A short while later.
A weathered suit of armor had been propped up on a scarecrow in the center of the inner courtyard.
As I stepped into the courtyard holding the strange jar, every eye in the castle turned to me.
The servants, the maids, the soldiers—even Konrad and Sir Kuno.
The inexplicable events of the past few days had been more than enough to stoke their anxiety about the new lord.
"I heard the young lord's completely lost his mind..."
"What's in that jar to make him act like this?"
"They say he sold his soul to the devil for black magic."
Rumors ranged from me having gone mad with grief over my father's death to dark whispers that I'd bargained my soul for forbidden sorcery.
I could see the whirlwind of emotions in their gazes.
Doubt, unease, fear... and the faintest flicker of hope.
This wasn't just a test of a new weapon.
I had to show them hope.
"Everyone, this could be dangerous, so fall back at least twenty paces from me!"
Sir Kuno stepped forward with a worried look.
"My lord, if it's truly dangerous, let me do it instead. There's no need for you to—"
"No, Sir Kuno. I have to do this myself."
Seeing the resolve in my eyes, Sir Kuno realized he couldn't dissuade me and stepped back without another word.
I lit the fuse on the jar myself. The oil-soaked cloth crackled as it burst into flame.
Taking a deep breath, I hurled the lit jar at the scarecrow with all my strength.
The jar traced a perfect arc through the air.
Crash!
It smashed right into the scarecrow's chest, shattering as intended. The thin pottery broke perfectly.
At the same instant, a black, viscous liquid splattered everywhere, clinging grotesquely to the scarecrow's body.
And then, the next moment—
[BLAZE ERUPTS!]
WHOOSH!
The scarecrow engulfed in searing flames
A blinding flash seared their eyes, and the scarecrow was swallowed by roaring flames.
"Gah!"
"W-what the hell is that!?"
Everyone in the courtyard screamed and stumbled back in panic.
This was no ordinary fire. Scorching heat rolled out dozens of paces, accompanied not by the crackle of burning wood, but by an eerie, boiling hiss like oil in a pan.
The flames didn't just burn—they clung to the scarecrow like a living thing, melting its form away.
"...!!"
The sheer, destructive spectacle left them all gaping in stunned silence.
The first to recover was Steward Konrad.
A man who'd spent his life with House Sternberg and weathered every storm, yet even he couldn't hide his shock.
"M-my lord... what is this? Some magic you wield... n-no, alchemy?"
I kept my eyes fixed on the burning scarecrow and murmured softly.
"Neither magic nor alchemy."
"Pardon? Then what—"
"Chemistry."
A faint smile tugged at my lips.
"Though calling this 'chemistry' is a bit generous—it's pretty basic stuff."
Chemistry.
The word was all too familiar to me.
In my previous life, I'd earned my PhD in chemistry from KAIST and worked as a senior researcher at one of Korea's top corporations.
My life had revolved around molecular formulas, chemical reactions, and data.
In this backward medieval world, future knowledge was my only lifeline.
Roar!
The flames showed no sign of dying down. The old armor around the scarecrow glowed cherry-red, then began to melt.
The people stared in dazed awe, not one daring to speak.
Kuno broke the silence. The shock and fear had vanished from his face.
"Good God..."
He wasn't seeing a burning scarecrow—he was envisioning enemy siege towers and gates ablaze.
"My lord! With this new weapon, we can crush those Hussite bastards! No enemy could stand against it! Their wagon forts would be nothing but kindling!"
His words stirred the frozen soldiers. A spark of life returned to eyes once clouded by defeat.
Turning my back to the blazing scarecrow, I faced my people in the courtyard and declared firmly.
"Sir Kuno is right."
"Ooh...!"
Hope—the hope of survival—began to spread across faces once filled with fear and doubt.
"Listen well. The Hussites will come soon. But we no longer need to fear them."
I pointed at the melting scarecrow.
"This new weapon is called 'Ulrich's Wrath.' This is Sternberg's new power. These flames will guard our walls and protect our families!"
Ulrich's Wrath.
Even I thought the name was a bit childish, but it couldn't be helped.
A straightforward, simple name would resonate most with fear-stricken soldiers.
They'd hurl "Ulrich's Wrath" and truly believe it was my fury unleashed.
"Konrad."
