Chapter 247 – Dragon Scale Armor

Though the knight order, soldiers, and magicians training together meant we had large numbers… I had them divided by unit, and by increasing the number of golems to match, we could run training on a considerable scale all at once.

With limited time, I wanted high-density training, but making it too difficult would cause problems. I also made sure to create enough leeway for them to take breaks in shifts. After all, if they injured themselves during training, we’d lose everything we were working toward.

Since it was summer, I used dark magic protective spells to cover the training grounds from above, weakening the sunlight and lowering the temperature to prevent heatstroke.

Beyond that, I made sure they properly replenished their water and salt intake, conducting training with rotations and breaks interspersed.

Even during breaks, I had them observe. Watching others’ movements and learning from both failures and successes was important. Seeing successful examples served as mental training, and failures could lead to improvements and revisions in their own movements if they applied the lessons to themselves.

“Kuh!”

One knight failed to properly receive a golem’s spear thrust, nearly losing his footing and throwing off his balance.

“Don’t think of it as manipulating a magic tool. You need to familiarize yourself with the sensation until it feels natural, as if the ground is taken for granted where you step.”

Some were still unfamiliar with operating magic tools. I offered advice, but ultimately, it came down to practice. For this, there was no choice but repetitive training.

“Nuooh!”

A golem descended directly from above, spear at the ready. Since it was only formed from water, it wouldn’t cause injury, but a direct hit would count as being unable to fight, forcing withdrawal. Whether it was knightly pride or dignity… gritting his teeth, he twisted his body at the last possible moment to avoid it. Quite a good reaction.

“Remember you can move not just left and right, but up and down as well. As you can see, descending is the fastest movement, but until you’re accustomed to it, it’s better to avoid that due to the risk of falling. Since attacks from below are easier to block with a shield, it’s good to allocate more awareness to attacks from above.”

“B-but this is— kuh!”

Golem archers leaped out from behind the spear formation, simultaneously firing water bullets instead of arrows. While deflecting them with his shield and cutlass, he charged toward the golems.

Spear tips closed in on the knight who had advanced ahead, but soldiers from the same unit followed behind, crashing into the golems. They stunned them with body slams and immediately crossed spears.

Good judgment and fighting spirit too. Their skill level is high. With this, maybe I could have the golems perform slightly more demanding coordination?

When I made the golems float as if turning heaven and earth upside down, the officers’ and soldiers’ faces twitched. Both offense and defense would completely change in nature because of that alone.

Simply being able to deploy shields from their soles wouldn’t enable that. If attempting it with magic tools, they’d need to properly maintain their posture through control of Levitation and Air Blast. Well, by showing them this now, eventually someone capable should emerge.

We continued training in that manner until evening fell.

The knights kept up until the very end, and while many soldiers were leaning on their spears when we finished, they all stood on their own feet, looking straight ahead. Their determination was quite commendable.

“How was it?”

“Well, truly… it was most meaningful training.”

The Knight Order Commander, questioned by Marquis Fobrester, was breathing heavily from his shoulders but answered while regulating his breath.

“I’d like to incorporate what we learned today into training starting tomorrow.”

“Mm. Everyone, you’ve worked hard today. Let’s have a round of applause for Theodore-dono, who instructed us.”

Applause rose from the officers and soldiers. I bowed in response.

After returning to the castle, we sat down for dinner. Being a port town, the served dishes featured many seafood items. Fish and shellfish soup. Steamed fish. And lobster cheese bake. All were delicious, but the cheese bake in particular was exquisite.

“How was it? Today’s training.”

He sought my impressions regarding the knight order. Marquis Fobrester seemed in high spirits.

“Well, I think their skill level is high. Their morale and discipline are sufficient, so there were no dropouts, I imagine.”

“I believe it served as good stimulation for them. Actually, they’ve had a slight sense of rivalry between land and sea forces for some time now.”

“It didn’t appear that way to me…”

“Meaning it wasn’t to the extent of becoming problematic. As long as it doesn’t turn hostile, it can be a part of mutual improvement—that’s what the Knight Order Commander and I had discussed.”

“In that regard, regarding aerial combat, they share the same lack of experience. It’s important regardless of land or sea forces.”

