episode_0036
by fnovelpia
36. More Firepower
I traveled to the imperial capital with the three sisters.
Thanks to the carriage ride provided all the way to the palace, we had space and time to talk.
Though it was nice to see Ellara and Taysy after so long, I had one question lingering about Liriana, so I asked her.
“Hey, Liriana.”
“Huh? What’s up?”
With no nobles around, Liriana spoke casually to me like an old friend.
Luckily, the mood had loosened up compared to earlier, so I asked what had been puzzling me without hesitation.
“So… were you and Count Erica acquainted before? I mean, for first-time acquaintances, you two seemed way too hostile toward each other.”
How should I put it? It was like malice radiated from their smiles despite it supposedly being their first meeting.
It was something that bothered me, so I asked.
Liriana scratched her cheek awkwardly before responding.
“Well… I think we met about four years ago? That was when I was seventeen.”
“Oh, so not long after you met me?”
“Yeah.”
Liriana gazed out the window nostalgically and recounted a brief story.
The country was in chaos, and dungeons were left unmanaged.
Dungeons had to be continuously conquered to prevent them from going berserk—adventurers had to keep fighting to ensure the safety of villagers.
Literally, people’s lives depended on adventurers’ hands.
Naturally, adventurers needed support, and villagers maintained settlements near dungeons thanks to dungeon byproducts.
But the guilds, who were supposed to regulate adventurers and handle injuries or crimes, became corrupt—taking bribes and committing all kinds of vile acts.
Eventually, adventurers in some regions rose up in rebellion.
“Rose up?”
“In a moderate but extremely dangerous and violent way.”
They simply blocked entry into the dungeons.
As a result, the dungeons went berserk, ravaging nearby villages and causing massive casualties.
Could it be called the Adventurers’ Rebellion?
“Your village was rural, so it might’ve suffered less damage.”
“Ah, thinking about it now…”
Come to think of it, around the time the explosive arrows had just been improved, my father had used one to take down a B-rank orc that appeared in the village.
Back then, I didn’t question it, but how did such a monster even end up roaming the hills of a rural village?
Was it because of the adventurers?
Recalling the adventurers who had tried to rob me before Vivian saved me, it made sense…
But those adventurers risked their lives too—only to work under a guild that exploited them for dirty deeds…
Feeling overwhelmed by the hopeless corruption, I slumped slightly before Liriana continued.
“Back then… Flatty—I mean, Erica Grace, the former duchess—showed up.”
“Seriously?”
“At first, I was impressed by her brilliant leadership and martial skill—thinking, ‘So that’s what a real noble is like!’ —but then… she started beheading every single adventurer, showing her cruel side. That put me off.”
Wait, Erica did that?
When she fought Penrose, she spared even the knights.
Wouldn’t adventurers be strong assets? It’s shocking she executed them immediately.
But that wasn’t the whole reason—Liriana hesitated, scratching her cheek again.
“And… there was just something psychological? Like, she and I are fundamentally incompatible? We respect each other, but there’s this mutual dislike.”
So they just naturally clashed.
Just in case, I reached out and fiddled with Liriana’s ear.
“Eek—!”
Liriana twitched in surprise.
Crossing my arms, I muttered under my breath.
“Your ears aren’t that big, huh?”
“…Huh?”
Blushing slightly, Liriana tilted her head in confusion.
Behind her, Ellara and Taysy covered their mouths in shock.
Why were they acting like that?
Anyway, I wasn’t just messing around—I had wanted to check something.
Were they like the big-eared and short-statured duo from *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*? But of course, that couldn’t be it.
Liriana’s face flushed faintly as she poked at the ear I had touched.
Seeing her girlish reaction, Taysy, sitting behind, started signaling Liriana with her eyes.
Catching the cue, Liriana nodded slightly before speaking up.
“Uh… nice weather, huh?”
“It’s nighttime.”
“Oh… right.”
She twisted awkwardly, avoiding my gaze.
Meanwhile, Taysy behind her facepalmed and let out a tiny sigh.
I didn’t get why she was so exasperated, but she smoothly started massaging my shoulders and changed the subject.
“Ah, right! Speaking of… anything you’ve been into lately?”
“Interests?”
“Hmm… like, girls? Or favorite foods? Anything.”
Liriana’s eyes sparkled as she nodded vigorously.
