Things the current me can do

 
 Having returned to the mansion in Cocomel, I instructed Anna to have the photos sent off for printing, and immediately headed for the meeting room.
 
 “Ojou-sama.”
 
 Hearing Sofia’s voice, everyone turned towards me.
 
 “Missy, that noise I mentioned———”
 
 “Miss, the deployment for the defensive battle———”
 
 “Me too, I also have a report regarding the reception of evacuees.”
 
 Duncan, the workshop chief, and Lionel, the territory soldier’s commander, both opened their mouths at the same time and looked at each other, and then Sofia wedged her way in as well.
 
 That’s what it looked like.
 
 I interrupted their words by holding up my hand, then asked them this.
 
 “Regardless of importance, who’s is the most urgent?”
 
 ““Uhhh…””
 
 The three of them exchanged glances, after which Duncan was the first to speak.
 
 “Most likely, that’s me. I’d like instructions immediately.”
 
 “Alright. What’s up?”
 
 When I asked to hear again, Duncan cleared his throat and began speaking.
 
 
 
 “Regarding the aforementioned magic power wave noise, they’re most likely artificial communication waves. The source is from two places. The first is from within Cocomel, and the other is from somewhere northward.”
 
 “Communication waves? Did you not say earlier that 『That isn’t the normal communication』?”
 
 When I asked Lionel that, he nodded, saying 『I did say as such』.
 
 “What does that mean?”
 
 When I asked that, Duncan began his explanation.
 
 “Firstly, it is correct that it isn’t normal communication. The code is extremely short. Perhaps, they’re not sending characters one at a time but rather have fixed phrases prepared and planned intercommunication with that. At first glance, it appears to be ambiguous noise, but since it is being alternately transmitted from the second spot, I can’t think of it being anything but communication.”
 
 “It’s a perfect cipher, huh. If we hadn’t pinned down the second source here, we’d probably have thought it to be nothing but ordinary noise. ——— Did you find out anything else?”
 
 “Next was… right. We tried investigating the magic power waves with the magic power analysis machine, but those weren’t magic power waves from conventional magic communication machines. It used a rather wide wavelength bandwidth. ——— If I had to say, it’s close to the 『signal box』 from the royal castle assault. The difference is directionality.”
 
 “A signal box with directionality?”
 
 “Yeah. The directionality wasn’t as good as the magic communicator machine, so it’s probably something like 『a cross between a signal box and a magic communication machine』. The maximum communication range is 50 kilometres. Its size is something you can carry with both hands, and depending on the situation, you could probably hold the switch box in one hand and a mini-antenna in the other.”^[1]
 
 “In other words, a portable communication machine.”
 
 “Yes yes, that’s exactly it!”
 
 Duncan pointed with a snap of his finger.
 
 
 
 A horde of monsters, which suddenly appeared and increase in number as they head for the territory capital.
 
 The activated mysterious communication.
 The mobile communication machine.
 
 In other words, this is…
 
 “Someone schemed a surprise attack and controlled the monsters, is what you’re saying.”
 
 I held my head in my hands.
 
 “After all, it’s the Principality, isn’t it?”
 
 Hearing Lionel’s question, I shook my head.
 
 “I think the possibility is high. But I can’t come to a conclusion.”
 
 The Principality, which has wyvern taming, the signal box and the magic communication machines.
 
 Guiding monsters, as well as portable magic communication machines, are technologies that are extensions of that.
 
 Besides, I hindered and exposed the Principality’s plot that happened after the redo.
 
 I’d say there’s enough of a possibility that that country aimed this fight at me.
 
 ——— Although, how the Principality suddenly came to possess such technology remains a mystery to me as usual.
 
 
 
 “Do you know whereabout in the city the signal is being transmitted from?”
 
 When I asked that, Duncan smirked.
 
 “We’ve calculated the rough location. It’s the west-side residential area. ——— If you want it to be specific, we’ll have to parade around the target area with a detector, but… what would you like to do?”
 
 I thought for a bit, then looked at the territory soldier’s commander.
 
 “Lionel. If it’s you, what’d you do?”
 
 “… right. To be certain, I’d prefer to avoid walking around with a detector in the daytime. If our movements are leaked and they run away, then everything’s lost.”
 
 “In other words, aim for the night?”
 
