Read Novel Full Chapter 403 – Disclosure of Operation Plan
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Chapter 403 – Disclosure of Operation Plan
“First of all, I would like to reiterate that this military operation is a joint operation that was established after the Dragonis Mountain Kingdom requested the cooperation of the Merinard Kingdom and received the approval of Kosuke-dono. Is there a problem with the command of each army being held by the respective countries?”
“Of course, that is fine. We don’t have the know-how to command flying dragon knights.”
Of course, the other side does not have the know-how to command magic airships, magic riflemen, or harpy bombers, so even if they were asked to take command, it would only cause trouble for both sides. It would be best for both sides to take control of each other’s forces and work together.
“I’m glad we agree on that. And one more point. Kosuke-dono has allowed a maximum of two spectator military officers from each of the countries gathered here. If you wish, you may board the magic airship and observe this operation. However, please protect yourselves. The enemy is flying biters. Monsters do not discriminate against who they attack just because you are a military officer. If you board the magic airship to watch the battle, you are responsible for your own safety.”
Of course, there isn’t a single military officer here who can’t protect himself,” Crown Prince Sindriel said with a thin smile. I am not a military officer, so I am safe. Isla is also safe because she is not a military officer but the chief court magician. Well, I’m sure Isla can take care of herself.
Let’s put that aside for now and start with an agenda.
“First of all, I think it is important that we understand each other’s abilities. If we don’t know how to fight each other and what kind of range and how much offensive power we can project, I don’t think we can coordinate with each other.”
“That’s true, but won’t we have to find out firsthand?”
“That will also be necessary. We are prepared for it and can show it to you anytime, so let me explain it to you first.”
I got up from my seat and took a blackboard out of my inventory. It is an excellent one, easy to move from place to place on wheels, and comes complete with white, pink, and yellow chalk and an eraser. I had hoped to use it as a whiteboard, but unfortunately, I have not been able to develop a magic pen or a suitable ink for it.
“Let me briefly reveal the attack capability of the new type of magic airship developed by our country.”
Saying this, I simply drew a side view and a top view of the magic airship on the blackboard with white chalk. Even a person with no artistic ability can easily draw these diagrams.
“First of all, the ship’s fixed armament is a lightning cannon. There is one in the bow and two on each side of the ship. The range is about 100 meters, and the attack area is cone-shaped, with the cannon at the top. It can attack a fairly wide area, but it is a bit difficult to use when approaching.”
Basically, it is not a weapon to be used after getting close but to be fired at a certain distance to attack a wide area. It is powerful if you hit it at the base, but it has a narrower attack range and is more difficult to aim.
“And all the soldiers on the ship are magic riflemen. The magic riflemen are a special branch of the military that uses our country’s newest weapon, the magic rifle. The magic rifle they use has the power to pierce the armor of a monster with a tough shell like Gizma’s and inflict a fatal wound. If it is not too difficult to hit, even a wyvern can be shot down with a single blow, rendering it immobile. I can assure you that this has been proven in actual combat training in the Sorel Mountains. Later, I will take the time to show you the power of the magic rifle.”
I took a magic rifle from my inventory and held it in my arms. The thick black steel barrel makes the rifle heavy and sturdy. It’s a bit heavy for me because it was designed for subhumans who excel in physical strength.
“The effective range of this weapon is well over 100 meters, but in aerial combat, where both you and your opponent are moving, you have to retreat considerably to be sure of hitting the target. Well, generally speaking, it is a bit longer than a lightning cannon, and you can think of it as having more offensive power. However, even if a stray bullet misses, it will still travel a considerable distance while still maintaining its killing power. If a stray bullet hits a person, that person will die first, and the flying dragon may also be fatally wounded. So, in case the flying biters try to engage in close combat, I want the flying dragon soldiers of the Dragonis Mountain Kingdom and the flying dragon knights to cover the bottom of the magic airship. What do you think?”
“I see. So you want them to protect the bottom of the ship, which is in a blind spot.”
Actually, the bottom of the ship has many sights, so it is not a blind spot at all. Unlike ordinary ships, even if there is a hole in the bottom of the ship, water will not come in and sink it. In the case of airships. To be precise, it is not the bottom of the ship, but the hull, but there is no need to explain this in detail here, and above all, we want to avoid a situation where people are killed by stray bullets. I will neither deny nor confirm this.
The effective range of a magic rifle is 500 meters, but when it comes to aerial combat, the hit rate is lower. It is extremely difficult to hit a target at a distance of 100 meters or more, even against a giant such as a wyvern. Even if the bomber’s anti-aircraft machine gun could not hit a fighter, and no matter how high the shooting speed is due to the magic firing mechanism, it is an impossible task to launch an anti-aircraft attack with a single-shot front-loaded gun. As I recall, the hit rate of anti-aircraft machine guns during World War II was in the single digits at best. How could our magic riflemen hit so many wyverns even though their opponents were fairly large wyverns? I don’t understand.
“If we were to use the offensive power of our ships, we would lure the swarms of flying biters from their nests to our ships, then use our thunderbolts to devour many flying biters, followed by an interception by the magic riflemen. The remaining enemies are swept away with the support of flying dragon soldiers and flying dragon knights. This will be repeated to gradually weaken the nest, and after the defenses have been reduced, we will invade the airspace above the nest. I think it would be better to destroy the nest by bombing it with magic airships and harpy bombers.”
That’s the right approach I came up with. Plan B, by the way, is to intercept the flying biters and charge into the sky above the nest at maximum ship speed, dropping golem soldiers from my inventory into the sky above the nest and destroying them with their offensive power. Plan C was a different plan from Plan B, which was to drop magic sparkling stone bombs and then leave the nest. Of course, both plans were rejected by Isla.
According to Isla, both plans depended on my personal abilities and did not serve the purpose of demonstrating the power of the Merinard Kingdom. If I wanted to destroy the flying biters’ nest this way, I would not even need to use the magic airship, and it would be much safer and more reasonable to let Grande carry me away in one fell swoop. This is definitely true. Grande is much faster than the magic airship and has perfect self-defense capabilities.
“If we are going to fight with the support of the Merinard Kingdom, Kosuke-dono’s idea seems to be a good one. What about the decision to retreat? If the coordination does not go well, or if unforeseen circumstances arise, we will have to make a decision to retreat.”
“I would like to abide by the Dragonis Mountain Kingdom’s decision on this matter. I have experience fighting wyverns, but not flying biters. I must say that our experience in aerial combat is also limited. It would be helpful if we let the experienced Dragonis Mountain Kingdom determine the timing of our difficult retreat.”
“Agreed.”
“Then, after we have worked out the details, we will demonstrate the power of the magic rifle.”
After deciding on the date, time, number of people, and other details, we prepared a target near the takeoff and landing site where the magic airship was anchored and showed them how the stone target protected by steel plates was crushed by the simultaneous fire of our magic rifles. As a result, I think the look of the guards of the coalition of small states towards the riflemen changed in quality. It is important to show strength so that they will not be taken lightly.