Chapter 105: Twelfth Episode: Chapter 5 (1/2)
Chapter 105: Twelfth Episode: Chapter 5
Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation
”Vij! Vij! Wake up you! Wake up!” Oscar held the motionless Duchess tightly in his embrace.
”Damn it!” Oscar muttered dejectedly. It seemed like he would have to take certain measures.
His Imperial Highness scooped up some warm spring water and sprinkled it onto Vijdeline's face.
”Mmm...” Following the faint groan, the Duchess who had been unconscious for over ten minutes started shivering and twisting her body.
”Ola! Thank heavens!” Oscar who had been gripped with anxiety let out a heartfelt cry.
”What... What happened?” Evidently, Lady Vij was not yet fully conscious.
Oscar scratched his head, ”I... I only followed your instructions to pull the trigger of the mini hand cannon, but you suddenly fainted without reason. Moreover, your ears were bleeding! By the God of Light, the mini hand cannon's pellet really did not hurt you! Serious! I was almost terrified to death! If you still did not wake up, I will have...”
”Oh! Damn it!” Vijdeline waved her hand to stop the prince from babbling on. ”This is just great! I can't hear what you're saying! Can you speak a little louder?”
Oscar increased his volume, ”I was saying, I was following your instructions to fire a shot, then you...”
”No! No!” This time Vijdeline had heard everything. ”Are... Are you an idiot or what? You should say that you have fired a shot beside a girl's ear in an enclosed area surrounded on all four sides by rocks! Oh gosh! I just know that my ears were bleeding!” Vijdeline grumbled while rubbing off the coagulated blood at her ears.
Oscar nodded in embarrassment; he vaguely knew that what had taken place was his mistake.
”Oh, God of Light! How can I be this unfortunate?” Vijdeline struggled to get up from the prince's arms, but in the end, she still collapsed again. ”Seriously you! Don't tell me you don't know just how deafening a sound the shot from a mini hand cannon produces? Don't tell me you that you are ignorant of the rule of sound propagation? Oh gosh! I actually gave away such a valuable thing to an idiot!”
Oscar scratched his head; he did not mind the Duchess' rebuke in the slightest! On the contrary, he felt relieved, relieved that Vijdeline did not discover his true intent at the last moment.
”Okay Vij, tell me, were you stunned by the sound of the shooting sound?”
”What do you mean?” The Duchess who was exceptionally aggravated tilted her head. Now her ear appeared to have a large cluster of flies buzzing in it. This sensation made her almost go mad!
”I am saying, what was the cause of it?” Oscar practically shouted the question.
”You... You still have the nerve to ask?” Vijdeline extended a snowy white fist and struck the lad's shoulder heavily. ”Haven't you already experienced the experimental cannon? Don't tell me you didn't notice that when the boom of the cannon sounded, the cannon soldiers would cover their ears? The principles of the other weapons are similar, especially in this enclosed room. You opened fire right next to my ear, so what I heard was not a loud boom, but the countless sounds reflected back against the rocky walls at unimaginable speed! Under this circumstance, it will truly be a miracle if I was not knocked out!”
Oscar suddenly came to apprehension and let out an ”Ohh”. However, he shook his head again, ”But... But why am I okay?”
”You... You....” The utterly exasperated Duchess once again gave the Prince of the Empire a ”Severe beating”.
”My Imperial Highness, why not... place the mini hand cannon by your ear and try it another time?”
Oscar was not a fool, he promptly shook his head like a rattle-drum.
Having vented enough, the poor Lady Vij curled up her knees and buried her face in her hands.
”The... The eardrum of my left ear is definitely ruptured! Perhaps... Perhaps I will go deaf!”
Just when the Duchess finished venting, Oscar cradled her in his arms abruptly.
”Let's go! I will bring you to a doctor. My doctor can treat both live and dead people! Vij, you have nothing to worry about, Percy will definitely find a way! I will absolutely not let you go deaf. In my eyes, you are perfect. Even if the God of light won't forgive me, I still will not let you become disabled!”
Perhaps it was because she felt his overflowing love, the Duchess in Little Oscar's arms, could not stop kissing his little cheeks.
Just before Oscar's face was drowned in fragrant and sweet saliva, His Imperial Highness finally evaded the kisses impatiently.
”My lady, hold on, now isn't the time for this! Can you walk? I cannot cross this gap while carrying you! We should hurry for we cannot let your injury worsen.”
