Golem Corps
Having begun making golems, what I will be focusing on in the golems this time is the performance of the golem cores.
I still can’t make a golem of the same caliber as Titan, but I’ll be drawing a magic formula with the aim of having a flexible AI, to a degree.
The types of golem that I’ll make are:
Polypod-type Golem (Spider)
Polypod-type Golem (Scorpion)
Equestrian-type Golem (Centaur)
Normal Knight-type Golem
Heavy Knight-type Golem
The addition of the Scorpion Polypod-type Golem is partly because of the inclusion of the spider-type that would become Kaede’s subordinates.
The upper half of the scorpion-type was similar to the spider-type, but its lower half will have 6 legs and 2 pincer arms, and it has a tail with a poison stinger. It might be the golem with the most ways to attack.
The Heavy Knight-type Golem specializes in defense, equipped with a large shield, heavy mace, and a bulky armor.
「Takumi-sama, will there be no archers?」
「Hm? Archers?」
「Yes, if there are golems of the heavy knight-type, normal knight-type, and equestrian-type, I simply thought that it would be adequate to have an archer-type golem as well.」
I tried considering what Sophia said. Certainly, if I look at it as an army, a way to attack long range is essential, and even in Japan’s Warring States period, the era prior to the application of guns, many casualties of the war were attributed to bows.
「Right, our means to attack long range is lacking.」
「Indeed. If possible, I believe it would be beneficial to have a means to attack long range.」
「Thank you, Sophia. I’ll try planning it out right away.」
Being told about methods for long range attack by Sophia, the first things I associated with it were sniper rifles and assault rifle. Gunpowder can be made with alchemy. The detonator and cartridge were the same. As I’ve already made chromium molybdenum steel with alchemy, the gun barrel could be cast from that using Smithing Magic. But it’s impossible for me to make masses of firearms by myself. Also, I’d like to avoid introducing gunpowder, which has not discovered it yet, to this world, if only for my mental health.
「Once a monster rises above a certain rank, it wouldn’t receive much damage if the attack isn’t incorporated with magic power.」
「Indeed. That is why we Elves shoot arrows clad in magic power and attribute magic.」
With that being the case, firing lead balls wouldn’t be applicable for anything but weak monsters. Magic devices that shoots out attribute magic already exists in this world, if I’m not mistaken. One is the large-ish magic crystal inlayed into the tip of a staff. It must have been a very expensive magic device that fires the magic contained in the magic crystal etched with magic formulas.
Even though I can make magic crystals myself, procuring a large amount of magic stones that would serve as materials for it is a big ordeal.
At first, I considered weapons that fire magic attacks like the ones equipped on the magic ship, but I realized that while it was fine to prepare ample magic crystals for the armaments of a gigantic ship despite being somewhat massive, it’s wrong to compare it to providing golems with weapons that must be portable. Furthermore, the ship is equipped with a magic device that replenishes magic power from the mana in the atmosphere back into the magic crystals. An attack by means of magic consumes a lot of magic power.
「A way to consume less magic power huh…… as expected, arrows carried by Wind magic might be realistic.」
「That’s correct. Wind magic and bows have good affinity, after all. The method of circulating magic power through the arrow is unusable when the arrowhead is made of iron, therefore we Elves use a technique by cladding an arrow in magic power to increase its piercing strength known as Piercing Shot.」
「Then I’ll prepare a magic device for the right hand of the archer-type golem to cast that magic.」
Then I suddenly remembered a weapon in Japan.
Called “Hazuyari[1]“, it is a bow with a spearhead fastened at its tip. If it was just in its plain form, I’d have worries about the strength when using the spear, but that can be resolved by the materials and magic that exist in this world. It’ll suffice if we procure masses of ready-made arrows from Papeck-san.
Polypod-type Golem (Scorpion) – 1
Equestrian-type Golem (Centaur) – 4
Normal Knight-type Golem – 4
Heavy Knight-type Golem – 2
Archer-type Golem – 4
This will be one platoon and I decided that the polypod-type golem will be the leader.
Four platoons is a company, four companies is a battalion, and right now my objective is to make a battalion-sized golem corps.
「240 golems huh. Once we include the equipment into the count, the sighs really will begin to spill out.」
「A 240 golem corps? I’m certain that would be a spectacle.」
「It would be a company if it was a troop of 240 humans though. Well, these are golems, after all.」
If possible, I’d like to make a division and brigade-sized golem unit. I don’t know why, but my intuition is telling me to prepare. Whether this is because of the Insight Skill or a supernatural-like foreboding, I don’t know.
It’s not like it would be any trouble even if we over-prepare, so I’ve decided to act based on my intuition.
With Laeva and the Dwarves’ help, I made all sorts of golems. To fight against threats that may eventually come.
Footnotes:
1. example of the bow: Single blade here, possible variation here.[↩]
2. Spider polypod golem missing from the platoon count.
The author’s writing method sure has changed a lot. Many chapters are now devoid of adventure plot, but are more like descriptions of the latest loot or powers the MC is giving himself via his nearly unlimited alchemy ability that seems to have automatic knowledge without research.
He has to build things up before going to war with the church and anti demi human empire.
Somebody has been watching too much PowerRangers…. that bow looks like a prop
Cosplay is a more likely source, but would still make it a prop.
The hazuyari was a gimmick, and the intent was a blade that could be slipped over the bow to use it as a spear shaft, not a blade permanently attached to the bow. The soldier would have been issued a normal bow and the hazuyari/dagger in a scabbard. But bows must be flexible and springy by nature, so they make horrible spear shafts, and you cannot reinforce bows to make them stiff, no matter what fantasy material one uses, because they must still be bows. In practice, it was a lot better and nearly the same cost to issue archers… Read more »
Thanks for the treat.
They be thinking too small. Some of those centaur style golems, or the scorpion type (if they are quite large), should be equipped with ballista, for some extra power. After all, there may be huge monsters coming.
Thanks for the update! Awesome translation! May God bless you!
The spider units are probably a separate decision of scouts and spies
Where is maria?
Maria’s still around, just not a lot of screen time.
I almost think author forgot about her
it’s might be fun to the next war episode with golem ?
a type of Crossbow would also have been a nice option for a ranged golem…
So a machine gun that fires arrows imbued with magic at very high rates mounted on carriage is still a no go huh
Just re-read a whole bunch of chapters (apparently I’d not marked off on my reading list, that I had already read to the end of Chapter 201). I can’t help but feel that a Scorpian-taur, would be an inherently flawed physique… since the tail of a scorpian has to attack over the body (and past the head) to get to prey between the pincers… I really feel like a humanoid body where the head would normally be, would get in the way and uhhhhh…. Hmm, I wonder if Norn is sending him subliminal messages? (regarding the impending attack of the… Read more »
Yeah, very fanciful and questionably workable designs. Bipedal is already stable on rough terrain, and quadrupedal is about the best. More legs makes the control more complicated, reduces speed, and increases energy use. But why use legs when you can use continuous tracks?
But the scorpion route is a little more sane. Why give a golem a weapon to hold (and potentially lose) when you can make it integral to the structure?
A war?