***Malvette, capital city of the Kingdom of Cherwind, three months ter…***

  The Royal Academy of Cherwind was a famous educational institution where many bright minds from all over the beastman realms and others were gathered to learn science, simir to the Concve of the Demon Republic. It was led by the Chief Royal Scientist, Lady Salis of the Owls, and funded by the Queen of Cherwind herself, Lady Ursura. Because of its reputation, it was the first in Kuro’s mind when he created the designs for his tank, meant to be deployed by the Elvish Expeditionary Force in their invasion of Cherwoods.

  “…”

  Of course, anything that had connections with the King of Cherwind was personally overseen by the Chief Royal Scientist herself.

  “And here it is,” Salis unveiled the finished tank prototype to Kuro in one of the hidden parts of the Royal Academy. “Your very own tank, now existing in reality.”

  “Hoh…” he never hid his astonishment to the armored vehicle. While he always advocated peace, Kuro still enjoyed military equipment like the tank. And looking at his ‘creation’ in the ‘flesh,’ the duke couldn’t be anymore happier.

  “The body is made from mithril, which—as we all know—is a metal sturdy enough to withstand bullet hits but light enough to make it climb to top speed in a matter of seconds,” the owl-dy expined. “We also installed the cannon, as it is in your drawing—loaded via the breech, so it’s pretty capable of hitting the enemy hard and fast.”

  “What about the propelnt?”

  “You mean the demon powder?”

  Kuro nodded.

  “As of now, we have no way of producing a smokeless powder, so the crews will have to make do with the common demon powder,” then, she handed him a set of papers. “However, our scientists are already researching for ways to minimize the generation of smoke whenever a demon weapon is fired, mostly in the chemical composition of the demon powder. It will take time, but we’ll eventually get there.”

  “I see…I think it won’t be ready anytime soon,” the human commented. “So, what’s your solution to the smoke?”

  “The top side of the tank turret can be opened, and we installed wire mesh to keep the arrows off,” the owl-dy pointed. “But, it’s a temporary solution. Until we developed a ‘smokeless demon powder’, it’ll have to do. As for the crew, we’ll have them wear masks to minimize the exposure of their lungs to the smoke. After a few hours, they should also be granted permission to retreat to their lines to catch some fresh air.”

  “Well, it’s not like we can do anything about it for now,” the duke gave Salis a head pat. “Still, thank you for your good work! By the way, speaking of safety features, how about the embrasures?”

  “Yep, we got them,” she showed him the parts with small holes wide enough for gun barrels to shoot from. “As for where the soldiers will look, it’s the screens on the top of each embrasure.”

  “I see…”

  “I got you covered, Kuro,” Salis smiled. “There are a few design fws in your original pn, so the genius me fixed that for you! That includes the steam engine…the one in your sketch is underpowered. We got new and better prototypes now, though yeah, it’s still in testing phase. Also, I think your ‘tank’ needs a rger caliber of cannon, so I adjusted it for you. No worries; we tested it before creating this one, and I assure you, the recoil won’t affect the vehicle that much.”

  The duke loved to listen to the owl-dy’s expnation. They traded opinions and shared information on how it would be used in combat and the better specifications, courtesy of Salis’ engineering knowledge. Finally, when they touched on the matter of the economy, Kuro asked…

  “How about the production costs for this vehicle?”

  “I’d say the only problem we’ll have is the source of mithril,” Salis admitted. “See, because of its durability and rarity, mithril is highly-valued. A full-mithril armored tank would cost you a fortune.”

  “Understandable…” the duke nodded. “As far as I know, the only source of mithril is the Avinus region here. And it’s also a main component in making the bolt-heater rifle.”

  “Well, we can create the iron-mithril alloy,” the owl-dy suggested. “The price would still be high, but compared to the original costs, it’s way lower. And the speed capability is maintained.”

  “Hmm…how about a full steel one?”

  Salis shook her head. “I don’t think it’s possible without sacrificing the weight and speed of the vehicle.”