Her exaggerated reaction was a bit much, but since she asked, I figured I’d answer.
What had I been into recently…?
……
…
…
Nothing?
Come to think of it, I hadn’t had any free time since I started working under Erica.
Right after arriving, I modified electric bulbs into heaters.
Then, after creating type prints and pencils, I was dragged into war under the pretext of being awarded a baronetcy.
During the war, I suffered endlessly, eating dried pig rations before getting shot and barely surviving—only to spend a sleepless week developing hot air balloons.
Then, the moment I woke up, I was stuffed into a carriage heading to the imperial capital.
And, for some reason, because I annoyed Erica, I had to make a piano to placate her.
I did enjoy being told about Guano Island and having that one-night escape with Vivian in the old hut, but that was just a fling.
Man, I worked hard these past two months…
Under the intense gazes of Liriana, Ellara, and Taysy, I finally spoke.
“Writing retirement plans and resignation letters?”
Honestly, that was the closest thing to a hobby I had.
Figuring out how to rebuild the farmland and workshop attached to my countryside home once I retired.
And composing heartfelt resignation letters on crisp white paper—that was a must in my daily routine.
Hearing this, Liriana’s eyes lit up.
“W-Wait, you dislike Erica Grace, the former duchess?!”
“No, not exactly…”
Like a predator spotting prey, Erica leaned in with gleaming eyes.
Her chest was so close I thought it might bump into mine.
Just as I was about to patiently explain my retirement wishlist to Liriana… the carriage jolted violently.
Must’ve hit a rock—the carriage lurched hard.
A few arrows from my quiver, strapped to the back, tumbled onto the floor.
Seeing the explosive arrows scattered around, Liriana’s eyes sparkled even brighter.
“These… are they what I think they are?”
“What do you think?”
“Explosive arrows! You gave me five of them years ago!”
Now that I thought about it, that sounded about right.
As Liriana picked up the fallen arrows and handed them to me, she spoke.
“Hey, Cain… Thanks to you, I realized something.”
“What?”
“That the most important thing in war is firepower… and what’s even more important than firepower is *overwhelming* firepower.”
And just like that, Liriana launched into a passionate speech about the importance of explosive arrows and firepower.
As I stood dumbfounded at her sheer bomb-obsessed zeal, Ellara chimed in from behind to explain.
“Eldest Sister was deeply impacted by a past battle.
It happened in Telvanova, east of Redmain.
She used two of her precious explosive arrows to wipe out the rebellious adventurers.”
Ah, so she’s high on gunpowder fumes.
Unashamed, Liriana nodded proudly.
“Exactly. Explosions are divine.
I saved them like finishing moves, but I disassembled the last arrow to reverse-engineer it.”
“Really? Did it work?”
“…I couldn’t figure out what the black powder was.”
Well, historically, even in China—where gunpowder originated—it wasn’t discovered until the 9th century, and even then, it was alchemists stumbling upon it by accident.
Without microscopes or my appraisal skill, identifying it would be impossible.
I handed over half the explosive arrows from my quiver.
“You’re giving me something so precious…”
“Don’t exaggerate.”
Liriana accepted the bundle with the care of cradling a baby.
She carefully stored the arrows in her own quiver before speaking.
“I’m not exaggerating. If we had overwhelming firepower, people would be too terrified to die—and this chaotic era wouldn’t exist.”
She wasn’t just a bomb fanatic—she had her own philosophy.
The problem was, human greed can’t be stopped by explosives…
Take the minigun, for example. Its inventor thought such a powerful weapon would prevent war—but it only led to more casualties.
Only when the stakes are doomsday-level—like nuclear weapons—do humans stop. That’s just how we are.
But I didn’t argue. I just nodded quietly.
Maybe… just maybe, if there were more people like Liriana, this world’s history could’ve been a beautiful one, frozen in balance by explosive arrows.
“Eldest Sister, we’re by your side. For that noble cause, we’ll strive with every fiber of our being.”
“Right! With the two of us here, we’ll make sure Big Sister’s dream comes true!”
“Thanks. Without you both, getting this far would’ve been impossible.”
The sisters shared a heartwarming moment.
Would switching my allegiance from Erica to Liriana contribute to world peace?
Well… at the very least, she’d probably accept my resignation letter more smoothly.
With that thought, I smiled faintly.
