The Devil of the Rhine in a "safer" world (SOTTE x RTW)

Chapter 18

A few hours later Roland called Margaret and the other merchants

Margaret: It seems that your highness has finally decided to reveal your hand and stand on Graycastle's political stage. Not only did Timothy hit a wall here, he also rushed to clearwater port. 

Margaret then explained that Garcia moved out of clearwater port and she doesn't know her true location

Margaret: However, this way you will be a thorn in Timothy's plans. In the future, his invasions on the west might be more frequent. If you're leaving Graycastle, you're always welcome in the Fjords. The island is enough to hold 10 Border towns, and we are willing to provide it to you and your people free of charge. 

Roland and Margaret then talk about the ballons 

After Roland sold a few ballons he goes to check on Anna and Lucia as they are researching steel, as they notice that the leaf's start to fall from the tree's, meaning that it's autumn 

Meanwhile the sleeping isle is currently becoming a massive trade spot in the fjords, as after all the churches went away the people, which only a few hundred or thousand were under the churches influence, start to become more accepted of the witches and started trading 

Meanwhile Tilly was flying with her new magic stone

Soon Maggie reaches the isle and gives the newest message to Tilly, Roland had sent hera card with some pictures of the demons, Roland also explained in the letter who they were, and their know abilities

Tilly and Ashes talked about how much Roland had changed after recieving Sylvies report on Roland, Sylvie also put some drawings of Rolands weapons

Meanwhile Roland was talking to Kyle about the mass acid production project, as Kyle was asking the help of the witch union to make containers for the acids and another project that for something Roland needs, Glycerin, also the news that is original disciple came to Border town with the rest of the redwater alchemist

A few day later and Maggie came back

And Lightning and Maggie prepared to go explore 

Maggie: Wher are we going coo? 

Lightning: To the west side of the forest, I want to see the end of this forest. 

Soon after they both are flying through the sky and find a mountain, trying to go through a shortcut by using a cave and find coal 

With this they decide to go back and report this to Roland, which currently was thinking of the hot air ballon dropping mechanism 

Roland opens the window and let them in 

Lightning: Your highness! 

Roland: What happened! What's the matter? 

Maggie: We found black stones, coo! At the huge snow mountain, coo! 

Nightingale: What? .

Lightning: No, it's the demons, I saw demons!

Roland: Demons?! Don't panic speak slowly. 

Lightning: I planned to scout the border of the the hidden forest, and then head west along the chishui river, but then I found a big mountain. Behind the mountain was a red mist covering the mountain... It was thick as blood that couldn't be melted! There is no end in sight! It was the same as the picture Soraya used to draw. That large area is the red mist which the demons live! 

Soon Roland gets the rest of the witch union and the 203rd

And they decide that they need to check it out as it could pose a threat to Border town

And they then plan on using a hot air ballon to fly over it and use Sylvie's ability to see from up close and all of their secrets 

Roland then suprises everyone by saying he's also would go, then Roland explains himself and how he finds interesting that they still haven't attacked mankind, then Roland tell who will be coming, Himself, Anna, Wendy, Soraya, Sylvie, Nightingale, Lightning, Maggie, Tanya and Viktoriya

Roland: We will depart in one week. In addition to the necessary food preparation, I will also give each of you a revolver. Tanya, Viktoriya and Nightingale will help you practice with it, so that even non-combat witches will have the ability to counterattack against any enemy.

Everyone: Yes, your highness! 

The with Anna's help Roland finds out that the black stones are indeed high quality coal

Roland with this then plans to build a mine in that place so he can stop relying in coal imports

Meanwhile in Timothy's castle

Timothy was now seeing the newest product of the capital's alchemy association, which had already been invented... twice, it was gunpowder, either way Timothy now could invent primitive firearms like fire lances, still they wouldn't even come close to Roland's guns, it would still prove dangerous

Timothy with this decides to make a whole workshop for this substance so it can be carefully researched

Then Timothy got news from the militia he sent to attack Border town

Knight: Your majesty! The militia you sent to the west seems to have been hit hard.Now the defeated soldiers have return to the capital! And each of them brought Roland Wimbledon's letter of accountability! 

Timothy: What?! 

Then Timoty reads the message on how Roland will atack the capital on the second month of Autumn and how is throne will shake and who the real king is 

Back to Border town

Everyone was training on how to use the revolvers, there were a lot of drawbacks as most of them would miss the target to the dumbfound of Roland, Tanya and Viktoriya

Anna did manage to hit the targets but she did to use her magic to help against the recoil, Roland scoffs at Anna since she needs to do it without her magic since they could find demons carrying the God's stone of retaliation 

Roland then helps by covering her ears, and the others also help the training witches to fire the guns 

While at the same time Roland decides to train them on the bombs droping mechanisms and Lightning's bomb guiding skills with a dummy bomb, it goes pretty well as Lightning guindes the bomb to it's target and leaves before the "explosion" would happen

(End of chapter, chapter 175 to 181)