Aku Ingin Merombak Desa - 14

Aku Ingin Merombak Desa

Pagi setelah pidato, kami memutuskan untuk menghabiskan malam-malam berikutnya di luar kereta dengan perlengkapan berkemah. Kami tidak punya rumah sendiri di desa, dan meski Rhonda menawari kami rumahnya, kami merasa tak enak mengusir orang tua itu dari rumahnya sendiri.

Warga desa sedang membuat api unggun di alun-alun pusat desa, yang sengaja dikosongkan agar selalu siap untuk kegiatan semacam ini.

Sambil menatap api yang berkobar, aku mulai bertanya-tanya bagaimana jadinya kalau aku punya bakat elemen api. Mungkinkah aku bisa melawan para penjarah di garis depan, daripada cuma jadi pendukung?

Sihir api punya kekuatan ofensif tertinggi dan paling mentereng di medan perang. Kehadiran sekutu pengguna elemen api saja bisa sangat meningkatkan moral prajurit.

Tapi, tak gunanya larut dalam pikiran ini. Untuk sekarang, aku harus fokus merencanakan pertahanan desa.

"Tidak cukup hanya dilindungi dari serangan musuh, kita juga harus bisa menyerang dari posisi aman."

"Biasanya, kita akan pakai busur dan sihir."

"Itu kurang efektif dengan tembok serendah ini."

"Sejauh ini, kita menusukkan tombak lewat celah pagar kayu, tapi…"

"Musuh bisa pakai celah yang sama untuk membunuh pembela."

Aku sudah berbagi pendapat dengan Dee, Espada, dan Rhonda, tapi kami hampir tidak maju.

"Bagaimana kalau melempar batu dari atas tembok?"

Mereka bertiga memutar mata saat aku menyarankan melempar batu.

"Bagaimana kalau ketapel?"

"Aku belum pernah lihat, seberapa efektif?"

"Tuan Van. Ketapel digunakan penyerang dalam pengepungan. Dengan kata lain, itu senjata ofensif, bukan defensif."

Mereka bertiga merespons, tapi tidak positif. Dee menarik Rhonda ke samping dan menjelaskan kekuatan ketapel, tapi juga kelemahannya.

"Ketapel melontarkan batu besar, yang pasti butuh waktu lama untuk diisi ulang dan akurasinya rendah. Karena itu, ketapel digunakan untuk menghancurkan bangunan seperti tembok kastil dan menara pengawas, yang tak bisa menghindari tembakan mendekat."

Aku mengangkat alih pada Dee saat dia memberi tahu kepala desa.

"Bukannya itu pasti, lho? Kalau batu besarnya diganti kotak berisi batu kecil, area efek tiap tembakan bisa diperluas. Kalau dipasang di belakang desa dan diarahkan ke pintu masuk, seharusnya bisa akurat mengenai musuh yang mendekati depan desa. Alternatifnya, bisa pakai wadah minyak dengan obor untuk membuat bom api."

Aku berkata, dan mereka bertiga mempertimbangkan opsi dengan hati-hati.

"Kupikir juga ide bagus untuk memasang ballista. Kalau pasang perisai dan bangun tepat di belakang tembok, itu akan jadi senjata menakutkan."

"Siapa yang akan membuat senjata serumit itu?"

Aku menunjuk diriku sendiri sebagai jawaban atas pertanyaan Espada.

"Aku."

Saat kujawab begitu, mereka semua diam dan menahan diri untuk tidak menjawab, seolah menganggap itu mustahil.

Sementara warga desa fokus memperkuat tembok dan memasang jebakan, Till, Kamsin, dan aku pergi ke hutan untuk mengumpulkan kayu.

"Kau sudah menyelesaikan permintaanku, apa kau akan segera pergi?"

Aku bicara pada Orto yang berjalan bersamaku, dan Orto tertawa serta melambaikan tangan.

"Kupikir aku akan bertahan sedikit lebih lama. Aku ingin cari uang dengan berburu binatang iblis di daerah sini."

Orto tiba-tiba berhenti, dan mengamati pintu masuk hutan dengan saksama.

"Kurasa ada binatang iblis bergerak ke arah sini."

Orto berkata, lalu meninggalkan jalan utama dan masuk ke tanah kasar di dekatnya.

"Binatang iblis, Orto?"

"Aku takkan lama. Tuan Van sebaiknya tebang pohon di pintu masuk, jauh dari kedalaman hutan yang berbahaya."

Orto lalu masuk hutan dengan kawan-kawannya. Kelompok petualang lain sudah pergi, jadi hanya ada lima petualang di desa, termasuk Orto dan Pluriel.