“Precisely. Having been shown concrete examples, ideal movements to aspire to, and clear goals for the future, they’ll likely cooperate, remain aware of each other, and strive even harder in their efforts.”

I see. Since they have an appropriate level of competitive spirit, even somewhat difficult training should fuel their desire for improvement.

The fact there were no dropouts was partly because they were showing off to each other too. Marquis Fobrester is impressive as expected.

“The golems Theo controls during training… how should I say, they move in ways you wouldn’t think were golems. Almost human-like, or something… completely different from my dolls.”

Rosemary said.

“Ah, that’s probably because I create pseudo-decision-making time and coordination delays for each golem. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be training assuming group combat.”

While I, controlling them, can grasp the situation, I deliberately impose a time lag where the golems themselves recognize the opponent’s movements before acting. Furthermore, having other golems recognize their comrades’ movements, then coordinating accordingly.

If you remove such play, the whole should coordinate like a single organism. That would be suitable for different training, though.

“The golems stagger when hit, don’t they?”

Claudia said with a wry smile.

“But, Theo anticipates those movements and when we act accordingly, he even reproduces the golems moving while enduring pain.”

“I once took a golem’s suicidal attack.”

“…Even hearing the explanation, it sounds like a joke.”

At Grace and Sheila’s words, Princess Stephania’s smile twitched slightly.

“Those aspects too, I’ve incorporated into the golems’ movements after training with everyone.”

“Compared to the early days, their movements have become much more human-like.”

Ashley said.

“I see… So we’re benefiting from Theodore-dono and everyone’s diligent training. I must express my gratitude once more.”

Marquis Fobrester closed his eyes and quietly bowed his head.

“Ah, finally finished!”

Sometime after returning to the guest room after dinner, Alfred raised his voice happily and threw his limbs onto the sofa.

“Dragon scale armor?”

“Yeah. Exactly enough for everyone. Could you try them on and see if there are any parts that hinder movement?”

The armor was distributed to all party members, handed over by Viola. Since Viola took the measurements, the equipment fit everyone’s physique perfectly.

“I can wear it too!”

Seraphina exclaimed happily.

“They’re custom-made, after all.”

They’d even made Lavigne’s protector.

“Well then, we’ll go change in the bedroom.”

Irmhild said. Everyone went together into the bedroom. I changed quickly too.

The Arachne silk fabric felt quite pleasant to the touch. The dragon scales covered key areas like the heart, throat, and abdomen. The white dragon scales were also smooth and felt nice.

A magic stone was embedded in the throat piece. It should have the defensive magic Protection enchanted onto it. On top of that, having fire resistance made it absolutely perfect.

“How is it?”

I thrust out a fist, bent my elbow. Twisted my waist, lifted my leg—trying out various body movements.

“Good. Light, and the dragon scale parts don’t hinder movement.”

Grace and the others emerged from the bedroom. Their appearance hadn’t changed from when they entered. Since it was armor meant to be worn under clothes, whether it allowed easy movement had to be judged while wearing clothes.

“No parts that feel hard to move in?”

“Seems fine.”

“Marlene?”

When I asked Marlene, she nodded, placed a hand on her chest, and smiled. Apparently, no issues.

“Well, good. This time was cutting it quite close, wasn’t it?”

Alfred was in high spirits after completing a big task.

“Good work. Anyway, this means both Alfred and Viola can move into their vacation period.”

“Yeah. Seems like I can take it easy with Ophelia for a while.”

“Can we explore the town? I’d like to visit this town’s blacksmith.”

Said Viola. Viola too… she’s diligent, even though she just finished work.

“Shall I ask Ophelia to arrange an escort for you?”

“Thank you.”

“Hmm. So departure is finally tomorrow, then?”

Tephra closed her eyes. Right. Starting tomorrow, it’s several days of sea travel. The route itself isn’t particularly special, and the destination is Marquis Zilbolt’s territory, but we’ll be entering Silvatoria’s coastal waters, or rather, their sphere of influence, so being too careless wouldn’t be good either.

Anyway, having the dragon scale armor completed before crossing over is reassuring.