A Rolling Stone (3)
A Rolling Stone (3)
It had been a while since I could train at the academy's shooting range.
The esteemed knights of the imperial family mostly used swords. It wasn't that they never used firearms, but they were generally perceived as auxiliary tools.
In the first place, there were also military police armed with guns inside the imperial palace. By their standards, the sword was the auxiliary tool, and the gun was the main weapon. So, there were ranges for people like them, but...
Well, to be honest, going to one of those ranges to train by myself felt a bit awkward.
It wasn't that there were no women, but it was a profession mostly occupied by men. Moreover, every knight and member of the military police within the imperial palace served directly under the imperial family. If I showed up, it was obvious that training itself would grind to a halt. There was no greater nuisance than that.
That was why, when I was young, I trained with guns by shooting at flying birds or just firing at whatever was in my room. And since I was a child back then, no one would have trained me seriously even if I had asked.
So, a range I could have all to myself whenever I wanted, where I could blast away to my heart's content, was a truly precious thing to me.
"Hoo...."
I had come out to the end of the range and was checking my gun and letting out a breath when I heard clapping from behind me.
For a moment, I thought it might be Sophia Bianchi, but when I turned around, Lena was standing there.
And once I confirmed who was clapping, I felt a little embarrassed.
A moment ago, as I moved through the range, I hadn't turned back time even once. I had realized it clearly after meeting the Masked Woman twice. If I relied solely on my ability, I would truly become a useless human being the moment that power disappeared.
As the Sword Saint had said, I had no talent in that area. Honestly, after having shot so many guns up until now, I could at least hit what I fired at, but that was it.
This didn't mean I planned to seal my power away or never rely on it again. But if my ability vanished, shouldn't I have been at least more useful than random trash rolling around on the street? Back when I read comics or played games, I was the type to curse at useless characters who offered no help. I didn't want to become that kind of existence.
To achieve that, the only thing I had to do was practice just one more time, so I could be of even a little help in that kind of situation.
"You were magnificent."
"Was I?"
I had to try incredibly hard not to make an embarrassed expression at Lena's words. Maybe if I had kept turning back time while running the course, I might have accepted it calmly. After all, it would have been a result I manipulated into being inevitable.
But the fact that I received this praise without having turned back time even once... it meant that, at least in Lena's eyes, my skills weren't all that lacking.
... Of course, it might just be because I had already run through this range hundreds of times.
"I apologize for not being able to join you yesterday."
"It's perfectly fine. You were inspecting all the equipment you brought with you. That can't be helped."
Having this kind of one-on-one conversation with Lena felt somehow strange. Was it because we were both using extremely formal speech with each other?
Lena's equipment had only finished arriving yesterday. The Riklant Autonomous State had grown tense after Jaden shelled the enemy positions with Monitor Warships, and when the Empire reacted to Riklant deploying troops a little closer to the warlord territories, the atmosphere around the border had frozen over instantly.
And on top of that, Lena's weapons were being transported to the imperial capital, specifically toward the academy where the children of the Empire's noble bloodlines gathered. Because of the already complicated procedures, the shipment had been tied up at the border for a while. She had missed the café outing with us yesterday because she'd been checking every single piece that finally arrived.
She herself didn't seem to mind too much... but honestly, when the Empire swept the border region like that, it was terrifying, no matter which side had asked for help first.
After all, it had been naval artillery. And while each ship only had one such gun, the caliber itself was the same as the ones on the Dreadnought floating above Rondarium. Considering the number of ships deployed, the result might have been no different than if a Dreadnought had arrived directly to rain down fire.
It was a little absurd for the Imperial Army to react just because the Autonomous State moved its forces after the Empire had pulled a stunt like that first.
"Did you come here to train?"
"Yes. Since I finally received my weapons after so long, I thought I would inspect them as well."
I nodded and stepped away from the lane.
*
Lena's skills were as sharp as ever.
Given her personality, there was no way she'd have slacked off on training during the break, so it was only natural. If anything, her movements had become even more polished than before.
Well, in a way, they also looked a bit like my own.
Before, she had only shot with pistols in both hands, but now she had a short submachine gun slung across her back.
"That was superb."
As I watched Lena finish her run through the range, I clapped for her just as she had done for me. A blush rose to Lena's cheeks. It wasn't just from having run around moments ago.
"I referenced your movements, Lady Sylvia."
At that, I almost turned red myself.
Thank goodness it was dark out.
She had only imitated my movements. I was never actually in the special forces. I'd simply squeezed out every bit of knowledge I had from being a half-baked military enthusiast and moved in whatever way I guessed 'was probably right.'
Still, it was a relief that it had looked somewhat practical to the people watching.
"Is that so...."
"Yes!"
As I answered Lena and was wondering what to add, I heard a shout from behind.
"The Princess was incredibly cool!"
.......
I turned around, and this time, it really was Sophia Bianchi.
"Those were movements I never could have imagined!"
I imagined not. You were a swordswoman, after all.
Come to think of it, Aetherna Chronicles seemed to have way too many swordsmen. Wasn't this game supposed to be set during the Industrial Revolution? No, swordsmanship in an era where people dug trenches and mowed each other down with machine guns. Of course, the ones swinging swords here were monsters who could survive against people shooting guns precisely because they could swing those swords.
Though in the end, they'd still die if they got shot.
"There are many people in Belbur who specialize in firearms as well, but I have never once seen anyone move the way you two do."
"......."
As she listened, Lena's face went a little blank.
Lena knew about Sophia Bianchi. Naturally, since they were in the same class and the girl kept hovering around me. Lena was part of our group too, so she had naturally had chances to exchange words.
It seemed Sophia Bianchi's plan was to target the people around me if she couldn't get to me directly.
"Is this training ground a facility made exclusively for you two?"
When Sophia Bianchi asked that, Lena shook her head.
"No. Other students can use it, but...."
... Since I was here, nobody else dared to even try, probably.
Because most of the students who handled guns were commoners.
"Is that so?"
Sophia Bianchi tilted her head, then gave a shrug.
"How did you come all the way out here at this hour?"
"Ah, I was just taking a short walk and followed the sound here. If there's such a nice place, I'd love to try using it myself, hmm...."
Sophia Bianchi stared quietly at the range for a moment, then spoke.
"Would it be alright if I used it?"
Lena followed her gaze and looked at me.
"I don't have the authority to stop you."
"Ah, then could you tell me how to use it? How do you get those wooden boards with the enemies painted on them to rise back up?"
"......."
I was honestly tempted to tell her, 'Just go and wind the springs one by one yourself....'
Sophia Bianchi was a massive klutz with machines. Especially with things like clocks, she broke them almost once a month.
She'd snap parts by winding springs too tightly, or press a button on an analytical engine and brick it immediately. It was an element thrown in for comedy, so I hadn't paid it much mind in the game, but in reality, it would be nothing short of a disaster.
"......I'll help you."
I held back a sigh with all my might and spoke.
*
And the result was a catastrophe.
My complacency had been the problem.
Yeah. Honestly, I thought I'd only need to wind the springs for her.
Who could have predicted she'd hit the target board so hard that the recoil would snap the internal parts in half?
I watched Sophia Bianchi come off the range after one round with a satisfied expression. Then I looked back at the range, saw the board bent at an unnatural angle, and checked it—sure enough, that was exactly the state it was in.
"......I apologize."
And immediately, Sophia Bianchi apologized.
It seemed like she was used to this sort of situation.
"......."
I had to put in an incredible amount of effort just to keep myself from rubbing my face.