“Should take us about two weeks, I think. We’ll need to fine-tune the magic processors, as well... Well, we’ll have you move it with a [Gate] afterward, Touya. It can’t move like a Frame Gear, after all.”
“Yeah, that’s fine, but...” Making a workshop with a workshop so we can create while we create... That’s playing dirty. It was true that it might not be able to produce Frame Gears due to its smaller size, but it would still be capable of mass producing a lot of other stuff.
“Alright! We’ve set our course, let’s get on it!”
“Yessir, ma’am!” The two brats ran full-pelt out of the research laboratory.
I wonder if they’re always this high-energy...
I looked down at the miniature model Frame Gears. Linze’s with its aerial form shift, and Leen’s with its Gatling arm and Vulcan rotary cannons.
This’ll be interesting... An Aerial Combat Gear and a Heavy Duty Bombardier Gear, huh...?
I picked up the model of Linze’s gear and stood it atop Leen’s. Heh, these are good. Oh, it’s off-balance... Maybe I should see about selling these. If we made them smaller, we could put them in little randomized capsules. I could make little gacha machines and place them around... A little kid should be able to afford something like that on a basic allowance, right?
I left the lab with the scale figurines as I pondered such thoughts to myself.
◇ ◇ ◇
Our recruitment drive for the knight order had gathered quite a bit of attention in the end. I attributed this to posters being put up in places like the guild and busy roads.
In all honesty, the wages offered by my knight order were low. Even if an individual knight earned a promotion, there wasn’t much room for job growth either. If they were after a lucrative job, they’d be better off working for another nation.
Adventurers often earned great riches by taking huge risks and fighting magical beasts. The risk was proportional to the gain. But even mediocre adventurers could probably make more than what my knights earned. I wanted to formally increase their wages once Brunhild became a bit more prosperous, but that wasn’t feasible for the time being.
The advantages of working for Brunhild’s knight order was that the pay was steady, and basic life necessities were covered as well. Plus, there wasn’t nearly as much risk as being an adventurer carried with it. Some of them did fight the Phrase, but they were still equipped with Frame Gears, which kept them relatively safe from harm.
I thought that these circumstances would mean we’d get maybe a thousand applicants at most, but I was way off. We had over three-thousand people wanting to join up. I was amazed.
We wanted to recruit about a hundred and fifty people from this pool, as well.
There were too many people to fit in the courtyard, so we had all the prospective applicants head to a northern plain that we typically used for Frame Gear practice.
There were a lot of people here just to watch, as well. It wasn’t like we were putting on a show or anything, but having the townsfolk around to see their new prospective guards probably wasn’t the worst thing.
“Greetings. I am Lain Netherland, and I am in charge of Brunhild’s knight order. I will be presiding over today’s recruitment proceedings.” Lain stood up on a platform and introduced herself, using her smartphone’s speaker as an amplifying mic.
As an aside, Nikola had the family name “Strand,” but Lain and Norn only had forenames due to their lack of family.
I thought a family name would be beneficial to people in their elevated positions, so I gave them the names Lain Netherland and Norn Siberia. The names come from the Netherland Dwarf Rabbits, and the Siberian Huskies, but it wasn’t like the people of this world would know anything about it. They were beastwomen, so I thought those names matched up just fine.
I didn’t think it was a good idea to appear in public, so I kept out of sight. More specifically, I disguised myself as a participant with [Mirage]. I wanted to see everything as my knights-to-be would see it, after all.
I had to disguise myself because my face was already pretty well-known at this point, and I didn’t want anyone coming up to me in the middle of things.
I’d informed my knights of the plan, so they wouldn’t be worried about anything I did. I also told them to treat me like any other examinee.
Plus, being on the ground level would allow me to get to know those who wished to join me. I’d already found out a few people who weren’t a good fit for Brunhild’s order.
I’d noticed a few people in the crowd who were goofing off and completely ignoring Lain’s speech, for example. I didn’t know if they were ignoring her because she was a woman or because she was a beastwoman, but either way that made them unfit for duty.
I noticed that a remarkable number of knight applicants were women. Around forty percent of the people in the area were girls, give or take. That made a bit of sense, given that most other knight orders in the world didn’t recruit women, and the ones that did only recruited nobles. Word had probably gotten out about how Brunhild was a country that cared not for race, sex, or creed.
There were a lot more beastmen and demonkin, too. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the overlord’s doing... Part of me suspected that he sent a bunch of demonkin to join so he could get more information on what Sakura was doing. Even for a doting father, that would be a little much... I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they were regular participants.
“Now, let us begin. Please turn around.”
“Huh?” Lain pointed to the horizon and, as if on command, the sound of flapping wings overwhelmed the area. Everyone turned around to find a monstrous dragon staring them down.
“GRWAUUUUUUGH!” The Azure Dragon, Luli, reared her head and roared with bestial vigor.
H-Hey, isn’t that a little much? I just told you to scare them a bit.
“Eeek?!”
“I-I-It’s a Dragon! Why?!”
