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Vol 05 Chapter 18-1: Cluster Bomb

From outside the range of her wind detection magic, I observed Ashno’s condition through the binoculars. Just as I had anticipated, she was considerably weakened. The blood-soaked bandage wrapped around her right arm was a testament to the damage she had suffered.
She walked at the forefront of the Imperial Army, constantly using magic to search the ground. Whenever she found a landmine, she would plant a flag over it and instruct her troops to avoid stepping on it. She probably did this because it was difficult to detonate them safely. It was a careful and certain method, but because of this, the army’s advance was significantly slowed.
From time to time Ashno showed symptoms of a migraine. The cause was probably the excessive strain on her brain. High Elves had the highest compatibility with all Mana, the Mana lends Ashno its power and makes her magic easier to perform and more powerful, but in the end, it was Ashno herself who had to perform the magic. As long as she continued to lead the march, she had to keep the landmine detection magic active. And with the danger of the ballista looming over them, she couldn’t afford to reduce the accuracy of her wind magic. Even for Ashno, the burden of maintaining two complex spells continuously was not something she could endure indefinitely. That’s why I could confidently proceed with the attack.
「Alright, let’s go. Everyone, head to the points where the cluster bombs are hidden.」
Seeing her situation, I felt reassured. Ashno wouldn’t be able to react if we kept our distance.
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The cluster bombs were hidden in several safe houses I had prepared. They were placed near the path the imperial army would take, and in locations with relatively few obstructions to maximize the bomb’s effectiveness, ensuring a large number of enemies would be within the killing range. This meant the points where we could set them up were limited.
Our opportunities to use the bombs were limited. Especially this time, the initial attempt was critical, their guard was low so the chance of success and the potential damage done was higher. It was imperative that this first attack was a success.
「Leader, they’re really heavy.」
「Yes. They contain a lot of grenades, after all, even if they’re small there are over two hundred of them inside.」
Enhancing my physical abilities, I carried a spherical cluster bomb with Roleau, each nearly three meters in diameter. Meanwhile, I entrusted the monitoring of Ashno to Lucy.
「By the way, Cyril, the landmines were surprising, but I’ve never seen cluster bombs being used before. Are they effective?」
While peering through the binoculars, Lucy inquired.
「Yes, they make the crossbows and the ballista look like toys. This is not an anti-personnel weapon, but an anti-army one.」
Even calling it anti-army was an understatement. The three-meter diameter cluster bomb was undoubtedly more than just a tactical weapon; it fell more into the category of a strategic weapon. This was a weapon that could change the nature of warfare.
We hid at the top of a steep cliff and watched Ashno and her vanguard pass by. After about two hours of watching the five-kilometer long column of soldiers pass by, the rear group, the target we were aiming for, arrived.
「Lucy.」
「Yes, it’s okay. Ashno shows no signs of returning,」
「Got it.」
I took a deep breath. I steeled myself, ready to become a demon.
「Roleau, let’s do this.」
「Understood, Leader.」
Together, Roleau and I exerted our full strength to throw the massive cluster bomb, letting it ride the wind. When it reached above the enemy’s heads, it began to spin rapidly. From the gaps in the sphere, more than two hundred small, simplified hand grenades rained down. They were meticulously calculated and adjusted to scatter efficiently. According to my calculations, all the grenades would fall below the cliff, so we shouldn’t be affected, but just to be safe, I prepared a wind curtain.
「Everyone, get down, cover your ears, and keep your mouths slightly open.」
Lucy and the others followed my command. Especially Yukino, with her sharp ears, desperately pressed down on her fox ears. Then, it started. Layers upon layers of explosions overlapped. Each hand grenade’s detonation sent shockwaves and shrapnel, decimating the Imperial soldiers.
The cluster bomb’s effective range extended to a kilometer. The countless screams were drowned out by the blasts.
I activated wind magic and quickly assessed the damage to the Imperial forces.
…232 dead, 765 injured. Approximately one-tenth of the Imperial soldiers were incapacitated. Even the surviving soldiers were in disarray, screaming and yelling in anger at the sudden descent into hell. They couldn’t fully grasp the reality of what had happened yet.
「What is this, Cyril? Such destruction from just one bomb…」
Lucy was at a loss for words.
Roleau and Yukino were the same. In this era, nothing existed that could reap human lives so easily and in such numbers. Such overwhelming death was beyond their imagination. But I had created it.
「Let’s talk while we escape.」
I turned my back on the carnage and started to run. Lucy and the others followed me.
「There are several methods to increase the effective range of a bomb, one method is to purely enhance its firepower.」
I began to explain.
「But to double the effective range, you need eight times the firepower.」
Indeed, to expand the effective range of a bomb, its energy needed to be cubed. This approach was highly inefficient.
「That’s why the concept of using many small bombs scattered over a wide area was conceived.」
That was the inception of the cluster bomb.
「But there was an unexpected side effect to this approach. A bomb’s impact spreads out from its center. The enemy only receives the impact from one direction, so they can be blown away, dissipating the force, the power also diminishes if there are any obstacles.」
Bombs had less killing power than they appeared to have. The farther from the center, the more exponentially the power weakened.
「However, cluster bombs are different. They have multiple centers of explosion. Anyone within the effective range is hit by shocks from all directions – front, back, left, right… There’s nowhere to escape the impact. They are crushed by the all-encompassing force. The blast pressure and lethality within the effective range are tens of times more than a conventional bomb. Frankly, this weapon, once used, will inevitably lead to a massacre. It’s uncontrollable. That’s the kind of weapon it is.」