Instead of Self-Propelled Artillery, Knight Cannon (3)
"It's warm."
Seria was tending to a spear in a corner of the camp when she quietly touched her chest. Near her heart, she sensed foreign mana that was not her own.
Just yesterday, the former Imperial knights who had completed the Oath of Mana were immediately able to leave the underground prison and move their quarters to the camp above ground. Along with the generously provided meat stew and soft bread.
"Was it called... braised ribs? It was delicious. It was the first warm food I'd had in a long time."
During the time when Count Kelrn was commander, all she could do to stave off hunger was chew on cold bread or jerky.
"The Empire was wrong."
When the Emperor of the Empire was healthy, things were still okay. After he fell ill, everything changed. As the power struggle between the Imperial faction and the Noble faction reached its peak, the entire Empire began to rot. Key military positions were occupied by corrupt nobles who knew nothing of the realities of the battlefield. Pushed aside by politics and falling out of favor, Seria and her subordinates were demoted under corrupt commanders like Count Kelrn.
"But now it's different. Because our new master gave us a place to live and warm food. As a knight, I must dedicate my life in loyal service."
When Seria, reaffirming her resolve, set down the spear she had been tending and stood up—
"Seria-nim."
"Yes!"
From the direction of the camp entrance, the silver-haired maid she had seen yesterday—Elisa—was approaching, calling for Seria.
"No presence at all..."
From the first time she saw her, even when close by, she couldn't sense any presence. "She is definitely not an ordinary maid."
"Master is calling you. He says he'll be testing weapons."
"Understood."
Seria answered, straightened her clothes, and followed behind Elisa.
"Now that I think of it, he said the master created a weapon called a musket."
During the Karon recapture battle, she had led part of her unit to guard the border towards the Magic Kingdom. So she hadn't seen that battle herself, but heard about it later from her subordinates. "They said it was a weapon that pierced even a knight's aura with a thunderous sound." To think that the master himself had created that weapon she had only heard about. With both tension and anticipation, Seria followed Elisa to the workshop.
"You're here?"
"You called for me, my lord."
Seria, standing at strict attention, placed her hand on her chest and gave a crisp bow.
"Is that the Imperial noble's greeting? This is a bit burdensome..."
"Don't stand on too much ceremony from now on. Just words are fine, just words."
"Huh? Yes, understood."
She looked a little flustered by my words, but soon nodded. nodded.
"She looks better than yesterday." We'll be busy from now on, so I need to feed her better.
"Then shall we get straight to the point?" Saying that, he pointed to the completed object on the workbench.
"That is…"
Seria's gaze followed my finger to the gunlance. When she saw the weapon, her eyes went wide. The basic base was a lance commonly used by knights, but it was over twice the size, with a strange metal device attached near the handle. It must be confusing by this world's common sense.
"Here. Just looking with your eyes won't do. Try lifting it yourself."
"Understood."
Seria, with a tense expression, carefully approached and grasped the gunlance's handle with both hands.
"Hup."
She seemed to expect it to be quite heavy, bracing herself. But.
"Huh?"
"Lighter than you thought, right?"
Seeing the gunlance lift more easily than expected, Seria blinked in bewilderment.
"Yes... It's surprisingly light, unlike its appearance. I think it's even lighter than the spear I usually use..."
Her gaze naturally went to the magic circle engraved on the gunlance's surface and the mana stone embedded at the end of the handle.
"Surely... you didn't inscribe a weight reduction magic circle on a weapon? As expensive as that..."
"Yeah. I engraved a weight reduction magic circle and also a reinforcement magic circle to improve durability."
"T-two magic circles? Spending such a huge budget on a mere knight's weapon..."
"I plan to give one to every knight in the order."
"What?"
Her mouth fell wide open. In the Imperial knight orders, even magical tools are only used by the captain or core executives. The fact that they would be issued to all knights seemed shocking. Having calmed her surprise, Seria, as a knight, began to seriously examine the weapon from all angles.
"My lord. I am grateful for the support, but... this weapon has a fatal structural flaw."
"A flaw?"
"Yes. The shaft is hollow inside. This means the center of gravity is off."
"Center of gravity?"
"That's correct. The shaft is hollow, and on top of that, there are many unknown metal devices concentrated near the handle."
She pointed at the trigger part of the gunlance and continued speaking with a serious face.
"With this, the trajectory is bound to waver when thrusting. That moment of wavering will be a fatal weakness during a cavalry charge where a split-second decides life or death."
Sharp. As she says, if you think of fighting with the gunlance like a traditional spear, it is a defective product with ruined balance.
"Exactly. The center of gravity is a mess for using normal spear techniques. But there's a reason it's hollow inside."
"A reason?"
"From the start, this weapon wasn't made for just a single thrust and done."