"Yes, my lord. Your command?"
"Mobilize everyone in the castle to produce this weapon. See to the wall repairs and defenses with utmost care. Double-check our food and water stores too."
"At once."
Konrad's demeanor was far more deferential now. He no longer saw a boyish lord—he saw the master of House Sternberg.
I turned to Sir Kuno with my next order.
"Sir Kuno, assemble the surviving soldiers at once. We need to train them on how to use this weapon."
"Yes, sir! As you command!"
Kuno bellowed his response. No shadow of defeat lingered on his face.
With this, I'd won the trust of my people.
All that remained was surviving the coming crisis on that trust.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
On the way back to the workshop after the new weapon test.
Janos exclaimed in excitement.
"My lord! With this, we can give those Hussites a thrashing! We can turn every bastard climbing our walls into ash!"
Unlike the thrilled squire, I revealed the cold truth I hadn't shared with the others.
"No. This alone isn't enough."
"What? Not enough? How can you say that after seeing that power!"
I calmly laid out the reality to the fired-up Janos.
"No matter how powerful, it's still just thrown by hand. Short range means the enemy has to get right under our walls to be effective. But with our thirty-odd men, what happens if we let their army that close?"
"Uh..."
Janos's face hardened.
Exactly. Even if one firebomb let a soldier take out ten enemies, what good was that? The foe outnumbered us dozens, hundreds to one.
Letting them reach the walls meant instant defeat. The numbers were too lopsided.
Janos asked dejectedly.
"But earlier you said this weapon meant no worries. Were you lying?"
"When did I say I was lying?"
"Pardon...?"
I grinned confidently at my squire.
"If we can't shoot it like an arrow, then we'll build something to hurl these jars far."
I opened the workshop door and stepped inside. Two men were already waiting.
"Blacksmith Tomasi, my lord."
"Carpenter Jakub, at your service."
The blacksmith fidgeted, unsure where to put his soot-blackened hands, while the carpenter hastily brushed off sawdust.
They'd rushed here at my summons, but they eyed the strange tools cluttering the barn-like space with confusion—no proper office in sight.
I cut straight to it.
"I need your skills. We have something to build."
"Yes, my lord. Name it."
"A trebuchet."
At that, the two craftsmen exchanged bewildered glances.
Their eyes screamed that the young lord was spouting nonsense.
Tomasi ventured cautiously.
"My lord, forgive me, but... a trebuchet is a siege engine for attacking castles. It's useless for defense—and we'd be better off using the manpower to shoot arrows."
Jakub chimed in, raising a technical point.
"Not just that, my lord. A trebuchet isn't simple. It needs precise balance for the counterweight and throwing arm. Frankly... it's beyond my skill."
The reaction I'd expected.
"Who said anything about a massive stone-hurling monster?"
"...?"
"Here, take a look."
I unrolled the parchment with my hand-drawn blueprint before the puzzled craftsmen.
They peered at it reluctantly—then their eyes widened.
"Th-this... isn't a trebuchet!"
What I'd drawn was no standard trebuchet.
A mangonel.
No massive counterweight—instead, a wide platform on the opposite side.
I pointed to the platform on the blueprint.
"No counterweight. This runs on manpower. Several soldiers jump down from this platform, using that force to launch."
Even I didn't know the intricacies of medieval siege engines.
But grasping the lever principle was enough—no need for complications.
"And we're not launching stones."
I held up one of the thin ceramic jars nearby.
"The jar...?"
In that instant, Blacksmith Tomasi's eyes lit up.
He alternated between the blueprint and jar, realization dawning as he shouted.
"Of course! If we're throwing light jars, we don't need the strength for heavy stones! The joints and supports can be much simpler!"
Carpenter Jakub studied the blueprint with growing interest. His eyes now gleamed with a craftsman's curiosity, not dismay.
"Right. The structure's way simpler too. No counterweight means easy balancing. With this, we can definitely build it."
I nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Then have at least two installed on the castle's corner towers within four days."
"Tw-two in four days?"
Shock returned to their faces.
"I'll provide all the manpower you need. Succeed, and silver flows. Still impossible?"
"Well..."
Simple or not, it was still a siege engine. Two in four days was a tall order.
But they steeled themselves and replied.
"We'll make it happen, even if we pull all-nighters."
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