Chapter 43
“W-Well… I’m right! No—I mean, I am right, aren’t I? I didn’t say anything wrong… did I?”
“Have you ever actually seen a gun up close?”
“Of course I have! I saw someone bring one to a hunting tournament, and they came in dead last using it. A-And Sir Fabein said guns aren’t real weapons! You can’t rely on them, and they’re all the same no matter who uses them. How can something like that be called a weapon?”
Just who the hell is Sir Fabein?
Rita silently vowed to ask Lindsay about the man later.
“It seems you’ve never truly witnessed the power of a real gun, Lady Duyireborg.”
“W-What? I told you I have!”
“Hannah.”
The moment Rita called her name, Hannah hurried over carrying a box she had been waiting with.
Normally, even while wearing dresses, Rita carried her revolver in a holster at her waist or thigh. But she couldn’t exactly wear one while practicing ballroom dancing in a formal gown, so she’d left it in Hannah’s care.
Rita lifted Silvergrace from the velvet-lined case.
“Lady Duyireborg, this is a gun. More specifically, it’s a type of firearm called a revolver.”
She turned the grip toward Lavinia.
“Would you like to hold it?”
“Huh?”
“This is probably your first time seeing a real gun. Hold it like this.”
Rita gently guided the bewildered girl’s hand onto the revolver.
Naturally, she had no intention of handing a loaded firearm to a complete beginner.
She wrapped her own hand over Lavinia’s, placing a finger between hers and the trigger so it couldn’t be pulled.
“This is the trigger. You aim the barrel at your target, then pull this, and the bullet is fired. Compared to a bow, it’s very simple.”
As she guided Lavinia’s hands, she continued speaking.
“You said anyone can use a gun the same way… That’s not entirely wrong. Guns are simple enough that even a child can operate one, and any adult could learn the basics in less than an hour.”
She quietly poured Od into the empty cylinder, creating two magical bullets inside the chambers.
It was the same demonstration she used whenever she introduced magical firearms to new squad members who underestimated them.
“But precisely because they’re so easy to use, guns become weapons that differ completely depending on the person holding them. Since anyone can fire one, they demand even greater precision, faster judgment, and above all… responsibility for the results.”
The first round was a Barrier Bullet.
Upon impact, it would explode into Od and create a temporary protective barrier.
Its duration was pitifully short, and manufacturing the bullet required absurd skill, making it highly impractical for ordinary magic gunslingers.
But for someone who could create them freely, they were invaluable on the battlefield.
They could protect allies from long range.
“Because anyone can use them… not just anyone should.”
The second bullet was an Explosive Round.
Simple.
Direct.
Devastating.
“A gun can become either salvation or disaster depending on the one who wields it. How could you possibly say it’s the same no matter who uses it?”
Together with Lavinia, Rita aimed the revolver toward a table at the opposite end of the ballroom.
Because of the hall’s enormous size, the table looked no larger than a finger.
On it stood a tiny silver candlestick.
Three candles.
Three flames no bigger than pinpricks.
“Now watch carefully, Lady Duyireborg.”
Rita slowly withdrew the finger blocking the trigger.
“This… is salvation.”
Bang.
The first bullet fired.
The silver revolver vibrated as a streak of golden light shot across the ballroom.
It extinguished one tiny candle flame with perfect accuracy before bursting into dazzling golden radiance.
The golden explosion swirled around the candle like brilliant fireworks, surrounding it with shimmering light.
Then—
BOOM!
The second bullet fired with a deafening roar.
“…And this is disaster.”
It exploded at precisely the same spot.
But this time, no beautiful golden light bloomed.
Instead, dark crimson flames erupted like the tongue of a demon.
The explosion engulfed the candles.
The two candles beside the center one partially melted and burst apart.
Shattered wax fragments flew in every direction—
Only to be stopped by a wall of golden light.
The barrier created by the first bullet had intercepted the blast.
Because of it, the terrifying explosion remained completely contained within the protective field.
Nothing beyond the two damaged candles suffered so much as a scratch.
Even so…
Anyone could feel the terrifying destructive power of that explosion.
Especially the person who had felt the recoil through their own hands.
