According to Sylvie"s observations, the reconnaissance team of the demons was usually made up of two Mad Demons and three Devilbeasts. They would patrol a set region back and forth at fixed intervals to cover a broad surveillance area with overlapping regions between the teams. It was like the "Wall of Eagles" in modern times.
Owing to the excellent field of vision of the flying demons, if the First Army were to enter the detection area, they would instantly be discovered. Roland intended to create a no-fly zone in the air, a blind zone of vision for the demons.
It was certain that there was neither any kind of radar system nor any instantaneous long-distance communication technology for the Mad Demons. As long as they did not blow the horn, the disappearance of a patrol team would not draw any attention. The Devilbeasts that were responsible for delivering the Red Mist cans could enhance the patrol range of the team, but this increased range would also delay the feedback of information. It was possible that the enemies would not notice the death of the Devilbeasts until the time they were supposed to return to their nests in the evening.
Even then, it would not be easy for the demons to locate the attacker immediately as the sniper team would attack from outside of their range of vision, not to mention that the patrol teams could not act at night, while the First Army could. As long as the blind zone in their surveillance network was reasonably arranged, it would gain time for the First Army and weaken the opponents" mobility.
Roland did not expect this strategy to completely block the opponents, but even a delay of two or three days would be a great help to the army. After all, the sooner they arrived at the sh.e.l.ling site, the greater the chance they would have.
The anti-Devilbeast sniper rifle was the product which would realize this hope.
In fact, it could barely still be called a gun. To ensure the long-range lethality and ballistic stability, its caliber was set at 20 millimeters, which was the demarcation point between a gun and a cannon.
As for why it was not designed to be larger, it was because Andrea"s ability had a distinctive feature—it needed to be held and fired by hand. This point had been tested during the artillery training. Once she let go of the barrel, even if she gave oral instructions, the soldiers could still not adjust to operating the weapon.
What about opening fire in spite of the recoil of the cannon?
Tilly would be furious!
It was too awkward to call it a sniper cannon, so Roland decided to keep calling it a gun.
The new weapon itself did not employ much new technology. Its structure was much simpler than the Mark I type HMG, with an air guide backseat, semi-automatic shooting, bullet clip... The only extra part was a muzzle brake that was used to reduce the recoil, which had already been applied in the main artillery of the shallow water gunboats.
It only took two days to make it.
One and a half days were spent just on selecting the materials and post-processing.
Lucia created the alloy, Anna shaped it, Candle consolidated the shape and then Doris demonified it... This weapon was created together by several witches and could be regarded as a legendary product. In addition to its materials and processing technique, the gun barrel would not be deformed even under high-temperature gas and enormous pressure, which was also a key factor to ensure continuous and accurate shooting.
"Is this a sniper rifle?" Andrea looked at it for a moment and noticed something unusual. "Where is its aiming scope?"
"It doesn"t have one," Roland shrugged and said.
"Doesn"t have one?" She was stunned, "I can"t hit a target I can"t see."
"An ordinary scope wouldn"t help with the range we want, so three more people are here to help you," said Roland, looking at Sylvie, Spear, and Camilla who were standing by his side.
"Do you mean... to let Ms. Camilla connect me with Sylvie to aim, and have Countess Spear take charge of replenis.h.i.+ng our magic power?" Andrea finally understood what Maggie"s words "They"re waiting for you" meant.
"Although I don"t want to leave Fallen Dragon Ridge at all... ah, choo... Since Your Majesty was so kind to send an invitation to me, I can"t say no." Countess Spear said with pretend reluctance, "But next time I wish to be informed earlier rather than let Miss Maggie bring me here by flight. I"m old and not strong enough. I"m still sick because of the cold wind."
Roland silently rolled his eyes. She had already drunk Lily"s Cleansing Water and asked for the next batch of students trained by City Hall, but she behaved as if it was unpaid labor. After all, she had been an experienced politician for many years, and she was used to complaining about being hard up.
Camilla"s response was much simpler, "Her Highness hopes for me to do my best."
"But I"m not sure if my ability will still be effective under the Eye of Magic." Andrea had never considered a similar issue before because the range of stones and bows was much lower than the limit of her visual range.
"So it"s necessary to test it," said Roland. "Then... let"s start."
Carter Lannis nervously paced back and forth outside the bedroom.
There were few days in his life where he had felt so disturbed.
In retrospect, except for that moment when His Majesty approached the witch Anna without any defenses, he had never been as nervous as he was now.
May, his wife, was about to give birth.
"As she said, "Her status is as high as His Majesty"s"," Carter joked at himself. "Have some courage. Be a man. Look what you have become. She"s just giving birth to a child. Miss Nana and Lily are both here, and several nurses have also come from the hospital. Everything will be okay. Even if she has difficulty, they can cut her belly open to take the child out and keep both of their lives."
But this idea had just come out for a moment when he began to doubt it. "Can they really cut someone"s belly to help her give birth to a child? No, no, no, that"s too horrible. I hope it"s the normal way."
b.a.s.t.a.r.d, how dare you doubt the knowledge of His Majesty!
But... I "ve never heard of anyone being born like that.
These two voices were arguing in the chief knight"s mind and made him feel like his head was splitting into two.
"Rest a.s.sured, Sir," said Irene, "Sister May will surely be okay, because... she"s the toughest person I"ve ever seen."
The other members of Star Flower Troupe who had come to visit also nodded.
"Thank you," Carter said, but his worries were not abated at all. He felt sweat flow down his forehead.
All of a sudden, he heard a storm of cheers outside the window.
He went to the window and saw numerous people cheering for a troop who were dressed in the new style of military uniforms and were walking slowly over the street toward the frontier wall. The brown and green fabrics seemed disorganized but presented a sense of solidness, like a rock. The whole army was like a flowing chunk of land.
"Does the army start off today?" Carter could not help asking.
"Yes, my husband is there, too," said Irene, smiling with some reluctance but full of pride. "He"s been looking forward to this battle for vengeance for a long time."
"Vengeance?" He echoed unconsciously.
"Yes! To comfort those who were killed by the demons! He told me so."
The once famous knight was now fighting for those ordinary people; the ideal country that His Majesty mentioned in the past was now becoming reality bit by bit. He was supposed to be one of them and should have been the first one to fight for His Majesty. Somehow, he was getting farther and farther away from them.
For a moment, the annoyance replaced the dispute in his mind, and his attention temporarily wandered.
Until a tender cry came from the bedroom.
Suddenly, all thoughts faded away.
The body responded faster than the brain. Before he knew it, he had already pushed open the door and rushed to the bed.
A baby with wrinkled skin was crying over the pillow next to May, while nurses were cleaning up in an orderly manner.
"Congratulations, my lord. It"s a very healthy boy," someone laughed.
"Is... is it?" Carter moved to the bed step by step and kneeled on one knee, staring at May who had sweat all over her head in the candlelight. For a moment, he forgot what he wanted to say.
The long-lasting cheers from outside mixed with the child"s cries, like a chorus to celebrate the new life.
May opened her mouth and tried to say something, but she was too weak to utter any words.
But Carter still understood what she wanted to say.
In that moment, tears poured out of his eyes.
"Now, you"re a father," she had said.