The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 43

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 43

“Uh, uh… R-right! No, you’re right! Did I say something wrong?”

“Have you ever seen a gun in person?”

“Of course! I clearly saw someone who brought a gun to the hunting competition come in dead last with it. A-and Count Pabein said that guns aren’t proper weapons! He said what kind of weapon is unreliable and the same no matter who uses it!”

Who the hell is Count Pabein.

Rita decided she would definitely ask Lindsey about that bastard’s identity later.

“It seems the Duirebourg Noblewoman has never properly seen one. The true power of a real gun.”

“Wh-what? I said I saw it!”

“Hanna.”

When Rita called her name, Hanna quickly approached with a box as if she had been waiting.

Usually she wore a holster on her waist or thigh even in dresses, but no matter what, she couldn’t carry a revolver while practicing dance in a ballroom dress instead of regular clothes, so she had left it with Hanna.

Rita took out Silver Grace, which had been carefully stored in the box Hanna opened for her.

“Noblewoman, this is a gun. More precisely, it’s an item called a revolver among firearms.”

She turned the grip and held it out toward Lavinia.

“Would you like to touch it?”

“Huh?”

“This is your first time properly seeing a gun, right? You hold it like this.”

Rita took the bewildered girl’s hand and made her grip the revolver.

Of course, she had no intention of doing the crazy thing of handing a gun directly to a beginner, so she overlapped her own hands on Lavinia’s and inserted her finger to prevent the trigger from being pulled.

“This is the trigger. You aim the barrel and pull this to fire a bullet. It’s much simpler than a bow, right?”

She continued speaking while guiding Lavinia’s overlapped hands to move.

“Anyone can use it the same way… that’s not completely wrong. Guns are simple enough for even a child to operate, and easy enough for an adult to learn in less than an hour.”

She flowed Oaths into the empty cylinder. She formed two bullets in the chamber. The same method she used to give new squad members who didn’t know much about or looked down on mage guns an experience.

“But precisely because of that, guns are weapons that become completely different depending on who uses them. Because they can be fired easily, they require more precise technique, quick judgment, and responsibility for the results.”

The first bullet was a defense round that would serve as a target. It’s a bullet that explodes at the point of impact and forms a temporary barrier with the Oaths that burst out.

The barrier’s maintenance time is extremely short and the bullet’s processing difficulty is insanely high, making it the epitome of inefficiency from a mage gunner’s perspective, but once you can process them freely, their utility on the battlefield is enormous. Because you can protect allies from a distance.

“Because anyone can use it, not just anyone should use it.”

The second bullet was an explosive round.

A simple but powerful bullet that causes an explosion at the point of impact.

“It’s something that can become either disaster or salvation depending on who holds it, so how could it be the same no matter who uses it.”

She aimed the gun barrel she held together with Lavinia at a table at the far end opposite the ballroom.

On the table that looked finger-sized due to the size of the hall was a silver candlestick that looked nail-sized. And three candles smaller than nails stuck in that candlestick, with flames that looked like mere dots.

“Now, look, Duirebourg Noblewoman.”

Rita moved her finger that had been placed between Lavinia’s finger and the trigger.

“This is salvation.”

The first bullet was fired.

The silver revolver vibrated as golden light shot out. It precisely extinguished the candle flame at that distant location and exploded there.

Golden light swirled magnificently, temporarily covering the area around the candle. The candle flame scattered like fireworks, creating a scene like indoor fireworks.

And immediately the second bullet was fired.

Unlike the quietly fired first bullet, this one came with a bang that rang in their ears.

“This is disaster.”

The second shot also exploded at the same spot where the candle flame had been.

However, what surged up this time wasn’t beautiful golden light but dark red flames. An explosion echoed as flames writhing like a demon’s tongue devoured the area around the candle.

The candles on either side of the central candle at the impact point half-melted and burst. And the wax fragments that shattered from the tremendous impact scattered in all directions, only to be blocked by golden light clusters.

The explosion was blocked by the barrier that the defense round fired first had scattered in the air for a brief moment.

Thanks to that, the aftermath of the terrifying explosion ended up swirling within the barrier. There was no damage except to the two candles.