  Of course, the duke wanted a group full of mithril armored tanks spearheading the amphibious assaults of the Elvish Expeditionary Force. However, by then, he had to consider the budgetary constraints of his territory. Only the support of his friends and the Elf Saint’s admirers kept the war chest going; he couldn’t realign more money from his duchy’s treasury, as it would be unfair to his taxpayers, who had no business in his ‘personal’ war. The full steel tank was much cheaper, but, as Salis advised, the additional weight of that design would strain the vehicle itself, which could lead to higher maintenance costs in the long run.

  So, Kuro had to choose the second-best option: the iron-mithril tank.

  “Got it,” the owl-dy winked at him. “I’ll send our designs to Her Majesty, so we can start building. How many do you require, anyway?”

  “Just a hundred will do,” the duke replied, expecting that his enemies in Cherwoods would only be armed with bows, arrows…and if they possessed any ‘artillery,’ probably catapults. In that case, that number of tanks was sufficient for a breakthrough. Then, he quickly added, “Oh, and about the payment—”

  “No,” she stopped him from continuing. “If you’re putting your life on the line for us, then it’s only right that we do our part by shelling out our own finances.”

  Kuro fell silent after hearing that. Though the owl-dy already told him their reason they wouldn’t accept money, he still felt guilty about giving work to them for free.

  “I know that look,” Salis had a smug look on her face. “Well, if you’re really adamant to accept free help from us, then after all of these problems are done, we should go on a date!”

  “We should,” the duke countered. “After all, I pn to take you as my wife when everything settles down…even if your people don’t believe in marriages.”

  Now, it was the owl-dy’s turn to be speechless. She only stared at Kuro with her face red in embarrassment.

  ----------

  ***The shores of the Amaranthine kingdom…***

  The recruits of the Elvish Expeditionary Force had gathered on the beaches as the first batch of tanks from Cherwind arrived by boats. As Chersea had no dedicated ‘nding ships’ yet, the sailors had difficulty transporting those armored behemoths from ship to nd. Nevertheless, because of its construction (made from iron-mithril), it was significantly lighter than a regur tank from Earth, though just as tough. That’s why, with the help of several elves, they carried it off the transport boat to the dry sands of the Amaranthine shores.

  From a distance, the squad of Behrien and Gmden watched as the tanks were unveiled, and its crew was instructed on how to operate it.

  “What’s that thing?” one of their friends asked.

  “It looks like a walking fort,” another quipped. “With a rotating cannon at the top?”

  Their commanding officer expined, never hiding his excitement, “That’s called a ‘tank,' boys! They say it will help us attack our enemies, and the Duke of Maverny invented it.”

  “Sir, what’s that person doing?” an elf raised his concern about a man who borrowed a gun from a nearby soldier. Then, everyone watched in awe as he repeatedly shot at the tank—several times on one spot, yet the vehicle emerged unscathed.

  “Oh! It really is impervious even to the demon weapons!” their officer commented.

  Then, much to their surprise, someone brought several cannons over.

  “No way! Are they really going to shoot at it with those things?”

  “It won’t survive! What are they thinking?”

  Behrien and Gmden remained silent as they observed the demonstration. When the artillery crews finished loading their guns, they pointed at the sample tank at point-bnk range. The elves watched ever more closely as the command was given to fire…

  “!!!”

  The cannons created so much recoil that the sands were thrown into the air. However, when the dust and smoke finally settled, the tank remained unscathed. If anything, the only damaged component was its paint, chipped by the cannonballs that crashed into it.

  Not even the mercenary veterans could believe their eyes; they went over the vehicle itself to touch the parts where it was hit. Yet, despite all the firepower thrown at its hull, the tank maintained its armor integrity.

  A senior commander of the Elvish Expeditionary Force expined, “As you can see, everyone, this vehicle is called a tank! It can fit a crew of four, which we will eborate to you ter, and also take four to six elves in the middle of the battlefield. It can withstand bullets and cannonballs, and this will be your friend in the upcoming attack!”

  The thought of having that ‘monstrous behemoth’ fighting on their side was enough to raise the morale of the elves partaking in the invasion exercises. As such, their confidence in the leadership of the Duke of Maverny went even higher…