TCCIO 33

Chapter 33. Hope Within Anxiety
<One Week Later>

Bang!
A loud gunshot shattered the peace of the royal castle of Eorenti. Birds, startled by the sudden noise, flew up in a flurry. The people who had been waiting steadied themselves, trying to calm their pounding hearts.

“Impressive.”

Delia stared at the target with a grim expression. The bullet holes had left deep marks all over—just like the scars on her own arm.

“You’ve mastered its use already.”

After recovering from a long illness, the first thing Delia sought was the weapons crate—the Imperial Army’s weapon crate. Analyzing and countering enemy weapons was critical. Her mind replayed everything she had gone through to steal that crate: becoming bait in a diversion, getting shot, trying to rescue a prisoner only to become one herself, and even becoming entangled with the enemy’s supreme commander.

Bang!
Delia fired again, as if to erase those unnecessary memories without hesitation.

“It’s definitely easier to shoot.”

She murmured as she handed the gun to her attendant. One of the weapons engineers, standing nearby, responded excitedly.

“Yes. The barrel is light, and the engineering is exceptionally precise.”

His eyes were filled with curiosity as he looked at Delia. The attendant handed her another loaded gun.

“Our army’s guns require 63 steps to reload. The Imperial Army’s guns only need 26.”

“And their accuracy is remarkably high.”

Delia listened as the engineers eagerly presented their research.

“Rather than lighting the fuse with flint outside the gun, this mechanism is much faster.”

“Just pull the trigger—it’s simple to use.”

“How is that even possible?”

Delia swallowed her frustration and asked.

“When the trigger is pulled, a built-in flint strikes and ignites the powder.”

“This not only saves time but also makes the weapon more mobile and safer.”

Old-style guns were so unstable they could explode on their own. Their low accuracy sometimes injured the shooter. But the Imperial Army’s guns were the most advanced weapons developed so far.

To Eorenti, this was not welcome news.

“This is innovation—pure innovation!”

The weapons engineer, summoned to the royal palace, was practically mesmerized. He examined the gun in Delia’s hands with wonder. Delia irritably shoved the gun toward the overly excited engineer.

“Well… with our guns, you could die just trying to reload them.”

Delia accepted another gun and aimed at a human-shaped target. Her eyes gleamed clearly under the sunlight as she took aim.

“So what you’re saying is, our current weapons can’t even begin to compare.”

Confirming the bitter truth, she pulled the trigger.

Bang!
The bullet struck the target’s head dead center.

Having once been a prisoner, Delia had already guessed at the power of the Imperial Army’s new weapons. But seeing the overwhelming performance firsthand made her feel utterly hopeless.

“This isn’t the time to be admiring things like fools.”

She glanced coldly at the engineers who were praising the enemy’s weapons. With a heavy sigh, she asked softly,

“Can we make one?”

The admiration vanished from the faces of the engineers and the Minister of Military Affairs in an instant. The shock quickly gave way to despair.

“The technological gap is too wide. It’ll require extensive research.”

“Especially if we want to mass-produce them for the whole army…”

“You’ll have to expect it to take several years.”

Delia frowned.

“Years? When the Imperial Army is practically on our doorstep?”

“Even if we had years, we might not succeed.”

“Why? We have a sample right here.”

“We can replicate the exterior and even the internal mechanism. But… the gunpowder is the issue.”

“Gunpowder?”

“The ignition point of the gunpowder used in these guns differs from ours.”

Another engineer added,

“It seems to contain some special material, but we can’t analyze it yet.”

The Minister of Military Affairs also spoke up.

“And the cost of manufacturing would be enormous. It’s simply not feasible right now.”

Delia’s chest tightened under the weight of reality. She held out her hand irritably again, and the engineer quickly handed her another loaded gun.

“We can’t just do nothing because it’s difficult.”

Grumbling, she took the gun and bit her lip as she aimed at the target again. Holding her breath to steady her frustration, she focused.

Bang!
The recoil shook her body. The sharp stench of burning powder filled her nose. Just like back then. The feel of the gun, the smell of powder, the memories it triggered. Each shot made his presence sharper in her mind. To erase that memory, she bit her lip harder. Each time she did, she remembered the touch of the hand that used to gently pry her lips open.

