“So these are turrets?” Aqual asked.
“Bingo. Defensive weapons controlled by golem cores,” I replied, puffing out my chest a little.
Each corner of the platform had two turrets, with another four mounted on the underside and two more attached to each of the four pillars making twenty in total. Maybe I was going a little overboard, but considering we were practically camping in monster territory, I figured better to be safe than sorry.
“I combined a heavy machine gun, a golem core, and a golem arm to make these. Depending on the settings, I can program what it targets. Right now, they’re set to shoot monsters, but I could have them target people if needed as well.”
“Isn’t that dangerous? What if they shoot at us?”
“They won’t. The golem cores identify people by their unique magic wavelengths. As long as you don’t dive in front of the barrel mid-shot, you’ll be perfectly safe. They also have a built-in safety so if anything living other than the intended target crosses the line of fire, it’ll automatically stop shooting. Oh, and don’t worry about Grande. She’s a dragon, so she has different magic wavelengths from both humans and monsters, so the turrets can tell her apart.”
I’d worked with Ira and the R&D team to design the control technique, then Grande herself helped fine-tune it, so I was confident in the results.
“I see… These weapons of yours are quite intimidating,” Aqual murmured. “Imposing, even. But how strong are they, really?”
“They’re 12.7mm caliber with a muzzle velocity about three times the speed of sound, an effectiveness range of approximately 2,000 meters, and a maximum range of about 6,700 meters. Though I suppose that probably doesn’t mean much to you,” I shrugged. “Put it this way. These things are strong enough to punch through multiple armored knights like paper, kill them instantly, and even pierce a wyvern’s scales. According to Grande, even a dragon would be in danger after taking a few dozen hits.”
“And what exactly do you plan to fight with all of these turrets?”
“…We’ll be fine if dragons attack us!” I said with a confident grin.
“They will not attack us while I am here,” Grande said, calm as ever.
Her composure really killed my heroic moment, and I gave her a thumbs-up with a smile. I mean, come on. If I had the resources, why not build a fortress that could survive anything? As a survival gamer, I couldn’t help it. Surely I could be forgiven for that.
“Are we really going to be okay?” Shemel asked, peering up at one of the mounted guns.
“We’re definitely not surviving if we get shot.” Tozume muttered.
“W-well, we just have to trust Master…”
The harpies—blue-feathered Fronte, black-haired Rei, and brown-haired Flamme—hovered nearby, staring at the turrets with visible unease.
“Don’t worry, ladies. If wyverns chase you during patrol, just fly back here. These bad boys will shoot them down for you.”
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of!”
“Wyverns at our backs, these guns below us… I might just piss myself.”
“A-all we can do is pray for the best…”
“…They seem absolutely terrified,” Aqual said, glancing at me. “Are you sure this is safe?”
“Ha ha ha, it’s fine!” Rei assured her. “We know how powerful Kousuke’s weapons can be. It’s just easy to imagine what these could do to us, and that’s pretty scary.”
“These are way bigger than the rifles the squad uses,” Flamme said.
“W-we’d be torn apart if one hit us head-on.”
“Torn apart…”
Aqual grew pale after imagining the harpies being ripped to shreds midair. Okay, fine, that was a possibility.
But!
“It’ll be fine!” I insisted. “I built in every safety I could think of to make sure they don’t attack us! Still…maybe don’t fly too close to the targets just in case, okay?!”
“Then they are dangerous! No way, no way!”
I mean, it’s totally fine, but anything could happen! So just in case, okay?!
✦ ✦ ✦
I calmed the harpies, who were still trembling at the idea of turrets shooting them out of the sky, and patiently fielded Aqual’s endless questions as to whether or not everything was “actually safe.” Her narrowed eyes never once softened. By the time I managed to reassure her, the sun had already set.
That was fine. Today was just for travel anyway; exploration wasn’t in the cards until tomorrow.
“I finished making your beds,” Riviera said as I stretched my shoulders.
“Thanks a lot. Sorry to dump that on you.”
“Please. It’s our job,” she replied with an easy smile.
Something about that smile reminded me of Melty’s, even though they had totally different facial features.