――――――――――――――――――――
We arrived at the imperial palace.
Only one problem: Irene didn’t meet with us.
Instead, a blonde maid awaited and guided us.
“His Imperial Majesty decrees thus: Guard in pairs, rotating every two hours. Shifts shall run from 9 PM to 6 AM.”
Makes sense—four people standing guard all day isn’t practical.
And realistically, this wasn’t about guarding—it was about creating a pretext for Erica and Cecilia to intervene whenever they wished.
The surprising part? It was oddly efficient guard scheduling.
As I pondered that, Liriana turned to me.
“Cain, I’ll take the first shift with Ellara.”
“Got it. Good luck.”
“Oh, and Taysy…”
She whispered something urgently to her youngest sister.
Too quiet for me to hear, but from Taysy’s suddenly solemn expression, it sounded serious.
With that, Liriana and Ellara left, leaving just Taysy and me.
Leaning a spear nearly 3 meters long against her shoulder, Taysy spoke up.
“The break room’s over there… Not sleepy yet?”
“Nah.”
“Then wanna take a walk near the training grounds?”
With nothing else to do—and having just realized I’d worked too much lately—I agreed.
So we walked, chatting about this and that as we strolled away from the emperor’s quarters.
“Hey, uh… How much do you get paid?”
“Me? About 30 silver a month.”
“A genius like you, getting only that much? That’s straight-up wage exploitation!”
Again, converting to modern currency…
1 copper = ₩1,000.
1 silver = ₩100,000.
1 gold = ₩10,000,000.
So my salary was around ₩3,000,000/month.
Granted, Erica kept trying to shove raises into my sleeves, but…
The more I accepted, the harder it’d be to leave, so I refused.
Besides, the bonuses from the heater, pencils, and mass-produced books were decent enough.
“Wow… Your boss is *such* a scumbag. A genius like you deserves way better.”
“If it were Big Sister Liriana, you’d get *way* better treatment.”
“Would you join her if she asked? Y’know, hypothetically?”
Taysy kept coaxing me.
Was this Liriana’s whispered order?
For a moment, I doubted—but quickly dismissed it.
Liriana was kind and warm-hearted—enough that even Erica acknowledged her virtues.
She wouldn’t resort to shady tactics like sending underlings to poach me.
Shaking off the suspicion, I kept walking with Taysy—until―
**―CRACK!**
A sound like a smashed watermelon echoed everywhere.
A blast comparable to an explosive arrow filled the training grounds we’d just reached.
A massive human projectile shot toward me like a cannonball.
Forget physics—how does an 80+ kg human fly in a straight line?
Before I could react―
Taysy *caught* the man mid-air, inches from me.
Now dangling limply in her grip, the unconscious man swayed slightly.
We both looked where he’d come from.
“Ugh, so annoying! The hell’s wrong with you guys? Fight back properly!”
“Captain…! It’s getting late—we should head back! These grounds are near His Majesty’s quarters…”
“Athena, *you* fight me, then!”
“If I spar with Captain Reina, I won’t wake up tomorrow.”
A black-haired, red-eyed woman.
Reina—renowned as the unrivaled, strongest warrior alive.
She stood at the center of the grounds, swinging a cloth-wrapped halberd wildly, venting her frustrations on her subordinates.
Meanwhile, trying futilely to calm her was a striking woman with black-and-blue hair.
Holding a glaive similar to Vivian’s, she desperately pleaded with Reina.
As I watched their comedy routine―
Reina’s gaze locked onto me.
“Huh… You’re…?”
This was about to get annoying.
Drawing from my past life’s skill—[Eyes Down, Walk Silently] (Stealth +7)—I tried to slip by…
But Reina closed the distance instantly, pressing her halberd against my neck.
Blade and blunt shaft pinning me in place, she sneered.
“Hey. I’m talking to you. Where you going? Think I’m a joke?”
“Captainrr—!!”
Athena pressed her hands to her face, screaming in despair.
I could only imagine her daily suffering.
Amid the tension, a sharp spearhead suddenly pressed against Reina’s throat.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing to the man our Sister chose?”
“Hah? Who’s this scrap meat talking?”
Taysy and Reina radiated murderous intent—with me sandwiched between them.
Why does *nothing* ever go smoothly?!
I seriously considered visiting a priest for a curse removal.
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