As she struggled to banish the thought of him, someone gently embraced her from behind.

“Mother…”

“Del, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”

With the Queen’s sudden appearance, everyone in the royal garden bowed respectfully. She nodded in acknowledgment.

“You haven’t been well for long…”

The Queen looked worried as she draped a shawl over Delia’s shoulders. Her daughter had only recently recovered from poisoning, yet was already busy preparing for war.

“I’m fine.”

“This much demonstration is enough. Let the others handle it—come inside with me.”

“But…”

“Your father is asking for you.”

As Delia hesitated, the engineers and the minister supported the Queen.

“Your Highness, your complexion is pale.”

Rumors said she had been bedridden for a month. Even without knowing the full details, it was clear Delia looked ready to collapse.

“We’ll finish the analysis and report back to you.”

With everyone urging her, Delia weakly lowered the gun and gave orders.

“Then write up a full report on the gun’s performance as quickly as possible. Send one to my brother on the Kabat border as well. We can’t prepare for something we don’t understand.”

Whether they could prepare or not was another matter. Clutching the shawl tightly, Delia tried to hide her unease.

“Let’s go, Mother.”

In the Grand Conference Hall of Eorenti Castle

At the center stood a massive round table—a symbol of Eorenti’s tradition of equal, open discussion. Seated evenly around it were King Franz II and the eleven members of the Senate. When the Queen and Delia entered, all senators rose, except for the King.

“We greet Your Majesty and Your Highness.”

The Queen nodded in return and led Delia forward.

“Welcome.”

“Apologies for the delay—we brought the princess.”

After greeting the King, the Queen sat in the royal family’s designated seats, maintaining regal posture and elegance. Delia sat beside her, straightening her back. She noticed the empty seat next to her father—that of her brother, Crown Prince Alfredo, now commanding the army on the Kabat Plains.

Huh?

As she looked at the empty chair, someone made a subtle nod toward her.

May Carlo.

He was standing beside the vacant chair, acting as the Crown Prince’s proxy. A strange feeling washed over her as she tilted her head. Meanwhile, the discussion in the chamber had taken a serious turn.

“One hundred thousand troops of the Stilleitz Empire are massing at the Kabat Plains.”

“That’s double what we originally estimated.”

A hundred thousand? Delia sat upright, shocked. When she had left for Mount Tarens, it had only been fifty thousand. The senators’ expressions were equally grim.

“Then our fifty-thousand-strong army won’t stand a chance.”

“Our nation’s fate has never been more precarious.”

“Are we to end up like Royeni or Kirens?”

The Senate’s anxiety was palpable. Then May Carlo quietly stepped forward.

“May I speak as the Crown Prince’s proxy?”

The King nodded.

“What about attempting negotiations with the Empire? A war with such a troop imbalance is suicidal. Furthermore…”

May glanced at Delia.

“…according to Her Highness’s analysis, the technological gap in weaponry is severe. Better to preserve our strength and prepare for the future.”

His suggestion caused an uproar among the senators.

“The Empire rejected Royeni’s humiliating peace overtures. Why would they accept ours?”

“Are you saying we should bow to a barbaric nation of heretics?”

“In Royeni and Kirens, only nobles who converted their faith and surrendered land survived.”

“In God’s name, we cannot allow that.”

“Our allied nations will see it as betrayal and abandon us.”

“We should instead strengthen alliances and request aid.”

The single word “negotiation” had inflamed the entire Senate. While the others burned with emotion, Delia’s mind grew colder. Negotiation? In Eorenti, anyone was free to propose negotiations—but not May Carlo. He was the one who had pushed the reluctant Crown Prince into war. When debates raged over who to send to the front, May insisted Alfredo must go as heir.

And now he was calling for peace?

Delia narrowed her eyes, examining May Carlo. Why did he remind her so much of Aron, who confused blackmail for negotiation?

As Delia sank into thought, the discussion veered in another direction.

“Let’s request reinforcements from the Duchy of Boswell.”

“I believe the Duke proposed a political marriage when he visited last year.”

“Why not accept the offer and ask for support?”

Everyone turned to look at Delia.

“What?”

“What does the princess think?”

The King asked quietly.

Delia’s face turned pale. Why now? A marriage alliance? With the Duke of Boswell?