In Fenris, mages were treated somewhat differently than elsewhere.
In Fenris, mages were not beings who lorded over others with their supernatural powers, nor were they respected intellectuals.
Mages were closer to being "laborers" with a bit more strength and remarkable efficiency.
This was because most of them were tasked with construction work necessary for the development of the territory.
That said, they didn't only do simple manual labor. They were deployed wherever magic expertise was required.
And Ghislain hadn't stopped developing new weapons, even in the midst of war.
— "We can fight a war and work at the same time."
— "But I only have one body."
— "I'll assign priests to you. Then you can work twice as much as others. Twice the time is like having two bodies."
Indeed, with healing provided by priests instead of sleeping, it was possible. It had often been the case even before the war.
Under the resolute will of the lord, mages participated in the war while also engaging in labor.
Of course, the priests had to participate in the war and heal the workers as well.
It was no different from how things had always been.
However, Jerome, unfamiliar with Fenris's unique "culture," tilted his head and asked,
"What kind of work? Is there something I need to do?"
What could possibly be more important for a mage than standing on the battlefield?
Ghislain explained in a gentle tone.
"Our knights and soldiers are equipped with special gear. But it's still a bit lacking."
The knights of Fenris wore magic armor made of Galbanium. The soldiers were also fully equipped with Galbanium gear.
Even with this, their combat power was overwhelmingly superior to that of other kingdoms' soldiers. But Ghislain wasn't satisfied with that.
"The knights activate the magic in their armor using their own mana. It's hard for them to sustain it for long. So, I want to create artifacts that don't require them to use their own mana."
"Artifacts?"
"Yeah. At the very least, I want everyone to have a supplementary weapon. They should at least be able to cast a few Fireballs."
Artifacts, in essence, were treasures created by enchanting tools with magic.
They were typically divided into those that required one's mana to use and those that didn't.
Naturally, artifacts that didn't require mana were much more expensive.
While they were a major source of income for the Magic Tower, they were also challenging to make.
The materials were rare and costly, but more importantly, the lower the mage's Circle, the exponentially longer it took to create them.
However, Jerome was an 8th Circle mage. This meant he could create artifacts faster than anyone else.
Jerome began to sweat slightly.
"Ah, artifacts? Do I really have to make them? Wouldn't it be better if I just fought on the battlefield?"
"Of course, you'll fight too. But we need to boost our forces as much as possible. That way, we can minimize losses. Listen."
The purpose of this war was to utterly annihilate the enemy. It wasn't something that could be resolved by a few strong individuals participating.
No matter how powerful Jerome was, it would be difficult for him to fight everywhere alone. Ultimately, wars of this scale naturally took time.
It was far more effective to quickly develop weapons and multiply the strength of their forces.
After finishing his explanation, Ghislain gave Jerome an intense look, making it hard for him to refuse.
"You can do it, right? Of course, you can. You're an 8th Circle mage. It's absolutely necessary."
The reason artifacts hadn't been produced before was simply the impossible workload.
The territory lacked enough mages, and those they had were of lower Circles. On top of that, there were countless tasks required for territorial development aside from artifact production.
'Thanks to Vanessa reaching the 6th Circle at the time, we barely managed to make armor for the knights.'
Through the war, they'd begun recruiting more mages, finally achieving a system capable of mass production. Ironically, though, they couldn't produce them comfortably due to the ongoing war.
'But you arrived at the perfect time!'
Even in his previous life, Jerome had been an excellent artifact creator. Although he fought often on the battlefield, he had dedicated even more time to research and production.
As the only 8th Circle mage, Jerome had no choice but to oversee all research and development.
'He was truly impressive. I owed him so much.'
Jerome had worked with scholars to create monstrous seeds, developed hot air balloons with dwarves, crafted magic armor for knights, and researched ways to close rifts.
He had contributed to numerous studies befitting a high-ranking mage. Without him, the human alliance would have struggled even more in his previous life.
But Jerome had no idea he'd achieved such significant feats.
"Ugh… I don't like this kind of work."
Jerome was someone whose mind and body often moved in opposite directions. True to his nature as a mage, he was occasionally fickle and known for being quite lazy in his village.
His mentor often said this to the villagers:
— My disciple is smart, but he doesn't study much.
Jerome was that kind of man.
Seeing his reluctance, Ghislain spoke again.
"You won't be doing it alone. Vanessa and the mages have already started. You just need to help out a bit."
"Ugh…"
"You'll help, right? We're friends, after all."
"F-Fine…"
The stronger their forces became, the fewer their casualties, and the easier it would be to defeat their enemies. It was a bothersome task, but as a mage, he had to do it.
Resolving himself, Jerome nodded.
"Alright, fine. But how do we start? We can't work here, can we?"
It wasn't feasible to mass-produce such items while on horseback. They'd need a proper workspace.
Hearing this, Galbarik responded confidently.
"There's no need to worry about that! In Fenris, we're always ready to work, anytime, anywhere."
"How?"
Galbarik pointed to a massive wagon nearby.
"Ta-da! This is the 'Mobile Workshop,' built by the great blacksmith Galbarik and his friends!"
"What the… this place is terrifying…"
Jerome's jaw dropped. To think those enormous wagons were actually workshops.
A creeping sense of dread began to rise within him. The mages and dwarves were working on their crafts while moving through the battlefield!
He had never heard of, let alone imagined, such a place.
As soon as Jerome agreed, Ghislain quickly shifted gears.
"Alright, I'm busy, so I'll head off now. Just follow along in the Mobile Workshop. Galbarik and Vanessa will explain the rest."
"Uh, okay… Got it."
Ghislain led the mobile army and swiftly departed. Now, only the mages, dwarves, and a few priests remained.