”I was joking! Hehehe!” Vijdeline who just had on a look of despair was already flashing a vibrant smile.
Looking at the ecstatic Duchess, Oscar who did not know what to think took in several breaths, ”Ola... Why... Why did you deceive me?”
”Quickly put me down!”
Oscar promptly placed the eldest daughter who was used to acting and faking her emotions, onto the ground. Not knowing why His Imperial Highness suddenly thought of the former Aeolia. Vijdeline should be the same type of person as Aeolia. Both of them were astute, both adept at exploiting men's weaknesses and both amazing at putting their advantage to full use.
The Duchess who had just been set on the ground swayed helplessly. Her head was pounding and her ears were filled with all sorts of indistinguishable noises.
Oscar steadied Vij and realized that the eldest daughter really did not seem that bothered about her condition.
”Actually... I have encountered incidents such as this multiple times.” The Duchess explained while furrowing her brows. She really did not wish to recall those mutilated and disfigured bodies.
”Explosions during experiments, breeching blows of the cannons, the firearms catching fire! In short, I have been continuously skeptical as to why I am still alive after these repeated ordeals. Perhaps... Is it because I have never personally operated those prototypes? Aside from repeated injury, I have never been faced with the threat of death. But... There are inevitable times where the injuries were grave, for example, my lower abdomen being cut open by shrapnel and my right hand being scalded by a wrought iron. During a certain time a few years back, I once thought that I was deafened by a breech blow of a cannon, but... Do you believe that miracles still exist in this world?”
Oscar shook his head; he had all the while doubted that. Torry had mentioned that there was no way to enumerate the experimental failures in the Sukhoi Designing Bureau. The only things that could be statistically taken into account were the loss in assets and technological resources and also the casualties of the crew. Since... VIj had experienced all these, then just how did she survive through them?
Escaping it once could be considered a fluke, but what about twice? Or three times? Moreover, Oscar had explored the Lady's naked body with his eyes and hands; if she had really suffered such severe injuries, then it was impossible that not a single unsightly scar was on her body! Lies! She had to find a more convincing justification! Oscar did not believe in the so-called miracle. His skeptical and contemptuous gaze bored into the Duchess', waiting for the woman's explanation. He wanted to see how this woman who was accustomed to holding back pieces of the truth would justify herself.
Vijdeline did not care about the lad's gaze at all and instead pointed towards the hot spring that was emanating a silvery white glow under the moonlight. The mouth of the spring was bubbling and emitting a large amount of steam and violent ripples.
”That is the miracle! The God of Light has taken pity on the sacrifice that the Sukhois made for Holy Titan's national defense project. This mighty God sent an angel to hollow out this hot spring that spurts spirit water!”
”Are you dreaming? Or did the gun shock damage your brain?” Oscar smiled lightly. He had never encountered the God of Light nor angels. As for religious theology, he had always been unable to stand it.
Fortunately, it appeared that the Duchess did not hear what His Imperial Highness Prince said, completely engrossed in her explanation.
”When I was young, this was a place I often came to play. Once upon a time, this was barren land covered with volcanic rocks and there wasn't a hot spring. However, the day when I discovered that I was deaf, under divine intervention, I suddenly felt like coming here to calm down a bit and soothe my dejected soul! You know? Before that, it had been ages since I last visited this place because... This was merely one of the places of my adventures. You know? I do not remember much... About the scene at that time. I only know that a hot spring materialized out of the blue ad the steam made me feel light-headed. I also do not understand what made me had the urge to strip down in this open karst cave. I used the spring water to wash the thick blood flowing ceaselessly out from my ear canal, and after that, I fell asleep. When I woke, I realized that I could hear the whistle of the wind. Is this not a miracle? I can only describe this incident as a miracle.”
Oscar raised his voice, ”So... After that incident... You discovered that the spring water had other uses, for example, the scars on your body slowly faded away? Is it like that?”
Vij nodded her head like an excited little chick pecking away. To a girl who valued beauty, there was nothing that could bring such joy than this discovery.
Oscar made an expression that said ”I knew it”, ”So... This is not a myth? Or your fantasy?”
Vij made a face, ”You are my choice and I will share with you all that is mine, including my myths and my fantasies! As to whether those will become a reality, you will find out soon!”
Under Oscar's startled gaze, Vij once again removed the clothing she had on, just that this time her actions were slow and seductive.
