With the liberation of the Free City of Rajel, things also descended into a complete mess. Fortunately, with Mikiru around, most of the troubles were resolved. When Duanmu Huai followed Mikiru into the conference room, representatives of all kinds of factions that had appeared in Rajel City were already gathered together.
"Sorry to keep everyone waiting."
Mikiru was still wearing the same maid outfit as before. Whether it was because she had no time to change or for some other reason was unknown. She walked into the room and then introduced him to everyone.
"This is the honorable Inquisitor who killed the Third Company's captain and the demon apostle, and who also rescued me from the hands of the Herman soldiers."
Hearing Mikiru's words, everyone present turned to look. Normally, if an ordinary person appeared at a time like this, most people would feel shocked and incredulous. But when they saw the doors open and a man wearing pitch-black armor inlaid with skull insignia, his head almost reaching the ceiling, stride in with heavy steps, everyone shuddered and hurriedly stood up.
Holy shit, where did this monster come from?!
They had been guessing what kind of person could have killed a Herman army captain and a demon apostle. Now that they saw him—
You could tell me this guy can kill the Demon King and I'd believe it!
From this, it was clear that people really did judge by appearances.
Whether in a good sense or a bad one.
"Hello."
Duanmu Huai swept his gaze over the crowd and gave a slight nod.
"I am Duanmu Huai, an Inquisitor from the Inquisition."
"The Inquisition..."
Hearing Duanmu Huai's introduction, a burly old soldier with an eyepatch over his right eye narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment.
"I don't recall hearing of such a faction. May I ask, do you have any relation to the AL Church or the Hani Church?"
"The Inquisition does not operate on this continent. It's normal that you haven't heard of us."
"Oh, I see."
Hearing this, the old soldier nodded. At this moment, upon seeing the old soldier, Kentou Kanami, standing behind Duanmu Huai, was greatly shocked.
"Mr. Bares! Why are you here?"
Hearing Kentou Kanami's voice, Bares also looked toward her, then revealed a surprised expression.
"Oh? Isn't that Lady Kanami? Why are you in the Free Cities? Shouldn't you be by Lady Lia's side?"
"You know each other?"
Hearing their exchange, Duanmu Huai looked toward Kentou Kanami and asked. She nodded.
"Yes. Mr. Bares is the supreme general of the Lisus army, and the general who commands the main force, the Black Legion."
"I am ashamed."
The old man lowered his head.
"To have been captured by the enemy and brainwashed—I am unworthy of that title."
"So what exactly happened?"
"Allow me to explain."
At this moment, another voice rang out. Duanmu Huai saw a blue-haired girl with glasses, very cute in appearance, stand up.
"You are...?"
"Pardon me, Inquisitor. I am Maria Castado, commander of the Castam Liberation Front, one of the Four Witches."
"Ah."
Hearing this name, Yue Huasha beside Duanmu Huai froze for a moment, then reached out and poked him.
"That's her."
"Oh... I see."
Hearing Yue Huasha's confirmation, Duanmu Huai finally breathed a sigh of relief. Normally, following the piss-poor logic of game plots, when a player goes looking for someone, they absolutely won't be able to find them. At best, you get a clue, then run like an idiot to the place, only to find the person already gone. Duanmu Huai had even mentally prepared himself for the possibility that this witch might have been captured by the Herman army and dragged back to the Kingdom of Herman. Fortunately, this time it didn't follow the game routine—they just delivered the person straight to him!
So he didn't have to come up empty-handed here, then receive news that Maria was captured, then go find the Herman army that captured her, crush that army, learn that Maria escaped, continue tracking, finally find her, then right before meeting her she gets captured again, continue chasing, then she's taken back to Herman—
Goddamn modern games and their endless "find the person" bullshit loops.
Maria, of course, had no idea what Duanmu Huai was thinking. She simply followed protocol and explained the current situation based on the intelligence she had gathered.