Di kejauhan, kudengar suara pertempuran yang khas. Awalnya kupikir aku harus tetap di dalam kereta lapis baja demi keamanan, tapi ternyata Orto lebih kompeten dari dugaanku.

Dia benar-benar petualang berbakat, tapi dia takkan bisa naik pangkat selama bekerja di pelosok ini. Aku tak bisa tidak merasa dia menyia-nyiakan bakatnya dengan membantu kami daripada mengejar ketenaran di tempat lain.

Sambil merenung mencari pohon yang cocok, Kamsin menatap pohon besar dan meletakkan telapak tangannya di batangnya.

"Tuan Van! Pohon ini sempurna!"

"Terlalu besar, kita takkan bisa menebangnya."

"Kalau yang ini?"

"Masalah sama."

Kamsin lalu menunjuk banyak pohon… semuanya berdiameter lebih dari 2 meter.

Sambil tersenyum kecut, aku mulai memungut cabang-cabang yang ukurannya lebih masuk akal.

Selama perjalanan panjang ke desa, aku melatih sihir produksiku. Aku tak tahu apakah kekuatan sihirku tinggi atau rendah, tapi jika berkonsentrasi, aku bisa membengkokkan kayu, batu, dan besi menjadi bentuk apa pun yang kuinginkan.

(Red: Bukankah ini berarti dia bisa mengubah armor lawan jadi paku dan menusuk musuh dengan armor mereka sendiri?)

Tapi, jika aku tak bisa memvisualisasikan setiap detail dan menuangkan kekuatan sihir dengan benar, bagian yang ambigu akan jadi abnormal bentuknya atau jadi sangat rapuh.

Sihirku sama sekali tidak mudah digunakan.

Namun, baru-baru ini aku menemukan sesuatu. Mungkin saja menggunakan sihirku untuk membuat objek melalui konsentrasi ekstrem dan visualisasi setiap komponen bagian.

Untuk mempraktikkan kekuatan semacam itu, aku akan mengubah kayu yang terkumpul menjadi balok seukuran kereta kuda. (Red: Kubusnya mungkin jauh lebih kecil, karena alasan yang akan terlihat nanti.)

Saat kukonsentrasikan kekuatan sihirku, kurasakan kehangatan naik dari area sekitar perutku. Saat kekuatan sihir mencapai ujung jari, kufokuskan perhatian pada cabang di tanganku dan menuangkan sihir ke dalamnya.

Segera, kurasakan cabang itu berubah bentuk di tanganku.

Aku mencoba membuat gambaran mental sejelas dan sedetail mungkin. Aku sadar setiap serat pohon. Aku sudah bisa memelintir serat tanaman jadi lebih kuat, seperti menenun tali, tapi… kurasa aku bisa lebih baik. Kali ini, kupikir akan mencoba menenun serat lebih halus lagi.

Seperti itu, aku mulai mengubah kayu yang ditimbun menjadi balok kayu, satu per satu.

Meski balok itu terbuat dari kayu, mereka tampak hampir seperti dari plastik. Karena terlihat mudah diproses, kupikir ide bagus untuk menimbun sebanyak mungkin kubus.

Aku tak yakin berapa banyak kekuatan sihir yang dikonsumsi tiap kubus, tapi material yang dihasilkan mulai meyakinkanku bahwa sihir produksi mungkin ada gunanya.

"Tuan Van, balok ini luar biasa. Kokohnya sulit dipercaya ini terbuat dari kayu."

"Kurasa ini cukup keras untuk dibuat armor, bahkan pedang kalau diasah dengan benar."

Till dan Kamsin mulai dengan gembira mengangkat dan membentur-benturkan balok kayu. Itu memang material hebat, meski mungkin masih sangat mudah terbakar.

Lagipula, kami punya rencana lain untuk kayu ini.

"Wah! Apaan nih?" (Red: Apaan tuh! …Saya pergi.)

Setelah selesai memuat balok kayu ke kereta, kudengar suara kaget dari dalam hutan.

Orto telah kembali.

"Kukira kalian pergi cari kayu?"

Pluriel melihat balok kayu mirip plastik dan memiringkan kepala. Kawan-kawannya yang lain juga berkata, "Bahan apa ini, dari binatang iblis?"

Aku menjawab sambil menoleh.

"Ini balok kayu dari serat pohon. Kalian tahu soal nanofiber?"

"Tidak, belum pernah tapi…"

Orto menjawab dengan bingung, yang bisa dimengerti. Dia mengambil balok kayu dan memainkannya sedikit di tangan.

"Oh… lebih ringan dari dugaanku. Boleh coba potong yang ini?"

"Silakan."