Galbarik tapped Jerome on the shoulder and said, "Come on, hop in. It's all set up inside. Once we craft spears fitted with runestones, you'll just need to enchant them with the mages."
"Uh… alright."
"But you know we need to move fast, right? If we delay, it'll be tiring for everyone."
"Y-Yeah, I understand. But making 400 will take quite some time."
Fenris had about 400 knights.
Even if Jerome only enchanted lower-tier spells, and the other mages helped, such a quantity would take a significant amount of time.
But Galbarik looked at him as if he were saying something absurd and asked, "400? Who said anything about 400?"
"Isn't it 400? We're making one for each knight, right?"
Galbarik shook his head.
"No, no. You still don't know our style here. If it were 400, we'd have finished ages ago."
"Then… how many are we talking about?"
"Target: 20,000."
"I must've misheard that…"
"20,000. That's the number."
Jerome pointed at Galbarik, laughing awkwardly.
"Ha, ha, ha. You're joking with the new guy, right? Just pulling a prank on me?"
"It's really 20,000! Everyone in the mobile army will use them! We only need about 16,000 more. We've been making them all along."
Jerome looked around at the mages in shock.
'So those dark circles…'
It wasn't from following the battlefield—it was from exhaustion due to constant work.
"No, no way! How can I finish all that! I can't do it!"
Alpoi burst out laughing beside him.
"Puahahaha! You think you can get out of this? Tchachachacha! Hahaha!"
Even with blood dripping from his mouth, he laughed, delighted at Jerome's predicament.
Vanessa, her gaze dark and somber, said firmly, "You can do it!"
"H-How can I do this?"
"We've always done it."
"......"
"When you start, you'll see it's not such a big deal. Just think of it as repeating the same day over and over again."
For Vanessa, it was crucial to keep Jerome on board. She and the other mages, even as a group, couldn't produce the artifacts fast enough.
Mages below the 4th Circle took so long to enchant items that their contributions were nearly negligible. They could only handle the most basic tasks.
The 5th and 6th Circle mages who had joined recently were helping, but they too couldn't produce at an impressive pace.
Ultimately, Vanessa had to lead most of the critical work herself, with the other mages only supporting her.
'That's why Lord Jerome must help with all his effort!'
If he, an 8th Circle mage, threw himself into the task, the production speed would double.
As Jerome's hands trembled in terror, Vanessa urgently continued, "It's for the people! The faster we make these, the more lives we can save! I promise, it's not as bad as it seems!"
"Ugh… Urgh…"
Certainly, if all 20,000 soldiers were armed with magic weapons and could cast Fireballs, it would be a shock-and-awe tactic.
Even a single volley of magic before the mobile army charged would utterly disrupt the enemy's formation.
This was the ideal charge formation that Ghislain envisioned.
'But do I really have to be the one to do it?'
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Jerome couldn't bring himself to say them. Vanessa was pushing him too assertively.
Eventually, Jerome, feeling resigned, asked, "W-When do you need it done by?"
A year? Two years? That might be manageable.
Vanessa responded with a bright smile, "The sooner, the better. Since you're here now, I think we can finish in two months!"
Galbarik, the dwarves, and the other mages all nodded in agreement.
Jerome's face twisted in disbelief.
"Is that even possible?"
Physically impossible. While he could endure without eating or sleeping for days, others couldn't do the same.
At that moment, Piote spoke up.
"Judging by our current speed, I think it's doable. If we manage our stamina and reduce sleeping time…"
Piote was already discussing recovery plans with the priests. They too had become specialists in labor during their time with Fenris.
Jerome thought to himself:
'These people are insane…'
Everyone treated this murderous workload as normal and were already strategizing around it. Once again, Jerome found himself questioning whether he was the odd one out.
Galbarik shouted loudly, "Alright, let's finalize the work plans on the go! Everyone, get in!"
At his command, everyone swarmed toward the wagons. They seemed used to it, quickly finding their assigned wagons.
Vanessa grabbed Jerome's hand and pulled him along.
"This way, Lord Jerome. This is your wagon."
[For Mage Use Only]
"......"
The wagons were clearly labeled with who should be riding in each.
Jerome sighed and entered the wagon. Inside, the spacious interior was filled with tools and piles of spears waiting to be enchanted.
'They even prepared name tags?'
Jerome found the table labeled with his name and sat down. It seemed everything had been prepared since before he joined.
Rattle! Clunk! Clunk!
As Jerome sat down, the wagon door closed. Then, thick iron bars came down over it. It felt more like a prison than a workspace.
"..."
Blinking at the sight, he noticed a small window on the door sliding open. Galbarik's face peeked through.
"Normally, we'd work in shifts, but since we're busy, we'll just go straight through without switching. The door will only open for meals and breaks. Oh, and the priests will come by to heal you regularly."
"......"
"It's your first time working in our territory, right? Don't take it too hard—we just want everyone focused. We'll make sure you get plenty of food."
Clack.
Without hesitation, Galbarik shut the little window.
"......"
Jerome couldn't believe this was happening. He looked to the side.
"Alright, let's get started!"
At Vanessa's shout, the mages sat down and began their work.
Jerome thought to himself:
'Ah, so this is how everyone lives, and I just didn't know. I've been living too comfortably.'
To preserve his sanity, it seemed best to accept this as reality.
He felt like he'd chosen the wrong friends, but it was too late to go back now. Jerome bowed his head and quietly began his work.
Around that time, Claude, who was leading the main army, heard about Jerome joining and muttered to himself.
"The newcomer should last about 50 years or so, don't you think?"
Fenris territory was steadily growing its roster of outstanding workers.
[T/L: I am in dire need of support. I will give discount to all those who will buy the rest of the chapters all together, so please support me the reader on my webnovel platform and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]