According to Maria, Castam had previously helped Rajel repel 5,000 Herman soldiers. However, later, 4,000 brainwashed Lisus soldiers from the Black Legion and Red Legion joined the enemy. Facing a combined Herman force of 9,000, the Rajel Allied Defense Force of only 1,500 was defeated and collapsed. Rajel was occupied, and of the reinforcements led by the Four Witches, only a little over a hundred managed to return to Castam.
However, just as the Herman allied army was preparing to launch an offensive against Castam, Duanmu Huai appeared and killed the company captain and the demon apostle Sapphire. With Sapphire's death, the brainwashing of the 4,000 Lisus soldiers was lifted. Thus, when the Lisus soldiers regained their senses and realized that the people beside them were actually Herman soldiers, even though they didn't understand what was going on, they immediately turned their blades on them without another word.
The Herman soldiers never expected the brainwashing of the Lisus troops to be undone. Caught completely off guard, they suffered heavy losses, resulting in the chaotic scene Duanmu Huai witnessed when he entered Rajel.
After that, upon receiving the news, Maria led Castam's reinforcements to arrive. With the assistance of General Bares of the Black Legion and General Rick of the Red Legion—both of whom had also been freed from brainwashing—they gathered the Lisus soldiers and, together with Castam's reinforcements, drove off the shaken Herman army, whose morale had collapsed after learning of the deaths of their captain and demon apostle.
Then, Mikiru contacted them as the daughter of Rajel's city lord, which was why everyone was gathered here.
"I wish to express my gratitude to you, Inquisitor."
Bares solemnly bowed to Duanmu Huai.
"If not for your valor, I might still be acting as a beast's accomplice, fighting for the Herman people."
"So do I."
At this moment, another young man in bright red armor stood up. He was Rick, the general of Lisus's Red Legion mentioned earlier.
"You freed us from the demon's control. Such great kindness cannot be repaid..."
"No need to dwell on it."
Duanmu Huai waved his hand.
"Eradicating xenos and heretics is the mission of the Inquisition. Anyone who consorts with demons has only one end—destruction."
After a few polite exchanges, Duanmu Huai stepped aside and watched them hold their meeting. After all, for the Free Cities, the greatest threat at the moment was the Herman army. Duanmu Huai also couldn't be bothered to interfere in their internal military conference. In truth, he came here to find Maria—but now...
To be honest, my expectations for Maria are already extremely low.
In his view, Maria was probably no different from Kukulu—an engineer of the magical era, with limited knowledge. Even if he recruited her, she probably wouldn't be of much use.
Still... I'll talk to her first.
Soon, the military meeting concluded. Both sides decided that after a brief rest, they would quickly assemble their forces and march on the Free City of Red, taking advantage of the enemy's failure to regroup to press the attack and crush them.
After the meeting ended, everyone went off to attend to their own matters. Only then did Duanmu Huai step forward.
"Hello, Miss Maria."
"Ah, hello, Inquisitor. May I ask what you need?"
Seeing Duanmu Huai address her, Maria was a little surprised, but she still asked curiously.
"I have a few things I'd like to talk to you about. Do you have time?"
"This..."
"What do you want with Maria?"
As Maria was puzzled by Duanmu Huai's question, another person suddenly appeared, stepping in front of her and coldly staring at Duanmu Huai. It was a girl with long green hair, wearing a triangular hat like a wizard's.
"And you are?"
"Ah, this is one of the Four Witches, Magic-Thinker Shizuka, and also my good friend..."
Seeing the tension between them, Maria hurriedly tried to smooth things over. Duanmu Huai nodded to her, then looked back at Maria.
"I've heard that you have some research in mechanical engineering?"
"Huh? You want to discuss mechanical engineering with me?!"
Hearing this, Maria's eyes immediately lit up. Duanmu Huai nodded and spoke.
"In fact, I do have some mechanical engineering questions I'd like to discuss with you."
"Of course! That's no problem at all. I was just heading to the factory—let's talk while we walk!"
If Maria had previously been somewhat fearful of Duanmu Huai, she now seemed much more relaxed, noticeably more talkative and outgoing.
Thus, the group left the Rajel estate and headed toward Maria's factory. Along the way, Maria talked nonstop.