Aku penasaran, jadi kuizinkan. Lalu dengan gerakan, Orto melemparnya ke udara dan mengayunkan pedang.

Suara tak terlukiskan lalu terdengar, seperti suara angin terpotong dan sesuatu yang sangat keras tergores. Momentum ayunan lalu melontarkan balok itu ke pohon terdekat, salah satu yang berdiameter dua meter tadi ditunjuk Kamsin.

Saat benturan, pohon itu retak seolah objek besar menabraknya. Sebaliknya, balok itu hanya memantul dan jatuh ke tanah, tanpa goresan.

"Luar biasa, tak kusangka bisa tahan terhadap tebasan."

Saat para petualang bertepuk tangan dan mengungkapkan kegembiraan, Till dan Kamsin ikut.

"Ini bagus. Aku puas dengan kekerasan baloknya."

Sambil aku tertawa dan berkata begitu, Orto menoleh padaku dengan wajah pucat.

"…Aku menebas balok itu seolah mencoba membelah batu."

Aku memiringkan kepala saat Orto berkata begitu.

"Lalu? Mana yang lebih keras, batu atau balok?"

Till dan Kamsin memiringkan kepala bingung.

"Baloknya lebih keras, tapi bagaimana bisa? Maksudku, bagaimana kayu bisa bertahan dari tebasan yang bisa membelah batu? Aku cuma…"

Aku menatap Orto yang terguncang dan tertawa.

"Yah, kita dapat material bagus. Itu bagus, kan?"

I Want to Remodel the Village

The morning after the speech, we decided to spend the following nights outside the carriages using some camping gear. We didn't have our own housing in the village, and though Rhonda offered us his home, we felt it'd be wrong to force an elderly man out of his own house.

The villagers were building a campfire in the central square of the village, which was kept clear to make sure it was always ready for such activities.

While watching the roaring flames, I started wondering what would've happened if I'd possessed an aptitude for the flame element. Could I have fought off the raiders on the frontlines, rather than just acting in a supporting role?

Flame magic has the highest offensive power and is the flashiest magic on the battlefield. Just having an allied flame element user can greatly boost a soldier's morale.

But there's no use dwelling on this. For now, I have to focus on planning the village's defense.

"It's not enough to just be protected from enemy attacks—we also need to be able to attack from a secure position."

"Normally, we'd use bows and magic."

"They won't be as effective with such a low wall."

"So far, we've been thrusting spears through gaps in the wooden fence, but…"

"The enemy can use those same gaps to kill the defenders."

I'd been sharing my opinions with Dee, Espada, and Rhonda, but we'd made little progress.

"How about lobbing stones over the wall?"

The three of them rolled their eyes when I suggested throwing stones.

"How about a catapult then?"

"I've never seen one—how effective are they?"

"Master Van. Catapults are used by attackers in sieges. In other words, they're offensive weapons, not defensive ones."

The three of them each responded, but not positively. Dee pulled Rhonda aside and explained the catapult's power, but also highlighted its flaws.

"It launches boulders, which inevitably means long reload time and low accuracy. So they're used to destroy buildings like castle walls and watchtowers—things that can't avoid incoming shots."

I raised an eyebrow at Dee as he told the chief this.

"That's not necessarily a given, you know? If you replace the boulder with a box full of small stones, you can increase each shot's area of effect. If you set it up at the back of the village and aim it toward the entrance, it should be able to accurately hit any enemies approaching the front. Alternatively, you could use oil containers with torches to make firebombs."

I said, and the three of them considered the options carefully.

"I think installing a ballista is also a good idea. If you mount a shield and build it right behind the wall, it'd become a fearsome weapon."

"Who would make such complex weapons?"

I pointed to myself in response to Espada's question.

"Me."

When I answered that, they all fell silent and refrained from replying, as if they thought it was impossible.

While the villagers focused on strengthening the walls and laying traps, Till, Kamsin, and I went off to the forest to gather lumber.

"You've already accomplished my request—will you be leaving soon?"

I spoke to Orto, who was walking with me, and he laughed and waved his hand.

"I think I'll stick around for a little while. I'd like to make some money hunting the demonic beasts in the area."

Orto suddenly stopped and intently surveyed the forest entrance.

"I think a demonic beast has traveled in this direction."

Orto said, walking off the main path and onto some rugged dirt nearby.

"Demonic beasts, Orto?"

"I won't be back for a while. Master Van should cut down trees at the entrance, away from the dangerous depths of the forest."

Orto then entered the forest with his companions. The other adventuring party had left, so there were only five adventurers in the village, including Orto and Pluriel.

In the distance, I could hear the distinct din of combat. At first, I thought I'd have to stay within the armored carriages for safety, but it seemed Orto was more competent than I'd originally thought.