 “That’s the last method we’d want to use. ——— It’ll take time, but I’d prefer to borrow private houses in the surrounding area and shrink that ring while we narrow down the location.”
 
 I see.
 Certainly, if we do that, we’ll be able to minimise the risk of having the spy slip away.
 
 If their purpose is to observe the city’s situation and defence system then they’ll likely wait till just before the monsters arrive to escape, and if we raid them mid-transmission, we should be able to move advantageously against the enemy.
 
 Besides, the situation has already begun moving.
 No matter what happens with the spy, we probably won’t be able to stop the monsters.
 
 
 
 After some time spent pondering, I raised my head.
 
 “Understood. I’ll entrust securing the spy to the territory soldiers. I don’t care for whether the suspect lives or dies, so move such that you ensure no harm befalls the surroundings.”
 
 “Yes!”
 
 “Next, Duncan, could you give the soldiers in charge of the investigation a lecture on how to use the magic detector?”
 
 “’Kay. ——— Is my turn over with that?”
 
 Saying that with a calm expression, sorrow seemed to have drifted about Duncan from somewhere.
 
 Having been left out of the magic power noise investigation that he was so excited about, did he become disheartened?
 
 “……”
 
 Seeing Duncan like that, I hit him hard on the back.
 
 “Ouch! Oi Missy, what’re you doing all of a sudden?!”
 
 I thrust my finger at the workshop chief as he turned around.
 
 “You and your workshop have a mountain of things you’ve got to do by the time the monsters attack! Stop talking nonsense in your sleep!^[2]”
 
 “Alright, alright! ——— So, what do you want me to do?”
 
 I then spoke to Duncan, who looked at me with eyes that had their gleam returned to them.
 
 “Mass production of weapons and bullets. At least, make as much as can be made till the monsters arrive. The situation is very bad. ——— I’ll start explaining now.”
 
 Thus I spoke with everyone about the things Anna and I had seen during our aviation scouting.
 
 
 ☆
 
 
 “Wha-… a horde of tens of thousands?!”
 
 Lionel was speechless.
 
 I nodded, and posed a question.
 
 “With the defence plan you all have put together, can you repel that number of enemies?”
 
 “… impossible. With those numbers, even with the 5-metre high city walls, they’d just keep climbing on top of their friends’ corpses one after the other.”
 
 In response to Lionel’s words, the commander of the kingdom’s expeditionary force, Virgil, nodded with a grim expression as he looked at the town map laid atop the desk.
 
 “Not only the northern city walls, even the east and west walls might get broken through. If that happens, the defence force will be surrounded from all directions and crushed.”
 
 “Hmm…”
 
 I could hear Lionel groan at that.
 
 
 
 ——— Sure enough, this is how it turned out.
 
 During the time in which we went to see that horde and were returning to Cocomel, they were planning a defence plan using the city walls as a shield, I think.
 
 Certainly, with traditional weapons… if it were a defensive battle using magic armaments and spells as their weapons, then that would be their approach to it.
 
 However, the current me has magic rifles.
 
 There are 100 at hand.
 If we combine that with the amount being sent from the main and new territory, we’ll be able to use more than 500 magic rifles.
 
 Then, if we add to that several of the 『prototypes』 that are in the Cocomel Workshop, it should become a considerable military strength.
 
 If we were to make effective use of those———
 
 
 Clap
 
 
 ““!!””
 
 Everyone turned towards me with startled expressions when I clapped my hands together.
 
 I then declared to them.
 
 “We’ll be drastically reviewing our defence plans.”
 
 For a moment, Lionel had an expression like, I have no idea what you’re talking about, before he came to his senses and opened his mouth in a hurry.
 
 “W-, wait a moment, Miss. What on earth are you going to do?”
 
 I guess he’s probably worried about an amateur butting in.
 
 However, too bad.
 If it’s a battle using guns, I still have more knowledge than he does.
 
 Miyahara Mitsuki’s brother, the military nerd, thoroughly drilled useless information into my head that I wouldn’t have had any use for in the near future.
 
 The time to make use of that knowledge has come.
 
 
 
 I put my hands on my hips, and spoke to everyone.
 
 
 “Let’s dig up the ground.”
 
 
 ““Huuhhhh?????””
 
 
 Everyone’s expressions hardened.