“Run for your life! It’s gonna kill us!” The vast majority of the applicants began to head for the hills, scattering in all directions and desperate to escape. Luli did nothing but silently stare at them as they dispersed.
Those that ran were naturally disqualified. That was phase one. There was no place for cowards in our army, we needed people who would stand their ground for the innocents around them.
We lost about two-thirds of the initial crowd. Luli descended to the ground, and Lain began to speak again.
“Those who prioritize themselves over the citizens of our nation have no place amongst us. Congratulations, those that remained have passed the first test.” Lain finished talking, and the crowd finally realized what had happened. There were some people who had gone weak at the knees and simply couldn’t run away because of how deep their fear was. That wasn’t a big deal to me, though. I had a feeling those people would be weeded out during the next few phases.
Some of the cowards came back and tried to make excuses for themselves, saying that they were running back to town in order to fortify it, or that they were swept away by the crowd unintentionally, but Norn and the others simply ignored them. There were those that refused to back down even after being rejected, so I telepathically told Luli to roar at them. They ran away again, and I knew they wouldn’t come back.
Luli soared back up into the sky, having done her job. Lain began to speak again as the crowd watched Luli fly off.
“Alright, on to phase two. I’ll be having everyone spend three days in the forest to the west of this plain. Water is plentiful as there’s a large river running through it. But you cannot bring food inside. We will provide water canteens, however. If you leave the forest before the three days are up, you are disqualified. We’re going to have several knights from our order take the role of hungering Oni, and they will hunt you down. These Oni will not kill you, but they will attempt to knock you unconscious and remove you from the woods.” Lain finished up her explanation, and several examinees raised their hands as if to
question her.
“Can we fight back against the Oni?”
“Yes, of course. Defeating them is completely fine. But we would ask you to refrain from killing if you can avoid it.”
“Can we team up with others in the forest?”
“That’s also fine, yes. But it may be easier for the Oni to track you if you’re in a large group.”
“How many Oni will there be?”
“I can’t tell you that. There could just be one, there could be a hundred. They’ll all be wearing distinguishable Oni masks, so you’ll be able to tell at a glance.”
“Can we use magic?”
“Magic use is prohibited for this exam. We’ve erected a barrier around the forest that renders magic useless, so you’ll have to use your wits.” I didn’t want the forest burning down due to fire spells. All they had to do was avoid the Oni for three days. If they relied on magic all the time, it wouldn’t say much for their survival skills.
“If you remain in the forest after three days have passed, you will pass this stage of the exam. There is no limit to how many people can pass. If everyone here is inside the forest by the end, then you all pass. We will be distributing badges to you, fasten them to your clothing. If you remove them at any time and toss them to the ground, you will be teleported back here. If you think you’ve reached your limit, don’t be a hero. Resign if you think you can’t take it. The badges will work if you leave the forest too, they’ll bring you right here. You’ll still be disqualified, though.” We started handing out the badges we’d used last time. I ended up getting the last one.
“This goes without saying, but terrorizing other contestants into giving up their badges or leaving the forest is also forbidden. Doing so is grounds for immediate disqualification. You must act in a way that fits the image of a knight.” Lain hopped down from the platform, and Nikola began to guide everyone towards the woods.
I was walking along with them when a black-haired woman next to me started to talk in a hushed tone.
“Preparations complete. We can move out any time.”
“Good work, Tsubaki. Let’s monitor how the first two hours go for now. I want to see what everyone does. If there are any people acting sneakily or suspiciously, have them removed. I don’t have time for troublemakers.”
“Understood.” Tsubaki nodded subtly by my side. She was infiltrating the participants, just like me. Not just her, either. A few members of the knight order were mixed in with the other examinees. Most of them were Tsubaki’s intel corpsmen.
They were going in without food, so survival was paramount. I devised this test with the idea that it’d bring out a person’s true nature. I had people infiltrate the exam to investigate how people would act, but also to ensure the safety of any innocents in case of emergency.
I had a feeling there’d be dangerous troublemakers mixed amongst the hopefuls, and the forest had a few magical beasts in it as well.
Heh, I wonder if they’ll run into the special traps I set...? Heheheh... I wonder if they’ll be able to last the whole time in the forest...? Heh... W-Wait, that makes me sound villainous! I’m working on it, I promise! I’m a good guy!
The forest was pretty broad, and it had a lot of dense shrubbery. There wasn’t much leeway for vision in there. Brunhild’s territory was originally overrun by magical beasts, and I’d driven out most of them, but the woodland had slowly become somewhat of a breeding ground for the more stubborn ones in recent months.
Nobody really went all the way out there, with the exception of the odd adventurer sent on a guild quest to find certain items. The density of the forest protected the highway from magical beast attacks, but I still thought it’d be safer to wipe them all out.
As I pondered that, we reached the edge of the woodland, and Nikola began to explain the proceedings.
“The examination begins here. You’ll enter the forest in order of badge number, taking a canteen with you beforehand. If we call your number and you’d like to quit now, then let us know and you can leave. If you’re unarmed and would like a weapon, put in a request and we’ll grant you some basic gear. Once you’ve entered the forest, you’re free to move. The Oni are already inside, so take care. Now, Contestant One, Contestant Two...” Nikola used his smartphone to photograph every contestant as they passed by, confirming their entry.
