Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World
Chapter 212:

TL: Etude

In the Southern Army’s main camp, four people continued their discussion about future military affairs in a slightly tense atmosphere.

The middle-aged man was extremely annoyed with the unruly behavior of the mage Scott, but he had no way to deal with it and could only strive to maintain a calm facade.

The meeting ended on an unhappy note, with Samar and the middle-aged man leaving the room, while the young man with earrings and Scott stayed behind.

They needed to have some internal discussions among mages.

“Sigh… Scott.”

The young man sighed, his frivolous expression disappearing from his face.

“The higher-ups are already displeased with you. They’ve known for a while that it was under your influence that Samar initiated the attack.”

“Hmph! Those old fogies, I don’t care about their opinions.”

“But why did you seek credit earlier? Wasn’t it to improve your standing in the eyes of the lords?”

“You…”

Scott, hit where it hurt, became a bit flustered and infuriated.

“Hmph! Anyway, you’ve already made a great contribution by burning the granary at Crystal Shine Fortress, so it’s easy for you to talk.”

The young man smiled, walked over to Scott, and patted his shoulder.

“Be patient. If you’re gold, you’ll shine eventually. Don’t you have confidence in your enchantment spells that you’re so proud of?”

“How could I not? I’ve always prided myself on being an enchanter.”

“Right, that’s the spirit. When Jars clashes with the main forces of the Kingdom of Ordo, enchanters like you will be very useful.”

“I didn’t expect you to take responsibility earlier.”

“I disdain doing things without owning up to them, and I won’t stoop so low as to let an ordinary person take the fall for me.”

…

Persuaded by his companion, Scott regained his confidence.

“I’ll be more careful in the future and won’t interfere in Samar’s military decisions. How are things going in other places?”

“Other places?”

“Like Horn Bay? Or Northwest Bay? Didn’t Lord Barnett go to Northwest Bay a few months ago to make arrangements?”

The young man seemed puzzled. “Strangely enough, there’s been no news from Lord Barnett for several months. I hope nothing has happened to him.”

Scott scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous, who in this world could do anything to Lord Barnett? Besides, it’s not unusual for him to go without contact for a long time. He’s always been a loner. It wouldn’t be strange even if he didn’t send any news for a whole year.”

Though Barnett always looked down on enchanters like them, Scott recognized his strength.

The young man shrugged. “Hopefully. But there are many powerful forces in this world that we don’t know about, like the Greek fire you encountered before.”

“Let’s continue talking about Northwest Bay!”

“Following Lord Barnett’s instructions before he left, we sent a mental mage there to collaborate with the mortal forces he was developing. The lord he subjugated has been faithfully executing the plans he set. Furthermore, the largest lord there, Duke Ferdinand, has also been controlled.”

“So everything is going smoothly, huh? It seems Northwest Bay will soon be in our grasp.”

“It’s hard to say. There are many lords there who are directly loyal to the Kingdom of Ordo. I reckon a battle or two is inevitable.”

“Any news from Horn Bay?”

“The conflicts between the nations’ upper echelons and the church have become inevitable. Our people just ignited a fire between them.”

“Oh?” Scott showed interest. “How did you start the fire?”

“We kidnapped the Grand Duchess of Eton’s sister and deliberately left her with the church— that little girl has the potential to become a mage.”

“Now the Grand Duke of Eton must hate the church to death, right?”

“Naturally. The Horn Bay Alliance was already planning to unite various countries against the church, and now they have the significant support of the Grand Duchy of Eton. However… there was a complication.”

“What complication?”

“Originally, we planned to retrieve the girl and return her to the Grand Duchy of Eton, to deepen the hatred between Eton and the church. But unexpectedly, Eton’s forces rescued her first, and some of our brethren lost contact during the attempt to intercept the church’s people. We don’t know if they were killed by either side.”

Hearing that members of the Arcane Society had lost their lives, Scott fell silent.

The young man asked in surprise, “Hey! Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“I mean…”

Scott hesitated, as if weighing his words.

“The ‘Witch Hunt’ in Horn Bay… it’s actually fueled by our Arcane Society, isn’t it?”

Hearing Scott’s words, the young man’s expression turned serious.

“Where did you hear that?”

“It’s common knowledge among us! Is that true? Why? Why would the Arcane Society persecute their own kind?”

“Shut up!”

The young man suddenly shouted.

“It’s all rumors! Just rumors! How could the Arcane Society possibly persecute fellow mages!”

His roar silenced Scott, who was a few years older.

Both fell silent, and the room was engulfed in a prolonged silence.

…

Elsewhere in the camp, Samar was taking a walk with the middle-aged man from earlier.

“These mages, each one more eccentric than the last!”

The middle-aged man complained, recalling Scott’s behavior, which made him infuriated.

“Mr. Envoy, you…”

His arrogance, although well-concealed, was apparent.

“But they do possess powerful and mysterious forces! Once during an interrogation of prisoners, it was an eye-opener. No matter how perfectly the enemy wove their lies, they could see through them. And their enchantments are miraculous, turning a regular soldier into a force of ten. If it weren’t for the legendary Greek fire, we would be walking in Thorn Fortress now.”

“Yes, the Duke still needs them, and we subordinates have to tread carefully around them. Speaking of that Greek fire, I’ve heard about it too.”

Samar recalled that day’s scene with a shiver of fear, “That’s a weapon as powerful as magic. How did Duke Dodge acquire it? I’ve never heard of it before.”

The middle-aged man looked hopeful, “General Samar, if you could find out how to make Hellfire and present it to the Duke, that would be a great achievement! It’s a weapon that even mages fear, and it could also take down Scott’s arrogance.”

Samar nodded gravely, “Yes, I understand that.”

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