Saying that, he picked up a shell he had prepared beforehand on one side of the workbench. A blunt-shaped shell much larger than what goes into a musket. Inside, along with gunpowder mixed with mana stone powder, there were dozens of very small iron balls packed tightly.
For close combat, it's always shot.always shot.
"Better to shoot it than hear about it a hundred times. Let's go. Bring the weapon."
"This place should do."
We arrived at a wide clearing behind the workshop. On one side of the clearing, there was a thick wooden target set up for training.
"Watch carefully. Open this part and put the shell in."
Saying that, he opened the chamber of the gunlance Seria was holding and pushed in the shot shell he was carrying.
-Click.
The sound of loading being completed was heard.
"The usage is simple. Stab the enemy's armor with the spear technique. And the moment the spear tip touches the enemy's body, you pull the trigger."
Since the explanation was done, now it was time to test it. I stepped back a few paces and spoke to Seria.
"Now try it yourself."
"Understood."
She answered without hesitation and adjusted her grip on the gunlance.
Is it because she's a knight? She looks good in stance.
"Right before pulling the trigger, raise your aura to lock your lower body and arms. If you don't, the recoil will send you flying backwards."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Seria firmly planted both feet on the ground and lowered her stance.
-Whooom.
A blue aura bloomed from her entire body, enveloping her and the gunlance.
As expected of a Sword Expert.
"Here I go!"
Seria thrust the spear towards the target with a resonant yell.
-CRUNCH.
The moment the target, its strength enhanced by reinforcement magic, was pierced. Seria, without delay, pulled the trigger on the handle.
BOOOOOM!
With an eardrum-shattering explosion, a cloud of white smoke burst from the rear exhaust of the gunlance.
I mixed mana stone powder into the black powder to compensate for its weaknesses.
"Kugh!"
A groan escaped Seria's lips.
The recoil is bigger than I thought, huh.
Even though she had locked her entire body with aura beforehand, the recoil from the gunlance pushed her feet, leaving marks on the dirt floor as they were dragged. This was a problem that would improve as she got used to the weapon.
The power…
The target was completely obliterated by the fired shot. The dozens of iron balls that poured in from the inside in all directions, carrying the impact of the explosion, collided with the target, and shattered it completely.
"This can't be…"
Seria alternated her gaze between the completely destroyed target and the gunlance that was still radiating heat.
"How was it? If that was an Imperial knight instead of a target, what do you think would have happened?"
Having heard the question, Seria, perhaps imagining the result, answered with a trembling voice.
"...Instant death. No matter how strong armor you wear or defend with aura, it would be useless. The iron balls that pour into the belly scatter in all directions, tearing all the internal organs to shreds."
Having pulled the trigger herself, she seemed to have clearly felt the power of the weapon.
"Finesse isn't really needed. It doesn't matter if the thrust wobbles a bit because of the center of gravity. You just stab the spear anywhere into the enemy's armor and pull the trigger, and you win unconditionally."
"Yes. My lord's words are correct. Since precise spear techniques aren't needed, the variables occurring on the battlefield will also be greatly reduced."
Seria's gaze, withdrawn from the destroyed target, began to fill with fighting spirit.
"If all the members of my unit are equipped with this weapon and charge... Even if we face the Empire's elite knight order, we can win."
"Good attitude."
When Seria, with an overwhelming emotion, was tightly gripping the gunlance—
"Master."
Elisa, who had approached beside me unnoticed, called me.
"Yeah?"
"A report came in from the patrol scouting the outskirts of the territory. They say there was a monster farm that Count Kelrn had secretly operated in the mountains on the edge of the territory."
I forgot. Since he used the Seed of Greed in the recapture battle, I had completely forgotten about it, thinking it was already gone. This is my mistake.
"No one's hurt, right?"
"No. Fortunately, all returned safely. With Count Kelrn dead and the territory fallen, it seems those who managed the farm also all fled. With the count gone, the enslaved monsters, their bindings broken, seem to have eventually broken out and escaped."
"What kind of monsters and how many?"
"It's a wyvern flock. Their number is estimated to be about ten."
Wyverns are flying monsters that are difficult for ordinary soldiers to handle. They attack by striking and retreating from the sky, which is quite a headache…
"But there is one peculiarity. Whether it was to prevent them from escaping the farm... they say all of them have one wing cut off."
Wyverns with one wing cut off.
That changes things. If they have lost the ability to fly, they can't attack us from the sky. Of course, they would still be tough opponents for ordinary soldiers.
"Perfect for training. Seria."
"Yes, my lord."
"That thing you said just now. We might be able to prove it sooner than you think."
"Ah..."
"Since they're targets that are incomparably tougher than wooden ones."
I met the eyes of the tense Seria.
"Let's go hunting."