He's truly a talented adventurer, but he won't be able to raise his rank while working in this backwater. I couldn't help feeling he was wasting his talents by helping us instead of pursuing glory elsewhere.

Ruminating on that while looking for suitable trees, Kamsin looked up at a large tree and placed her palm on its trunk.

"Master Van! This tree is perfect!"

"It's too big—we won't be able to cut it down."

"And this one?"

"Same problem."

Kamsin then went on to point out many trees… all of which were thicker than 2 meters in diameter.

With a wry smile, I began picking up branches that were a more reasonable size.

Throughout my long journey to the village, I'd been training my production magic. I don't know if my magic power is high or low, but if I concentrate, I can bend wood, stone, and iron into whatever shape I want.

(T.N.: Doesn't this mean he could turn an opponent's armor into spikes and impale them using their own armor?)

However, if I can't visualize every detail and pour my magic power in properly, any ambiguous parts become abnormally shaped or extremely brittle.

By no means is my magic easy to use.

But I recently discovered something. It's possible to use my magic to create objects through extreme concentration and visualization of each component part.

To put such power into practice, I turned the gathered lumber into blocks the size of horse-drawn carriages. (T.N.: The cubes are likely much smaller, for reasons you'll see later.)

When I concentrate my magic power, I feel a warm feeling rise from the area around my stomach. When the magic power reaches my fingertips, I focus my attention on the branch in my hand and infuse my magic into it.

Soon, I feel the branch morphing in my hand.

I try to make my mental image as clear and detailed as possible. I'm aware of every single fiber of the tree. I can already twist the plant fibers together and make them stronger, like weaving a string, but… I think I can do better. This time, I'll try to weave the fibers together even more finely.

Like that, I began turning the stockpiled lumber into wood blocks, one after another.

Although the blocks are made of wood, they look almost as though they were made from plastic. Since they look easy to process, I think it'd be a good idea to stockpile as many cubes as possible.

I'm not sure how much magic power each cube consumes, but the resulting materials were beginning to convince me that production magic might have its uses.

"Van-sama, these blocks are amazing. They're so sturdy it's hard to believe they're made of wood."

"I think this is hard enough to make armor—maybe even a sword if properly sharpened."

Till and Kamsin began happily lifting and banging the woodblocks. They were indeed great materials, though they were likely still extremely flammable.

Besides, we had other plans for this wood.

"Whoa! What the hell are these?" (T.N. Joke: What are those! …I'll show myself out.)

After I finished loading the wood blocks into the carriage, I heard such a surprised voice coming from the forest.

Orto had returned.

"I thought you guys went out to collect wood?"

Pluriel looked at the plastic-like woodblocks and tilted her head. The rest of her companions also said things like, "What are these, materials from a demonic beast?"

I replied as I turned my head.

"It's a woodblock made from tree fibers. Do you guys know about nanofibers?"

"No, I haven't but…"

Orto replied in a genuinely confused manner, which was understandable. He picked up a woodblock and played with it a little in his hand.

"Oh… it's lighter than I thought. Is it okay to try cutting this one?"

"Be my guest."

I was curious, so I allowed it. Then with a grunt, Orto tossed it into the air and swung his sword.

An indescribable sound then rang out—something like the sound of wind cutting and something incredibly hard being scratched. The momentum of the swing launched the block into a nearby tree, one of the two-meter ones Kamsin had pointed out earlier.

Upon impact, the tree cracked as if a huge object had crashed into it. Conversely, the block simply bounced off and fell onto the ground, without a scratch.

"Incredible—to think it would resist being cut."

As the adventurers clapped and expressed their joy, Till and Kamsin followed suit.

"It looks great. I'm satisfied with the block's hardness."

While I was laughing and saying that, Orto turned to look at me with a pale face.

"…I slashed the block as if I were trying to cleave a stone."

I tilted my head when Orto said that.

"Then? Which is harder, the rock or the block?"

Till and Kamsin tilted their heads in confusion.

"The block is harder—but how can that be? I mean, how could wood survive a strike that would bisect a rock? I just…"

I looked at the shaken Orto and laughed.

"Well, we got a good material. That's good, isn't it?"

Terima kasih sudah mampir! Jika kamu menikmati konten ini dan ingin menunjukkan dukunganmu, bagaimana kalau mentraktirku secangkir kopi? 😊 Ini adalah gestur kecil yang sangat membantu untuk menjaga semangatku agar terus membuat konten-konten keren. Tidak ada paksaan, tapi secangkir kopi darimu pasti akan membuat hariku jadi sedikit lebih cerah. ☕️

☕ Buy Me Coffee