“Did you see?”
“…”
Lavinia stood frozen.
She stared silently at the massive flames that had burst from the gun in her own hands…
…and at the golden barrier that had restrained them.
Rita continued calmly.
“Only those who understand this kind of power… and are willing to bear responsibility for its consequences… deserve to hold a gun.”
As the fireworks-like glow gradually faded, the suspended wax fragments quietly rained back to the floor.
The center candle—the one struck by the explosive bullet—was finally revealed.
Completely unharmed.
Not a single scratch marked it.
Only a thin ribbon of smoke rose from its extinguished wick.
“…A gun in the hands of such a person ceases to be a mere weapon.”
Rita gently removed the revolver from Lavinia’s grasp.
As Hannah placed Silvergrace back into its case, Rita quietly finished,
“Just as the way a knight wields a sword reveals their soul… every bullet carries the shooter’s will.”
Silence filled the ballroom.
Lavinia.
Hannah.
Anne-Marie.
Even Anton, who had still been nursing his shoulder.
Every one of them stared wide-eyed at the candlestick across the hall.
Only after setting Silvergrace down did Rita realize she’d gone a little too far.
…I could’ve just let it go.
But hearing someone spout nonsense about guns made me lose my temper.
Her former comrades came to mind.
“You’re obsessed with guns. At this rate you’ll end up marrying one.”
She rubbed the bridge of her nose before trying to smooth things over.
“Lady Duyi—”
“Hey.”
Suddenly, Lavinia grabbed both of Rita’s hands.
Her cheeks were flushed.
Her eyes burned with an unfamiliar excitement.
“So that was a real gun, right? What you just showed me—that’s what real shooting looks like! The pathetic things everyone else was doing were fake shooting, weren’t they?”
Rita instinctively leaned back.
“It’s not that everyone else’s shooting was fake. I simply use a different discipline. It’s called Magic Gunsmanship…”
“Magic Gunsmanship! Is that your personal technique?”
“Not exactly. Anyone can learn it. Just like swordsmanship.”
“Anyone?”
Lavinia’s eyes sparkled.
“Then… can I learn it too?”
“Of course you can, but—”
“I want to!”
She squeezed Rita’s hand tightly with both of hers.
“Teach me! Please! I want to do what you just did!”
Her whole body trembled with excitement.
“Th-That feeling in my fingertips…! The explosion… the golden light… I’ve never felt anything like that before! Never in my whole life! I had no idea guns could be like this! If I’d known, I would’ve tried them ages ago! I-I want to learn too! I want to shoot like you!”
“Lavinia!”
Anne-Marie quickly stepped between them.
“How much ruder are you planning to be? Instead of apologizing for everything you said, you’re demanding lessons the moment you change your mind! And is that how you ask someone for a favor?”
“What’s rude about it? What’s wrong with the way I talk?”
“Lili—no, Lady Lascaille—is neither your friend nor your subordinate. You weren’t even invited here today. You’re an uninvited guest. And yet look at the way you’re behaving.”
“U-Uninvited guest?! Who dares call me that? They should be honored to host me! I’m the daughter of House Duyireborg!”
“Lavi, you—!”
“And what’s with your attitude, Anne? You’re only a count’s daughter. Do you really think you can treat a daughter of House Duyireborg like this? If you’re so concerned with etiquette, then you’re the one who should get on your knees and apologize!”
Anne-Marie’s expression changed instantly.
Her face became completely expressionless.
Lavinia, who had been about to continue shouting, froze.
Anne-Marie quietly asked,
“Then… would it satisfy you if I knelt and apologized for my disrespect, Lady Duyireborg?”
“H-Huh? Y-Yes…?”
“It certainly seems that’s what you want.”
Anne-Marie gracefully bent one knee before Lavinia and gathered the hem of her skirt.
“I beg the noble Lady Duyireborg to forgive the discourtesy committed by the insignificant daughter of a count.”
Lavinia’s pupils shook violently.
No… this isn’t what I wanted…
The thought was written plainly across her face.
Fidgeting helplessly with her fingers, she finally shouted,
“F-Fine! As long as you understand! Just… don’t do it again!”