Soon, an exquisite female body presented before the lad's eyes. Oscar's gaze was burning with a fiery intensity and was on the verge of madness! Without taking into account Vijdeline's character or caring about what the Duchess actually hoped to achieve, Oscar had no willpower to control his overflowing fervor and lust.
Although heat from the steam of the hot spring filled the karst cave, VIjdeline's voluptuous body still had a bright pink tinge despite the freezing weather that hailed from above. The naked woman strolled unsteadily towards the mouth of the spring and extended the sole of her foot and carefully tested the temperature of the hot spring.
Oscar was simple incapable watching all these in quietly. He did not know how much longer he could restrain himself.
Vij slowly dipped her body into the spring. She turned around and the two massive breasts were displayed before the lad's eyes. The Duchess stretched out her hand towards the prince.
”Aren't you coming?”
Oscar gulped his abnormally sticky saliva with difficulty. To go or not to? This was not of significance at all! What was important was that after this fervor, just how would he see this femme fatale who would clean out even her relatives without a second thought.
Oscar dawdled at the edge of the hot spring, lost in thought, ”Curse it! Since when did I come over here?”
Vijdeline's delicate hands, which had caressed countless murder weapons, was already inside the man's underpants. The pair of hands were groping around and leading him on, emitting heat that only the devil possessed. Finally, the Duchess' hands completely exposed the man's object in the hot atmosphere. The woman lifted her head and gazed into the man's unfathomable eyes that were ablaze. She plastered the body she was proud of on the man's thighs then used the deep ravine between her breasts to rub ceaselessly against the man's burning lethal weapon. Vijdeline had seen many of these lethal weapons, but she had only ever seen one like the one before her, that could be inserted into the mouth to carefully savor.
Oscar tried his best not to let out a sound or to visit those mesmerizing eyes. If possible, he wanted to ignore even the thrill that coursed through him, which was capable of driving one mad when the warm oral cavity enclosed around his under part. However, no man could say for sure whether these things could be so easily ignored.
”Andrew Haila!” Oscar tore open his collar, causing the buttons of his uniform to scatter all over the ground!
”This is for my family!” The young man gently pushed away from the woman that was exuding intense desire. With the quickest speed, he tossed away everything that was bound to him.
The moon glided slowly in the ocean of stars and emitted light and heat with its newborn energy. Shadows crept up in the karst cave until finally, when a crescent moon hung high in the night sky, seemingly everything came to a standstill. There was the sound of water bubbling out of the mouth of the spring and steam transformed into dancing silvery rays under the moonlight. In the dense fog, a man was tangled up with a woman and the woman was supporting the man. Both the silhouettes thrashed and danced.
***************
”Hurry! Hurry up! Come on, speed up! Give it your all! Harder! Come on, harder!”
An officer of the Sukhoi family was bellowing. He rolled up his sleeves in the freezing wind and opened his collar as if... He was showing off his dense chest hair to the soldiers under him, or as if... The stress of the tense atmosphere at the scene had left him at a loss for what to do.
Grizzly Fortress was shrouded in dense darkness and only the public square behind the Fortress portcullis was brightly lit with burning lights. About more than ten fine steeds were dragging a peculiar carriage and the officers and men were bustling to and fro between these carriages, each on edge.
”Hurry up! Haven't you all just had your supper? How come you're all still like a bunch of weaklings? Come on, harder! Harder!” Torry yelled frantically! Loading a fortress cannon weighing 640 kilograms and with a diameter of 85 millimeters onto a specially constructed carriage was not something that one would enjoy doing! If one were not careful, the cannon might be damaged, but that was a small matter compared to the loss of lives. That, couldn't be accepted.
”Perhaps... We could add another group of pulleys!” Lieutenant General Endorph of the Steinberger Family suggested worriedly while gazing at the taut hoisting ropes.
”Add another group of pulleys?” Torry looked at the Lieutenant General and frowned, ”Then tell us, how are you going to add them? This is already the most scientific way of lifting, adding another group of pulleys will only cause most of the cannon's weight to be concentrated onto the other side of the pulleys and this will cause the sling cart to overturn!”
Lieutenant General Endorph continued watching over the bustling scene in silence.
