Editing Godhorn Tech:Volume1 Chapter3 (section)

===Between the Lines 2===

The Independent Militaria Material Kingdom.

Commonly known as the Arsenal Kingdom.

That fortress state trapped in deep snow was also one of the continent’s greatest military powers. They were once threatened by the Empire, but their icy land was never taken and they successfully repelled the Empire’s forces with a direct defense. Their metalworking skills combined human and dwarf techniques, making them second to none in that field.

On the other hand, the kingdom wanted for much.

For one, the year-round snow prevented much in the way of crops. The kingdom did not starve thanks to the wild animal meat they could hunt, but all grains and vegetables had to be imported and a balanced diet was viewed as a luxury only afforded to the wealthy class.

Then there was magical technology.

As a contrast to metal equipment, they were starved for magical equipment.

The Arsenal Kingdom’s swords and armor were known for being made of solid tempered steel. They could crush with their solid weight and block or parry with their smooth movable parts. But Eliza Silverstorm knew all too well that the other countries joked they could be immobilized by magnets.

The White Seidr Chosen Knights were an oddity among the Arsenal Kingdom. They wore elegant and slim armor with a feather headdress made of precious metals and a miniskirt.

By keeping that elite unit’s numbers down, they could equip themselves with the kingdom’s limited amount of magical equipment. They were mostly just for show – a unit marched down the street in a parade or sent to other countries to ''make the kingdom as a whole look wealthier than it really was''.

Then there was the Icicle Bullet.

That Godhorn Tech was an even more extreme example.

After the Empire collapsed on its own, it no longer threatened the rest of the continent and there was no real need for such a monstrous weapon. It was especially difficult to maintain for the magically-weak Arsenal Kingdom, so the expenses placed a lot more pressure on their finances than for the other powers. The ideals of knighthood were not enough to fudge the finances.

And this was the inevitable result.

“Here they come,” whispered Eliza Silverstorm, lying in the snow and removing binoculars from her eyes. “That’s five snow wagons that replaced their wheels with sleds. They have Slaughter Ants leading and trailing them for protection. This must be the traders. If our information is correct, they are loaded with amplified silver and crystals soaked in liquid magic.”

“Roger that. Time for another day’s work, huh?”

She heard the rustling of forest vegetation.

She was not alone. More knights appeared seemingly out of nowhere, forming a large unit.

Instead of their pretty parade armor, they now wore dazzling leather assassin outfits. They were hiding their identities and affiliation because this mission was far removed from her idea of what a knight should be doing.

Expert fighters trained to be their kingdom’s elite were attacking ordinary traders, even if those traders had hired bodyguards.

Of course, their objective was not to steal the magical materials.

The assets carried by some traders would be a drop in the bucket to an entire kingdom. Once it was done, a man wearing a black robe pulled up over his head approached Eliza.

He wore a mask over his face, his shoes had raised soles, and he kept his hips bent at all times. He was even masking his true height.

Eliza did not know who he really was.

“Excellent work. You wiped them out without any casualties on your end. I can see why they call you chosen knights.”

She had grown accustomed to the feel of the cold leather clinging to her body and she carried one of the large machetes they had bought at the market to ensure the wounds on the corpses did not give away their kingdom’s involvement.

“Are you here to mock us?” she asked with a hard look on her face.

“Far from it. The Arsenal Kingdom should be set for a while now, don’t you think?”

She felt like she could see the icy smile hidden below his mask.

He could see the big picture here, but Eliza could not.

“The preparations are complete. Now that their business rivals have met an ‘unfortunate accident’, the Bodenburg Company will have an easier time reaching this region. If you construct a stronger and more stable business partnership, you can purchase all the fruits, vegetables, and magical materials you want. Not long now until you are freed from your starvation. Hold your heads high because you have saved the people of your kingdom.”

“…”

“And here is your reward for this job.”

He snapped his fingers and another shadowy figure stepped forward to set down a mountain climbing rucksack stuffed full of something. It had to be filled with foreign currency, but Eliza did not reach for it.

The right thing was not always pretty.

But her own values refused to accept that.

If she accepted this as the right thing to do, she was truly lost. She had to at least view it as a dirty job.

“Are you from the Bodenburg Company?”

“No, I am merely someone who benefits from their rise.”

He was not going to identify himself that easily.

And she knew the people who hid their appearance and identity were rarely good people.

“I will be contacting you again shortly. Until then.”

“What is your name!?”

“Strange Guide. No, think of me as one of their underlings.”

The masked men left.

She had not expected an honest answer to her question, so she was left with no solid facts, no way of finding the answers, and a rucksack stuffed full of dirty money. Well, that and a pile of corpses surrounded by toppled wagons.

Would the knights in the picture books she grew up reading have done something like this?

Wasn’t this the work of mercenaries…if not bandits?

“Hey,” called one of the other chosen knights wearing red leather assassin outfit.

The shine of the leather felt like a cruel mockery of the gorgeous knight armor they were meant to wear.

This companion was gritting her teeth and glaring down at the rucksack full of foreign currency.

None of them wanted to touch it, but as much as it disgusted them, they would have to grab the shoulder straps and take it back with them. A knight served her king, no matter how much she disliked her orders. They were all weary. They might be rich in materials and money, but their minds were near collapse. They were so worn down mentally that their bare souls were leaking out.

The people of their kingdom were ignorant of it all, the knights were sick of it all, and only the king rejoiced at the influx of money.

Like a con artist, they were barely getting by from one job to another, but ''it always worked out in the end'', preventing them from ever letting go of the Godhorn Tech draining their resources.

They all understood the problem, so they would whisper amongst themselves when they knew the king could not overhear them.

This was the knights’ resentment.

Or maybe it was the complaints of those never allowed to complain.

“Hey, Eliza. How many more times must we sell our souls?”

Eliza Silverstorm was their leader, but she had no answer for them.

Which may have been why it turned out the way it did.