In the North
In the North...
"...Could you reconsider?"
"You mean the revolver."
"Yes. I acknowledge it's an innovative firearm, but I believe it's still premature to release it to civilians."
The director of intelligence voiced his concerns to the Research Director.
"...Even for those with verified identities?"
"We can't predict what variables might arise."
The Research Director pondered his words for a moment.
"You have a point. It was a hasty judgment. We'll withdraw the plan to release it to civilians."
"However, it feels like a waste to just shelve the revolver..."
The director of intelligence ventured cautiously, gauging her reaction.
"Pfft. You want your agents to try it out."
The Research Director quickly grasped his intent.
"Its ample ammo capacity, firepower, and compact size would certainly benefit our operatives."
"Understood. In that case..."
In his judgment, the revolver was a perfect custom fit for intelligence agents. Of course, personal interests couldn't be ignored either.
The Empire was investing in facilities to fuse magitech with steam engines for producing the bolt-action rifles and metal cartridges John Brown had proposed earlier. And in the recently completed cartridge production facility, initial output of .45 caliber rounds was underway.
The high production costs and low volume made widespread military distribution impractical for now. Still, it was plenty for civilian sales.
'I wonder how it'll go.'
Brown imagined the reception for the revolver. City centers were relatively safe, but outskirts or travel outside could lead to unpredictable dangers. In such cases, wouldn't there be demand for self-defense? Plus, it could whet the collecting appetites of wealthy nobles. Even in his past life, civilian demand for guns was nothing to scoff at.
"Releasing the revolver to civilians looks difficult."
"Ahh..."
But Brown's expectations fell flat. The Research Director examined the prototype revolver as she spoke.
"Concerns arose about technology leakage. And since it's so easy to carry, who knows what issues might crop up. We need to approach this slowly."
Unpredictable accidents could happen if firearms flooded the civilian market. Technology leakage was another risk that couldn't be ignored.
"I see..."
"That said, there's demand in certain sectors."
The revolver was being prioritized for high-ranking officers and special divisions. It wasn't canceled outright, so it wasn't bad news. Another disappointed party was the workshop that had crafted the commissioned prototypes.
"What a shame..."
The artisans had been grinning at the thought of targeting rich nobles and merchant lords with gold- and jewel-encrusted revolvers if they hit the civilian market. But with civilian release scrapped, those plans evaporated. Still, they had orders to fill, so they got back to work.
"Ha. I'm beat."
The soldiers who had slain the demon beast caught their breath, staring at the corpse. Veins bulging vividly, bloodshot eyes, and its massive size. Its grotesque form, unlike any normal animal, twisted their faces in disgust. And this was just a low-rank demon beast. Even seasoned soldiers couldn't let their guard down if they wanted to take it down without casualties.
"Something feels off, doesn't it?"
One of them spoke up.
"What does?"
"Demon beasts are showing up way more often than before."
As he said, demon beast appearances were increasing. They'd been lucky to see one or two a week before. Lately, it was once a day.
"Now that you mention it..."
"I think so too."
"Ugh, fucking hell. These shit beasts."
The soldiers grumbled.
"If we had a mage, it'd be so much easier..."
"?"
"Heh, listen to this crazy bastard."
The veterans scowled at the rookie's words.
"Don't jinx us. Ptooey."
"Ugh. Fuck."
"Outsider through and through, spouting bullshit like that."
"Wh-what's wrong...?"
The flustered rookie asked, and the soldiers explained.
"We'll let it slide this time. Listen up."
"...Yes, sir!"
"Mages? Can't trust those fuckers."
"What do you... mean...?"
"Northerners never liked mages to begin with. But a decisive incident turned it into outright hatred."
"What incident?"
"Not long ago, mages ran experiments around here."
The veteran lowered his voice to explain.
"They were testing if human hearts could boost magic circles."
"Magic... circles?"
"Yeah. They kidnapped folks nearby for it."
"..."
"They kept it secret, but with people vanishing left and right, the previous lord took notice. The soldiers he sent to investigate saw..."
The rookie's face paled at the veteran's continuation.
"Oh yeah, besides them, there were guys trying to open a dimensional gate to the Demon Realm up north."
"Anyway, since then, Northerners lose it at the sight of mages. Watch yourself. Don't even mention the word from now on."
Not all mages did such things, of course. But prejudice plus that incident sealed the North's loathing for them.
"...Got it."
The rookie replied, looking bewildered.
"What's going on?"
The squad leader, who'd been scouting the area, spoke up.
"Nothin' much."
"Right. Let's wrap up first."
"Aye."
At his order, the soldiers cracked open the demon beast's skull. A magic stone gleamed amid the shattered bone. They extracted it, wiped the brain matter in the snow, and handed it to the squad leader.
"Magic stone, sir."
"...Dud."
Demon beast numbers were up, but magic stone quality remained the same. Still, low-grade stones had demand, so the squad leader pocketed it.
"Burn this carcass and head back. Freezing my ass off."
Even Northerners found today's cold biting. Soon, the beast's body blazed. The stench was foul, as always.
With cleanup done, they marched on.
"How'd it go today?"
"Shit, as usual."
"Kekeke. Tough luck."
Back at camp, they shed their gear and prepared to rest.
"Reporting right away?"
"Yeah."
"Feels busier with the squad leader gig."
"Pays better, though."
"Lucky bastard."
"Soldier fatigue is building up."
"Is that so."
Meanwhile, the Northern Grand Duke received the report.
"Demon beast appearances have spiked lately. Any suspicions?"
"Still investigating."
"Hmm..."
Demon beasts were appearing more frequently—low or occasionally mid-rank. Packs of two or three low-ranks showed up sometimes, but they could handle it. Cumulative fatigue, though, was another matter. And if packs grew or mid-ranks surged...
Tap. Tap.
The Grand Duke drummed the table, then spoke.
"How's the firearm trial in some squads?"
"No major effects."
The Empire-supplied firearm was the matchlock musket. Useless in the North's freezing winds. Even in ideal conditions, it worked on low-ranks but failed against mids—their tough vitality shrugged off bullets.
Knights could handle mid-ranks. But packs? Or hordes of lows? They needed countermeasures.
"The matchlock came from the Weapons Research Lab, right?"
"Yes."
"I'd like to commission them directly."
"Commission...?"
"Firearms effective for demon beast hunts. If we adopt them, we can ease soldier fatigue."
"...I'll check."
"Thanks."
Alone in his office, the Northern Grand Duke pondered.
'If that fails... hiring mages...'
His face twisted at the thought.
"A commission came in."
"A commission?"
"Yes. From the Northern Grand Duke."
The Research Director handed Brown the documents.
'A weapon that works on mid-rank demon beasts...'
The requirements were as follows:
Firepower to stop mid-rank demon beasts.
Unaffected by climate.
Easy aiming and firing.
Quick reloading.
Simple maintenance.
'This... is a shotgun.'
Brown's mind raced.
'Metal cartridges... black powder propellant... and wadding...'
A firearm for quick reloads, easy aiming, double-barrel firepower blasts, and simple structure for maintenance.
Nothing fit better than a double-barrel shotgun. Nothing.