“Then let’s make dinner,” Gerda said, glancing toward the wooden boxes stacked neatly in the corner of the cafeteria.
Ah, I get it now. They’re filled with food.
“I made sure we have cooking gear if need be, but I could always pull something premade from my inventory instead,” I told them. “You two must be exhausted after your first time riding in an airboard.”
“Um, well…”
Gerda looked a bit troubled by my proposal. What was that about?
“The three of us will not be eating your food,” came a sharp voice from the doorway.
Aqual’s head poked out from the entrance of the cafeteria.
Why are you hiding like that? I had to wonder.
“There’s a high likelihood that eating your food will result in you cajoling us,” she said flatly.
“Could you not talk about my cooking like it’s some kind of dangerous drug?”
“Well, your food is definitely delish,” Shemel chimed in.
“Mm. Hamburgers are the pinnacle of sustenance. Pancakes and pudding are also divine,” said Tozume.
“They’re definitely rich and delicious, but my favorites are sausage and smoked meat,” added Grande.
Could you ladies please stop talking about this stuff in a way that only makes Aqual sound like she’s right? See? That suspicious look of hers is even more intense now.
“Ladies!” I exclaimed. “You’re not helping!”
“Sure, his food is delicious,” Shemel said, “but that’s not why we’re with him.”
“We like his personality and how capable he is,” Tozume added.
“Master is super nice, he’s super resourceful, and he makes everyone happy!” Fronte chirped from above.
“H-he’s reliable…” Tozume finished softly.
Leave it to her to come in with the perfect backup. This was exactly what I needed! And the harpies were also doing a great job. Look, if the food I made actually did have a love potion-like effect, then most of the Liberation Army would have been head over heels for me. Especially when the Liberation Army was just established and I was feeding everyone with the food and block cookies I made back in the day…
I emphasized this as best as I could.
Only to be met with a cold stare.
“I feel your suspicious glare assaulting me!”
Her silence was louder than any accusation, and it was about to break my glass heart into pieces.
Just kidding.
“In any case,” Shemel said with a wry smile, “while it’d be pretty amazing if his cooking had the power to make us fall in love with him, that’s not why any of us chose Kousuke.”
“My situation’s no different,” Grande frowned, sounding less than pleased. “Kousuke’s food is certainly delicious, but I am not such a foodie that I’d choose my life partner over it. Do not underestimate me, girl.”
There, there, my adorable dragon. No need to get upset.
“But hey,” Bela said, “if that’s what ya gotta do to feel comfortable, then do what ya gotta do. No one’s gonna force you to eat his food.”
“In that case, how about this?” Riviera said, stepping forward. “I’ll try Lord Kousuke’s food myself and see if I develop feelings for him.”
Everyone turned toward her.
“As you can see,” she continued, gesturing to her gray-blue skin and red eyes, “I am a winged demon. Hardly what most humans would call attractive. I doubt Lord Kousuke would—”
“Nah, that won’t be a problem,” Bela interrupted. “The boss was fine with me and Tozume, so you’re good.”
“He was fine with us too,” said Fronte.
“Kousuke’s even intimate with the slimes that live under the castle.” Grande added, matter-of-factly.
The three of them were a bit too quick to refute Riviera’s statement.
“Hey!” I snapped. “Could we not air all my personal business right now?!”
Their timing was impeccably bad. Aqual’s suspicion—not to mention her glare—was practically burning a hole straight through me.
I sensed Riviera’s gaze, her crimson pupils staring fixedly at me. Given the conversation we were having, I was feeling kind of embarrassed.
“…I see.” She said at last. “Now I understand what everyone meant when they said they were drawn to your personality and resourcefulness.”
“Riviera?”
“Lady Aqual, he’s a natural-born lady-killer. I don’t believe he’d need to slip anything into his cooking.”
“Now wait a minute!”
A natural-born lady-killer? Surely, she was joking. I had the romantic aptitude of a stunned fish. Hell, if I’d been that smooth, my life back in my old world would’ve been way more exciting.
“U-um…if we don’t start making dinner soon, it’s going to get late…” Gerda nervously said as she stood away from the rest of us.
But at that point, I couldn’t think about food! I needed an explanation for Riviera’s “lady-killer” nonsense, now.