Even so, the power of that explosion just now was unmistakable. Especially for someone who felt the recoil of the firing directly in their hands.

“Did you see that?”

“…”

Having witnessed the massive flames shot from the gun in her hands and the golden light that blocked them, Lavinia stiffened and remained silent. Rita continued calmly.

“Only those who recognize such power and meaning and can take responsibility for the results are qualified to hold a gun…”

As the firework-like light clusters subsided, the wax pieces that had been suspended in mid-air also fell with soft thuds. Quietly, having lost their fired energy.

When the light clusters disappeared, the central candle that had been hit by the explosive round was also revealed. In a completely pristine state without a single scratch.

Only faint smoke rose from the extinguished wick.

“…And a gun held by such a person becomes not just a simple weapon, but the manifestation of will.”

Rita gently took the revolver from Lavinia’s hands. As she returned it to the box Hanna was holding, she added:

“Just as the way one handles a sword reveals a knight’s soul, a gunner’s will dwells in their bullets.”

Silence flowed through the room. Lavinia, Hanna, Annemarie, and even Anton who had been groaning while clutching his shoulder were all staring wide-eyed at the candlestick at the end of the hall.

Only after letting go of Silver Grace did Rita realize she had gone a bit overboard.

‘I could have just let it slide, but I got worked up.’

Her eyes had rolled back at the nonsense about guns.

Anyway, she was a gun fanatic, and she remembered her colleagues who used to scold her saying she’d end up dating a gun at this rate. She rubbed her brow slightly and opened her mouth to smooth things over.

“Duire—”

“Hey.”

Lavinia suddenly grabbed her hands with both of hers. Flushed cheeks and strangely burning eyes looked up at her.

“That was a ‘real’ gun just now, right? What you just showed me was true marksmanship! What those other people did was fake shooting, right?”

Lavinia spoke in an excited tone. Rita pulled back and corrected her.

“Rather than what other people did being fake shooting, I use a somewhat different method of shooting. It’s called mage gunmanship…”

“Mage gunmanship! Is that your unique technique?”

“It’s not my unique technique, anyone can learn it. Like swordsmanship.”

“Anyone? Then I can learn it too?”

“Of course, you could learn it, but—”

“I want to learn! Teach me too! I want to, I want to do it like just now…!”

Gripping one of Rita’s hands with both of hers, Lavinia trembled.

“Ah, that sensation at my fingertips just now… The bang and explosion, the golden sparks too, really, wow, this is my first time with something like this. This kind of feeling is my first time ever! I didn’t know guns were like this. If it was like this, I would have tried it long ago, really! Ugh, I, I want to try it too! I want to learn too! I want to shoot magnificently like you—”

“Lavinia!”

Annemarie, who had approached at some point, blocked Lavinia who was pressing against Lillieta.

“How far do you intend to be rude? Instead of apologizing for speaking carelessly, you’re just pestering her! And is that the tone for making a request?”

“What’s rude? What’s wrong with my tone?”

“Lili, no, Lady Raskail is neither your friend nor your subordinate. You’re an uninvited guest who came here. But what’s your attitude right now?”

“U-uninvited guest! Who dares call me an uninvited guest? You should say it’s an honor to serve me! How dare you, to a Duirebourg Noblewoman!”

“Lavi, you…!”

“What about Anne’s attitude right now? Can a mere count’s daughter treat a Duirebourg Noblewoman like this? If you’re going to talk about manners, Anne should be the one kneeling and apologizing right now!”

At Lavinia’s shouting words, Annemarie’s expression changed rapidly. When she became expressionless in an instant, Lavinia, who had been about to shout more, hesitated. Annemarie quietly asked back.

“Then would it be fine if I kneel and apologize for my rudeness, Duirebourg Noblewoman?”

“Uh, huh? What?”

“Since that seems to be what you want.”

She bent her knee in front of Lavinia and grasped her skirt.

“Please forgive the rudeness committed by a humble count’s daughter to the noble Noblewoman.”

Lavinia’s pupils shook. The feeling that this wasn’t right was nakedly displayed on her expression. Not knowing what to do, she twisted her fingers and then screamed.

“Y-yes! Now you know! Be careful from now on!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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