"The age of swords and magic is about to end. What's coming next is the age of machines—machines that anyone can use and anyone can make! Look, like Tulip No.1 on my shoulder. Weapons of the future will all be like this..."
As she spoke, Maria proudly showed Duanmu Huai the rocket launcher she was carrying. At least in terms of appearance, it was already a very mature piece of craftsmanship. Duanmu Huai examined it and then asked,
"You built this weapon yourself? You also solved the material issues?"
"Of course!"
Hearing this, Maria grew even more excited, practically bouncing as she walked.
"In order to maximize Tulip No.1's firepower, range, and stability, I tested all kinds of materials... I even went to the volcanic mines earlier, and after a lot of effort, finally found an ore suitable as a trigger energy source..."
"Haa..."
Watching Maria chatter endlessly, Magic-Thinker Shizuka helplessly reached up and tugged down the brim of her hat.
"She's started again—Maria the mechanical idiot..."
Along the way, it was basically just Duanmu Huai and Maria asking and answering each other. No one else could get a word in. Through this exchange, Duanmu Huai could confirm that the girl named Maria truly possessed both passion for mechanical engineering and a certain level of professional expertise. Though her ideas were somewhat advanced for this world's level of civilization, compared to the Inquisition, they were still a bit behind...
Well, in any case, she'll need proper evaluation and testing.
While Duanmu Huai was thinking, Maria had already led them to her factory. She then proudly introduced her latest weapon.
"Everyone, take a look! This is the secret weapon I created to resist the Herman army—Tulip No.3! As long as we can build this, we'll absolutely be able to crush the Herman forces!"
Under the lights stood a vehicle full of metallic texture, with a thick cannon barrel and a body of steel.
Yeah, no need to say it.
A tank.
And not some World War I tin can, but something much closer to a late–World War II modern tank!
Wait!
"I remember the Herman invasion only started a few days ago, right?"
"Ahahaha, I had already been thinking about it before..."
Hearing Duanmu Huai's question, Maria laughed awkwardly.
"When Herman invaded, I thought maybe I could build it..."
"...…"
Damn, that leap in mechanical engineering skill is ridiculous.
But thinking carefully, in a world of swords and magic that already had refrigerators and color TVs, this civilization was already a complete mess.
Still... this works out perfectly.
At this thought, Duanmu Huai's eyes suddenly lit up. He then looked at Maria.
"Miss Maria, to be honest with you, the reason I came here this time was because I heard about you and came specifically to find you."
"Find me?"
Hearing this, Maria froze for a moment. Duanmu Huai nodded.
"To be frank, the Inquisition is currently lacking talent in mechanical engineering. After hearing of the witch who specializes in mechanical engineering, I came here hoping to invite you to join the Inquisition. And from what I've seen so far, your mechanical engineering skills are indeed extraordinary."
"Hehehe..."
Hearing this, Maria smiled shyly, but Duanmu Huai wasn't finished.
"However... to be honest, I'm hesitant. By the standards here, your mechanical engineering level is very high. But by the standards of the Inquisition, I'm not sure if you qualify."
"Huh?"
"Therefore, I intend to give you a test."
As he spoke, Duanmu Huai extended his palm. Soon, a holographic projection appeared before Maria. Seeing it, Maria's eyes widened in shock. She could already see that this object was very similar to her Tulip No.3—tracks, a massive steel body, a cannon, and various parameters displayed around it.
"This is?!"
"This is the design blueprint for the Leman Russ Tank owned by the Inquisition. Miss Maria, I believe you can see just how powerful this tank is."
Duanmu Huai was extremely confident in this blueprint. The Leman Russ Tank had once been the most widely used tank during the era of the Human Imperium. It was sturdy, simple, easy to manufacture, and possessed unparalleled reliability. It could adapt to the harshest and most extreme environments in the galaxy. Moreover, its engine could run on virtually any fuel. Though not very fast, its armor was sufficient to withstand the attacks of any enemy of the Imperium.
"Th-this..."
