"Oh, what can it do?"
"Does it give our soldiers amazing strength? like raising their strength by one rank?"
"Yeah, does it?"
'What are they saying? Although I am proud of this armor's effect, they might not like it since it is far from what they expect.'
As he proudly showed off the armor, he was then bombarded by questions and speculation that were far from the explanation he will give.
"N-no thats—."
"Tch, what's the use? The cost is definitely going to be high, and you want to advertise such armor to us in this disaster? Don't tell me you planned this stampede."
Suddenly, a person made an accusation against the principal.
"Watch your mouth. Sir Fargo, you yourself have had your children graduate from that school, and you yourself should know of their reputation."
"But this timing is uncanny.
"Enough! We are in a pinch right now, and we can't afford to fight amongst ourselves."
"Kuh, fine then."
"So care to explain the effects of the armor?"
"Yes, of course."
As everything calmed down, he began to explain the effects of the armor.
"This armor does give a boost in strength to its users, but not to the extent that they will transcend ranks."
"Hah, what use is it then?" Then the man named Fargo exclaimed loudly.
"Sir Fargo." But then was admonished by the governor.
"Ehem. Continue."
"As I was saying, it gives a bit of a boost in strength but, in turn, provides self-healing properties."
"What do you mean?"
"Yes, why do we need to have such functions?"
"That's right, just one sip of a potion and you're healed. What more do you need?"
"Not to mention the healers on standby. This armor is useless!"
"Yeah."
"That's right."
As Principal Magia was explaining, he was bombarded with negative comments, branding the armor as useless.
Bam!
Slamming his hand on the table, everyone went quiet.
"I don't care what tone you gave me, but looking down on my daughter's work is the equivalent of crossing me."
He spoke in an angry tone, and he declared his stance to the people around him.
"So it's just the work of a brat. What do you expect from its usability?"
"Fine then! If that's how you see it, then I won't bother to finish my explanation. Hmph."
He grumpily sat down as he returned the armor to his storage bag.
"Wait, Principal Magia, they might have that opinion, but I, the governor, am interested in the armor's ability and effects."
"So am I."
But when the principal was about to give up the explanation for the armor, the governor stopped him and asked him to continue. Which is also seconded by the guild leader.
"I don't feel like it."
"I know how you feel; even I would not want to waste my time with stubborn people. But please, even if it's just a little hope that this armor might be something that can help us, I will listen."
"Haaa, Fine."
Hearing this, he sighed as he accepted the governor's proposal.
"Good, and I would also like all of you to not make snide remarks during the explanation. Understood?"
"""….Yes.""" Some replied with a low tone.
"Are all of you children? Say it louder!"
"""Yes!"""
"Good, then please continue."
"Alright."
Seeing how things went, he complied and started his explanation.
"As you said, you might be right about the potion and the healers. But you forgot something crucial."
"And what's that?" The governor asked.
"First the potion, in the middle of battle, we won't always be ready to take a sip during an exchange."
"I see that is true."
"Second, the healer. We might be able to fight as we get healed, but healers are few in number, and most are non-combatants who can't protect themselves properly. Not to mention the number they are going to heal."
Hearing this, they also understand the problem. Then the principal continued.
"Aside from those with combat experience, those who are non-combatants would have better usability in tending to the heavily injured. So with this armor's help, not only can the frontline fighters fight for a long time, but they can also return with enough time to the barracks to get proper treatment for wounds that the armor can't heal."
Finally understanding the true usage of the armor, everyone's eyes lit up; this also included the person who continuously gave him snide remarks.
"That's amazing"
"I didn't know that."
"We really are blind to a fault."
"Please accept my apologies. Principal Magia."
"Now that we know the armor's effect, we can discuss a proper countermeasure against the stampede."
"Yes, of course."
"Let's do it right away."
"Now that they were on the same page about the situation, they had a good solution for their problem."
They started to create a plan for their defense against the upcoming danger they would face.
~~~~~~~~~~~
At the center of the town, a large number of people gathered. And we're angry for not letting them know of the situation in advance.
"How could you people do this?!"
"That's right! Why did you keep this from us?!"
"We would have left long ago if we knew!"
"Weren't you supposed to protect us? Why?!"
[Everyone, everyone, please calm down. We already contacted the people outside, and they are going to send reinforcements.]
Hearing this, they calmed down a little.
[We would also like to apologize for the delay in the news. We were not sure if it was real, and we would not like for everyone here to lose faith in us because of the chaos we would bring due to false information.]
As the official left with those words, the people were still in despair and were claiming the slow reaction of the people above.
Which, in this case, they weren't wrong.
Seeing this, a discussion happened at the barracks in the city.
"Haah this bad the people are making it hard for us right now."
"What can we do? We are already feeding them lies. And the only thing we can do is keep feeding them lies."
"You're right, but there will be a time when those lies will be exposed, and that will definitely backfire."
"Forget about that. Are we really going to let our soldiers fight with this armor?"
"We can't do anything about it because it is a command from the higher-ups. So hurry up and wear yours."
"Nah, my armor is more comfortable, and it is better to give this to those who don't have armor yet, even if it is just one."
"Are you serious?"
"Don't worry; it is not mandatory after all."
"Fine then."
Giving up on his colleague's stubbornness, he just let him be.
~~~~~~~~~
[Leader, the people are already calming down, but the seed has already been planted.]
[Good, now split the stampede; the plan is about to start.]
[Yes, leader, we are already on route.]
[Now let's see how they will dance to our tunes]
[They will definitely be great entertainers.]
[And we are their puppeteers.]
The group then moved on to their next plan.
~~~~~~~~~
Hearing that the stampede was about to reach this place, I thought of helping create blockades and nothing else. But somehow I was also involved in fighting against the stampede.
"I was pretty sure I signed up to be part of the auxiliary group and help with defense."
"I am so sorry, Sir Bolt, but it is mandatory for C-rank and above to fight against the stampede."
Without any words to talk back, I was lining up with many soldiers, mercenaries, and adventurers, listening to the guild master.
"I am glad that all of you came here. I would like to tell you how grateful I am, but that is going to take most of our time right now. I am going to distribute these armors to all of you. This isn't mandatory, but I would like it if you people used it."
Seeing the guild master at the top of the podium made me realize he is so huge. And as the armor was distributed, I politely declined.
I mean, I don't want my face seen, plus this thing has an air conditioner. I don't know about the other ones, but I'm sticking with mine.
"Yeah, I'm not going to use that armor."
"Me too."
I then heard some groups decline it like I did. Maybe they are light fighters, huh?
"Tch, that armor is definitely an advertisement from a company."
"Even though it's free, I believe it's going to have a paper-thin defense."
"Yeah, that's got to be it. Even though I am a heavy warrior myself, I decline."
Oh, so they didn't want to wear it because it might be some merchant who wants to capitalize on this war. Yeah, I guess that's understandable.
"Are the armors distributed?"
"Yes, guild master."
"If that is the case, then I would like those who were wearing the armor to please line up on this side while the others move to this side."
Listening to his command, we politely complied.
"Alright, I would like to introduce you to the inventor of the armor and tell you what it is and how it's going to be of use."