject to should we borrow the Monster King’s soldiers?” The sunset dyed her playful smile with a warm, leisurely glow. “Personally, however, I am quite amused by the thought of fighting alongside the Monster King’s forces.”
I hummed. “They’d slander you for that? I didn’t know.”
“Of course, I would be glad to deal in weapons instead.”
“So, weapons are fine, but not soldiers...?”
“Is that strange?”
“Well...kinda,” I admitted. Weapons and soldiers... What’s the difference?
“Why, I must agree. What utter nonsense, hmm?” she replied, much to my bewilderment.
Lardon chuckled. “This wouldn’t be the first time humans were a bundle of contradictions.”
If even Lardon agreed, then that must mean... “Is there some stupid reason behind it?”
“Indeed,” Sheila answered.
“All right. Then I won’t ask any further. Basically, I’m free to give you some weapons, right?”
“Of course. What do you have to offer?”
“Nothing, actually. But I can make something for you. What do you want?”
Sheila’s clone stared at me for a good while. “Hmm...”
“What about a magic sword?” I suggested.
“No, that won’t do,” she replied swiftly. “You cannot single-handedly shift the tides of war with one. You are the only human who could accomplish such a thing.”
“Oh...” I couldn’t quite tell if that was a compliment or a jab.
“In any event, not many in my army can make use of a magic sword, so there is little point in it. I’d prefer a simple and fairly strong weapon for the common soldier.”
“A simple and fairly strong weapon...”
“Yes. Ideally a long-range weapon that the ordinary soldier can wield with little to no training.”
“Basically, something like a bow?”
“Why, I will have you know that archery is a fairly difficult skill. Imagine something more akin to...throwing stones.”
“Oh, really?”
While mentally revising my impression of archery, I began to brainstorm the simple weapon that Sheila’s clone was asking for. Struck by an idea, I swept my gaze across my surroundings and picked up a pebble from the ground.
“How’s this, then?”
I casually tossed the pebble and—as it leisurely traced an arc in the air—summoned a magic missile at its location. To the uninformed observer, it would look as if the pebble transformed into a magic missile in midair.
“That’s just how it would look, anyway...” I turned to Sheila’s clone. “Well? Since you mentioned throwing stones, I was thinking of a magic tool that’s as light as a stone and shoots out a magic missile when thrown.”
“I see... That would make it more akin to a bomb, then.”
“Ah, fair point. You really make better analogies than me.”
A fireball-loaded orb was probably easier to imagine than a magic missile-loaded rock. I must’ve been too fixated on Sheila’s previous mentions of bows and throwing stones... Maybe an explosive orb was a better weapon.
“Ah, but yours is certainly more practical.” Sheila’s clone looked me in the eye. “A stone that summons a magic missile... Could you make this weapon for me?”
“Huh?” So, the magic missile-loaded rock is more practical, even if the image isn’t as obvious as a fireball-loaded orb? “Well, just making it shouldn’t be an issue.”
“And what of mass-producing it?”
“What?”
“I am saying that I would like to purchase these magical ‘arrows’ of yours. Let me see...” Sheila’s clone briefly dropped her head in thought. When she raised it again, she looked me dead in the eye. “Though it would depend on the price, I would like to order around a million of these.”
My eyes blew wide at the unexpectedly huge number.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Do you really need that many?!” I exclaimed, stunned.
In contrast, Sheila’s clone looked as calm as could be. “But of course. Arrow stocks always fluctuate as they are in quick and constant use, but it is ideal to have at least a million in store.”
“Why so many?”
“Is it really so strange? We’re speaking of arrows, yes? Imagine I send out a thousand archers into the front lines. How many arrows do you suppose each would use in a single battle?”
“Well, ten...sounds too little. Maybe fifty?”
“Very well. Let us say each archer uses fifty arrows. How many arrows would they all use in total, then?”
“Fifty thousand... Oh!”
Sheila’s clone nodded.
I get it now. A thousand soldiers could easily exhaust tens of thousands of arrows in just a single battle. Maybe even a million! Okay, that’s a pretty big leap, but the idea still stands.
“We might need more, then,” I muttered.
“Oh? Why so?”
“Well, ordinary arrows can be retrieved after a battle, but magical arrows would only be single-use.”
“Ah, you make a good point. I am grateful for your magic expertise.” Sheila’s clone smiled. “That being said, I’m afraid that hardly changes my order quantity. My reason for asking for a million does not lie there.”
“Why, then?”
“For the soldiers’ peace of mind,” Sheila’s clone answered. “I’d like to ensure the soldiers do not waste any mental space worrying about saving arrows as they battle. There is a big difference between having just one extra zero, as opposed to two.”
“Ahh. Basically, you don’t want to be stingy with their attacks.”
“Precisely.”
“Uh-huh... Makes sense.” I nodded, impressed.
Actually, I could kind of relate. Early on, there was a time when I always had to worry about my mana, which was why increasing my mana capacity had been my priority when training. It was only after Dyphon taught me how to draw mana using Another Dimension that I stopped caring all too much. Having spares in stock really put you at ease.
“Got it. I’ll make a ton of them.”
“You have my gratitude.” Sheila’s clone hummed. “How much would it cost me?”
“Well, if we need to produce a million, I’d like to gather some helping hands first. We can discuss the price after that.”
“Very well.”
Hmm... I’ll need helpers who are good at magic and have some free time on their hands... Maybe the elves?
I started brainstorming ways for the elves to help me craft these magic arrows.
As we were on our way back to the palace, I spotted someone running toward me—it was Reina, the head of the elven maids and one of my executives.
“Master!” she called.
“Ah, perfect timing, Reina. I need the elves—”
“We have an emergency!”
“—huh?” I swallowed my words at the grave expression on Reina’s face. Sheila’s clone beside me looked just as perplexed. “What’s wrong?”
“A new type of monster has come seeking your protection!”
“Really? Where are they?”
“This way!”
With a nod, I hurriedly followed after Reina. Sheila’s clone chased after us just a beat later.
We dashed through the main road from the front of the palace, making a beeline for the entrance on the opposite end of the city. There, we found a crowd of monsters gathered around something from a distance.
“Open the path,” Reina commanded.
The monsters’ gazes were drawn toward us. I heard scattered voices calling out to me in different ways—from “Lord Liam” to “Master” and even “our king”—as the crowd began to part as instructed.
The area was swiftly cleared, revealing a figure draped in a tattered robe and crouched over the ground.
“Are you okay?!”
I jogged the rest of the way, knelt down by the figure, and was immediately baffled by what I saw. It was a grisly old lady... No, that might not be the right word. It was a humanoid monster that looked like an old lady with creepy, twisted features.
I heard Sheila draw in a sharp breath from behind, clearly more startled than me because she wasn’t surrounded by monsters all day like I was. Besides, I’d already heard from Reina that it was a monster looking for me.
“Are you okay?” I asked again.
The monster opened her mouth, only to let out a long, unintelligible groan. Needless to say, I had no idea what she was saying.
Do I have a spell that can translate its speech...?
“It is a banshee,” Reina supplied immediately.
“A banshee? What’s that?”
“They are...somewhat similar to pixies, yet different. While pixies reside in nature, banshees often dwell in human houses.”
“Oh...” I turned my gaze back to the old lady—to the banshee. Her mouth was closed and her gaze set on me. It felt like she was trying to tell me something.
Once again, Reina spoke in her place.
“The humans have begun hunting the banshees.”