Ente’s Scheme

Living in the forest, coexisting with the forest…
That is the way of life for the Elven race.

Therefore, inevitably, the size of the settlements became small.
To build civilized living areas, it was necessary to clear the forest to a minimum extent, leading to unintended consequences.

Nevertheless, each person’s living space was adequately spacious.
This is probably due to the limited population size of the race as a whole.
However, that was in normal times… Now, with the influx of refugees, everywhere has become cramped.

Regarding living spaces, it was like that, and needless to say, the same went for the resources.

Warehouses stuffed with communal supplies that looked like textile-covered huts were packed with goods everywhere… It’s not exactly a suitable environment for a private talk.

Well, when it comes to private talks…
Everyone was too busy working and had no spare time to look elsewhere, making it a perfect place.

So…

In the warehouse where weapons such as bows and arrows were stored temporarily, Ente, along with two young girl soldiers, squatted down, whispering secret discussions.

“So, the thing is…
I tried persuading every single one of them, but the results weren’t so good.”

“Huh…”

“Well, I guess so…”

The girl soldiers, hearing about the two-day-long begging for a Blaster Rifle, responded with slightly exasperated nods.

By the way, these two… despite being called girls, were both around a hundred years old.
Still, among the elves living in the autonomous region, they were the younger ones. They saw Ente, the daughter of the chief, as a younger sister and have always been together.

Well, perhaps it’s due to the difference in inherited skills…
At only thirteen years old, she had already surpassed them in archery and magic…

The prodigious girl was now completely obsessed with the new weapon, the Blaster Rifle.

“Come on, show more enthusiasm, okay?
That Blaster Rifle…
With that, our lives as elves would become so much easier, you know?”

“Well…”

“That may be true, but…”

They exchanged glances before responding with evasive replies.

Despite being inferior to Ente in talent, both of them worked as hunters from a young age and naturally participated in training with the Blaster Rifle.
What they felt was a mix of amazement, excitement, and… admiration.

Although all are projectile weapons, the Blaster Rifle is on a different level from bows, arrows, and magic.
Without much practice, one can easily reach a certain level of proficiency… and the results produced are extreme.

With this, the horde of monsters that had enveloped the village in despair just three days ago could definitely be repelled… or even wiped out.
No, it might even be possible to annihilate them…
That thought crossed their minds.

It wasn’t just the girls who thought so…
As evidence, the elves working in the village all had bright faces, anticipating an unprecedented decisive battle.

However, the blaster rifles prepared by Asuru’s group were not handed over.
Strictly speaking, they were loaned.
Because…

“But, Your Highness…”

“If we run out of those beam packs, we won’t be able to shoot them anymore…”

That’s right.
It’s a rifle boasting overwhelming power and rapid-firing capabilities, but it cannot be fired endlessly.

It needs to be reloaded by inserting the external small box called a beam pack into the part called a grip…
If you don’t replace it regularly, it’ll just become a sturdy tube.

“So…
We have to make sure to have a system in place to regularly replenish those beam packs as well.”

“That’s…”

“How can we do that?”

With a thin chest similar to a boy’s, Ente says while puffing up, giving them a bad feeling as they ask.
Indeed, the response from the genius girl was as bad as expected.

“In the next battle, we should take down the biggest target!
By doing that, Asuru will have no one equaling me as a rifle user and will definitely present it to me!”

That’s…

That can’t be…

They replied only in their mind and exchanged glances with each other.
Ente was not aware of their exchange.
She’s a genius but a bit clueless.

“So, here’s the deal.
First, we sneak out of the settlement quietly…”

How should we persuade this princess…?
They pondered this and continued to listen to Ente’s scheme.

To simplify what a robot arm is, it’s like a human arm with flesh removed…
It resembles a moving skeletal arm.

The sight of numerous robot arms arranged in rows felt eerie and mesmerizing at the same time.

The robot arms were positioned alternately towards a conveyor belt that moved automatically…
On the conveyor belt, Blaster Rifles under assembly were neatly lined up…

It was a section within ‘Mamiya’.
Currently, we are assembling spare rifles in preparation for the upcoming battle exhaustion.

“Man, this is impressive…
The production technology of our ancestors is unexpectedly massive and yet requires no human intervention…”

On the second floor of the industrial zone…
Beside me, Senior Forusha looked down at it and muttered so, squinting his eyes.

“It’s called automation.
Ancient civilizations prospered by producing high-quality goods in large quantities like this.”

While observing the impeccable work of the robot arms, which I have no idea how they function, I explain that they are undoubtedly convenient.

Right now, it’s just me and Senior Forusha.
I’m giving him a tour here as per his request.

“So, Lord Forusha?
Now that we are alone under the guise of a tour, what business do you have?”

Senior Forusha is the epitome of wisdom…
It was pretty clear that this wasn’t just a casual sightseeing offer.

Perhaps he just wanted to be alone with me. Anywhere would have sufficed.

“Haha…
I’m sorry for the charade, but my curiosity plays a big part, too.
I simply wish to see what has become of the seeds planted in the past…”

“That is…”

…He seems about to reveal something important.

At that tense moment, a ringtone echoed from the mobile device on my chest.

“Excuse me.”

I make an excuse and unfold the flip phone.
As convenient as it is, it’s incredibly awkward when it rings during a conversation…

The one who used the communication function was Eve…
I could tell from her voice, even over the phone, that she remained expressionless as she bluntly informed me.

“Master.
Ente-sama has escaped from the settlement.”

“Huh!?”

I involuntarily raised my voice.