As it turned out, the Sukhoi Family had designed a sling cart to move large firearms. These vehicles required twelve bulls to pull, indicating that these sling carts had an incredible dead weight. The carriage of the sling cart possessed a gigantic capstan. One end of the cable was steadying the capstan while the other end passed through the overhead pulley to secure the cannon. When moving cannons, it required manpower to drive the capstan, which then tugged on the pulley and cables and further moved the 640 kilograms cannon. When the Fortress cannon had been lifted up, the specially constructed cannon tractor stopped right below it. At this moment, the soldiers would release the capstan, allowing the huge cannon to be placed precisely onto its base on the tractor.
This process might appear simple since it did not have complicated procedures or involve any scientific principles that were worth one delving into, but the knights on the scene were already perspiring profusely. They had to exert their full concentration and physical strength for the job. These trained soldiers watched the ropes, the capstan and every vibration of the sling cart. Lastly, they had to further ascertain that the position of the tractor was correct and that the speed and strength of lowering the cannon were precise.
Although technological wise, the sling cart was considered quite advanced, its efficiency was not very outstanding. The capstan got stuck frequently and the iron frame built into the carriage to suspend the pulley had a possibility of bending and breaking apart anytime. The knights had experienced all these and understood the value of the cannon. If during transport these huge weapons were damaged in any way, it meant that the family had to sacrifice another eight months to produce another one! Of course, if there was a shortage of materials and manpower, or a mishap occurred during the industrial process or the final test, then the time frame would be extended indefinitely. Even if one were just an ordinary soldier, no one would wish for that.
At last, just when Venus climbed over the Eastern horizon, the last Fortress Cannon was loaded safely onto the tractor. The Sukhoi soldiers broke into jubilant cheers. Only the soldiers in charge of the tractors were too exhausted to express their jubilance; they instead collapsed onto the freezing carriage.
”Ohh... A job completed without any mishaps!” Lieutenant General Endorph finally heaved a sigh of relief. He took off his beret and wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead, but the freezing Northeastern wind quickly ruffled over the top of his head, causing him to shiver with cold.
”Torry, thank you! Otherwise, I really have no idea on how to transport these huge things.”
Major Tove Van Sukhoi shrugged nonchalantly. It seemed that he did not care much about the brigade Lieutenant General's sincerity.
”I say, beloved Lieutenant General Endorph, this is within my responsibilities. So it is best if you store up your gratitude, for there will be ample things for you to worry about soon. At that time, if I can help out, thanking me then will not be too late.”
Looking at those artilleries of unparalleled values on the tractor, Endorph could only nod in agreement helplessly. He knew that what the Major of the Sukhoi Family said was true! From now on, these huge weapons would definitely encounter all sorts of problems and at that time, the amount of inconvenience would far surpass that of the current one.
”Hey everyone, look! So impressive!” An excited voice suddenly rang out from one of the spots on the site.
Torry gazed in that direction. It turned out that it was a few of the high-ranking military officers of the Red Tiger Assault division and the person who spoke was the not very decent leader of the rangers.
”Shorenstein, Théleau, Kamille! My old friends! What is it? You all don't wish to sleep a little more? There is still a long time before daybreak and we need to rush on a long journey today!” Torry cried while greeting them warmly.
”You had been making a racket here, screaming, harder, harder, harder! Who among us bachelors can sleep?” Shaw Shorenstein gave his old friend a heavy fist to the shoulder. During their time in University Town, among the officers of the Red Tigers, he was the one who'd became closest to Torry.
”Hahahahaha! Don't tell me that you all thought I was handling a maiden?” Torry quipped when he saw Shorenstein, a bird of the same feather as him, and started off down the slope.
”That did not cross my mind, I only came to see these huge beauties!” Théleau Kleiner, commander of the Red Tiger Heavy Cavalry Corps tried to disassociate himself with the two men who spoke without restraint. Colonel Kamille Rayen who was beside the commander did not utter a word, instead, the paladin only smiled.
”Hey! Do you guys still remember?” Torry was suddenly in high spirits, ”Those practices back in University! You guys led the cavalry to beat up us poor students. Now let me use these large beauties to go against you all, just for practice, interested?”
There was a protracted silence from Shaw Shorenstein until finally, he said, ”Uhhh... I think... There's still a pot of red braised pork on the stove in the chef's camp!”
”Really?” Théleau Kleiner joined in seemingly excited, ”Then what are we still waiting for? In this freezing weather, we need a pot of bubbling red braised pork to fill ourselves!”
”Yes, that's right! I was just about to leave!” Shaw Shorenstein turned around, but suddenly remembered the paladin, ”Hey, Kamille! Come join us?”