Staring at the holographic blueprint, Maria nearly popped her eyeballs out. Of course she could tell how powerful this tank was. Unlike her Tulip No.3, which only had a main gun, the Leman Russ Tank had a secondary cannon mounted on the front hull armor. On both sides of its sponsons were two heavy machine guns, and on top of the hull, it was even equipped with a boltgun.
It was like a mobile steel fortress on the battlefield. Anything that dared stand in its way would be mercilessly shredded by its firepower.
Maria was certain that once this tank appeared on the battlefield, the Herman army would have only one outcome—total rout!!
"So, I'd like to make a deal with you, Miss Maria."
"A deal?"
Hearing Duanmu Huai's words, Maria finally came back to her senses and looked at him. He nodded.
"That's right. I can give you the complete design blueprints for the Leman Russ Tank, including raw material data and casting processes. You can also manufacture this tank to fight against Herman—this is the deal. If you accept these blueprints and successfully build the tank, then I hope you'll go to the Inquisition and work for us. If you think you can't do it, then we end it here."
Yes, this was Duanmu Huai's test for Maria. At first, he truly didn't have much confidence in this girl. But after seeing her single-handedly produce a late–World War II–level modern tank in a magical civilization era, he changed his thinking. If Maria could truly reproduce a Leman Russ Tank in this era with only design schematics and manufacturing processes, then she was qualified.
Someone this broken not recruiting into the Inquisition would be a colossal waste.
That was why Duanmu Huai called it a deal. To the Inquisition, the Leman Russ Tank wasn't particularly useful at the moment, but it was still knowledge from an interstellar civilization—valuable enough as compensation. As a mechanical engineering expert, Maria couldn't possibly not understand this. She surely knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch.
Once she chose to accept the blueprints and build the Leman Russ Tank, it meant she would be entering the Inquisition's service...
"Maria—!"
Seeing her friend fall silent, Magic-Thinker Shizuka looked at her anxiously. Maria was silent for a moment, then raised her head and looked at Duanmu Huai.
"May I ask… what kind of organization is the Inquisition?"
"Simply put, we exist to protect humanity and eliminate all threats to humanity. Whether demons, heretics who worship demons, or monsters that threaten humanity—all fall within our jurisdiction."
Duanmu Huai spread his hands.
"The Inquisition is currently in a rebuilding phase, and we're short on manpower—that's why we're recruiting. And since you like machines, I'll tell you frankly: the Leman Russ Tank is one of the least impressive machines in the Inquisition. If you're willing to join us, you'll be able to see many more powerful machines far beyond your imagination."
"Really?!"
Hearing this, Maria's eyes lit up as she looked at Duanmu Huai excitedly.
"That's right."
"Then... I'm willing to accept this deal!"
As she spoke, Maria extended her hand.
"I'm willing to join the Inquisition!"
"Wait, Maria?"
Seeing her friend make such a quick decision, Magic-Thinker Shizuka looked completely dumbfounded. Duanmu Huai, however, simply reached out and shook Maria's hand.
"Though I'd like to say welcome... you still have to complete the test."
"I know. I have to build this Leman Russ Tank, right?"
Staring at the blueprint before her, flames of excitement burned in Maria's eyes. She then turned to her friend.
"Shizuka, please go inform everyone. The plan is postponed. We'll attack Red again in one month!"
"One month later? But didn't we say speed is of the essence in warfare before..."
"The situation has changed!"
Maria shook her head forcefully and pointed at the blueprint.
"I can guarantee that once this is built, even if the entire army of the Kingdom of Herman mobilizes, we absolutely will not lose!"
"This..."
Looking at her friend's fanatical yet utterly confident expression, Magic-Thinker Shizuka didn't know what to say. As a mage, she possessed powerful magic herself, but even she knew that the power of mages was ultimately limited. Yet Maria was now claiming that with just this metal box, they could turn the tide and crush an army of thousands...
"Alright."
In the end, Magic-Thinker Shizuka nodded helplessly.
Perhaps, the times really had... changed.
(End of Chapter)