Norn began to take photos as well and, after about thirty minutes, I was finally called upon. They didn’t have to take a picture of me, but they still did.
“Have Flora and our recovery mages on standby, alright? Set the teleporter destination to the starting area, too. Oh, right... Nikola, Norn... You two are gonna be Oni too, right?”
“Right. We’ll be entering the forest soon.”
“Yeah, we will. But what if we encounter you or the other infiltrators while we’re in there?”
“Attack us like you would attack anyone else. We’ll fight back in order not to raise suspicions. At night, I’ll take the role of Oni as well.” Norn flashed an awkward smile towards my response.
“...Hold back, please. I’d feel sorry for anyone that fights you, Oni or contestant.” She had a point.
Most members of our knight order were playing the role of Oni for this examination. Not the office workers, though. Even old man Baba and old man Yamagata were participating. The Oni were told not to disqualify anyone that displayed exemplary traits in any particular way. I didn’t want the really good people failing by chance here and missing a chance to shine during the interview.
The people playing the roles of Oni were holding poles that were enchanted with [Paralyze], so they wouldn’t be injuring the contestants. Even if they were defeated, the Oni would simply leave them lying there if they displayed some great type of skill or personal trait. If they were just bad, though, their badges would be removed, teleporting them to disqualification.
Moroha wanted to be an Oni, but I very delicately rejected her. I couldn’t afford to have her doing that. Nobody would end up passing.
“Alright, I’m going in. If anything comes up, call me.”
“Gotcha.”
“Have fun, Boss.” Nikola bowed his head toward me, and Norn began to wave and grin. I walked into the dense undergrowth.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Alright, so what am I even gonna do in here...” I decided to get some water, first and foremost. I walked toward the river with my canteen in hand.
If I remember right, the river should be in the middle of the woodland... Flowing down from north to south-east.
I could see some other examinees in the distance as I made my way through the woodland. Seems they’d had the same idea.
Man, I can barely see... There’s a ton of trees around, too. Oh, a rabbit. That’s a good find, but I only have a sword on me...
Even though I was capable of using magic in here, there was no way I could. I didn’t want to compromise my identity.
Every member of Brunhild’s cause was exempt from the barrier’s rules. But there was always the risk that someone would see me. It wasn’t like I could use [Storage] to pull out a bow and a set of arrows.
I wonder if this basic gear’ll be enough if magic beasts come attacking... Well, the trees are dense enough that I could run off without a hitch. Well, I guess I shouldn’t use magic here, anyways... But man, I’m gonna end up hungry at this rate. I have food in my [Storage], water too, but I can’t afford to raise suspicion. It’d be suspicious if I had water with me without even going to the river.
The current exam was to measure the proficiency of knights who would become castle guards, town guards, or spies under Tsubaki. Anyone that proved themselves capable in here would get an interview right away. That kind of left the office work department a bit behind... But whatever. We didn’t need a dedicated magic squad yet, either.
It was a survival game, and only those with basic survival skills would make it through. I wondered if they’d fight or use their wits to flee. Either way, if they lasted three days in her
e, they’d have what it took.
I kept on walking until I heard the sound of running water.
I came out into a clearing and saw the river, its bed lined with smooth pebbles. It was about six meters wide, so it wouldn’t be difficult to cross. For the most part it was shallow, too.
I filled up my canteen and chugged some of the fresh, cold water. Man, that’s good...
I looked around and saw a lot of other examinees in the area, they were filling their canteens up as well. This place was pretty open, so it was easy to sense danger... But it was also a prime area for the Oni to find you.
If they were smart, they’d leave right after filling their water up. Some of them had the right idea and were filing off already. After all, anyone who lingered here too long was at real risk of failing the exam immediately.
I headed back into the woodland and clambered up a big tree. Alrighty...
“[Long Sense].” I projected my senses through the surrounding area. There were some people moving in groups, and some who had decided to kick it solo.
Oh, this guy’s climbing a tree like I did... Can’t really make out his face, though. He’s wearing a mask, dressed in all black... Kinda looks like a ninja, heh. Huh? Is he... looking at me? No way. He’s over a kilometer away, and there are obstacles, right? What... he’s waving, now? I moved my body, returning the wave. The man displayed a shocked and surprised reaction. I wondered why he waved in the first place, though. Perhaps he was trying to determine whether or not I could see him as well. If he was a ninja, then it was probably one of his ninjutsu techniques, something that worked differently to magic. Either that or he possessed some kind of Mystic Eye, which wasn’t out of the question either.
“Gah! An Oni! Gugh!!!”
“Hngh! Gyaaah!”
“R-Run! Run for it!” My hearing directed me toward a sudden burst of yelling, so I turned my gaze to the river once more.
Two members of our knight order, wearing their Oni masks, were making short work of some of the stragglers who still remained by the river. They were relentless in their approach, knocking contestant after contestant down with their stun rods. They were old man Baba and old man Yamagata...
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 11 Premium Page 2