Before Alice muttered her idea, Momo briefed the current strength of the kingdom's military force. Arlenheim's Infantry Units had upper hands when it came to guerilla warfare in the mountain ranges and stronger physical strength in general compared to the Empire's Infantry Force since they were used in a vast, open field battle.
However, the Infantry Units were lacking Enchanted Weapon and Magic Resistance Armor to protect themselves from Magic Spell.
Meanwhile, the number of Cavalry Units hadn't yet recovered from the previous crusade. Years of corruption and embezzlement really took the toll of the kingdom's military might and economy.
Sadly, most of the nobleborn Mages were corrupt beyond help. They were executed along with their family members during the [Night of Black Scythe] to cleanse the kingdom from those rats. It would take decades to cultivate and nurture young talents to be formidable Mages.
On the other hand, Queen Freya couldn't ask the Royal Magic Academy of Arlenheim Kingdom to send their prominent students who were born from commoner parents into the war. They were still young and innocent. They were the Kingdom's most valuable assets.
As to substitute the lack of Front Line Mages in Arlenheim, Duchess Andariel had appointed five hundred succubi and five hundred incubi to fill the ranks.
Alice pondered for a moment. She calmly delves deep into her memories of modern knowledge that she stored inside her mind palace. A moment later, she found what she was looking for.
She opened her eyes, and asked for a big piece of paper and a pencil. She drew a literal blueprint of an Enfield Mk1 Bolt-action rifle down to its tiniest detail free-handedly without any guidance and completed it in less than ten minutes. But of course, Alice redacted some key parts of the mechanism so the Central Alliance's emissaries would have a hard time to figure out how the gun actually works.
Figuratively, she could have drawn modern day firearms, but it would be too complicated for the Arlenheim Kingdom's current technology. Besides, she only needs a weapon that could be used by both Mages and commoners without exception.
"Lo and behold! I shall present to you, my next finest invention to date! Magic Rifle!"
The noblemen from Central Alliance gasped when Alice presented the blueprint before their eyes.
"Is that the same weapon as what the Holy Church used during the Holy Crusade against the Diablo?!" Archduke Baratheon pointed his finger.
A smug smirk etched on the corner of Alice's lips. "It has the same core principle. However, the weapon that Holy Church used has slower firing rate and long reload time whereas my design can shoot ten rounds of Magic Bullets consecutively and can be reloaded within seconds!"
The collective "Ohh" voice hung high in the room. They listened closely as Alice continued her presentation.
"With this weapon, we can engage the enemy from a great distance and it could pierce through the enemy's armor as if it is made from paper!"
"How far exactly?" One of the noblemen raised his hand.
Instead of answering right away, Alice drew a picture of a pointy bullet on the paper.
"With the enchanted rifled barrel, a normal bullet will fly straight longer and could reach at least 2,440 feet per second. If Magic Bullet is being used, this gun would turn into a literal handheld cannon that could kill a target from several miles away depending on the shooter's accuracy."
"Several miles away?!" Queen Freya was astounded. "That could change the war drastically!"
'Yeah, tell me about it. Wait until you see the ICBM with nuclear warheads or a literal space craft that can shoot a tungsten rod from beyond the visible sky.' Alice muttered to herself.
She couldn't even begin to imagine the destruction if the warheads were replaced with a Calamity Rank Magic Spell. Unfortunately, she had yet to invent the magical technology to construct one.
Archduke Baratheon snorted. "Interesting design… But, do you already have the technology to mass produce this new type of weapon? We only have approximately two years before the Romanov Empire knocks on our front doors including the time they would need to march here."
Alice smiled confidently, tapping her temple with a finger. "It's here… All I need to make this weapon is the raw materials. With my magic and knowledge, nothing is impossible as long as I know the basic principles."
The dozen noblemen glanced at each other. They all have the same thoughts. A weapon as powerful as the Holy Church's would surely give the smaller kingdoms in the Central Alliance with fewer Mages and Magic Warriors to compete in the global politics and protect themselves from invaders.
In the world where anybody could claim themselves as a God since they could harness the near incomprehensible art of magic, a weapon that could be used by commoners was indeed a scientific breakthrough.
The dozen noblemen nodded at each other. They had mutual thoughts and motives at this point.
Archduke Baratheon cleared his throat before raising his voice, "let's say that Tusa Village and Arlenheim Kingdom manage to manufacture this weapon on an industrial scale, how much is the price for a piece?"
Alice glanced at Queen Freya, asking for her permission to make the decision. The queen closed her eyes and nodded.
"We will not sell the weapon. Not until our conflict with the Romanov Empire is over. Besides, we couldn't charge the price until we figure out the production cost and etcetera. However, if you are willing to provide us with the raw materials, fuel and provisions cost for our engineers and the grunts who do the field work, that would be a different story."
'Damn it! This succubus is so cunning! She's even more dangerous than Duchess Andariel and the Queen combined!' The Archduke lowered his head while stealing a glance to his peers.
Their hopes to obtain the weapon and learn the technology cheaply were abolished at that very moment.
Alice sneered on the inside. 'Like hell I would share my invention without anything significant in return.'
Archduke finally relented, admitting his defeat. "Very well, I will inform His Majesty King Leonhart of Alvion regarding this matter."