episode_0038

In this world, there are bears.

But these bears are not the typical bears that people on Earth think of.

Oh, of course, Earth’s bears are dangerous as well. Bears tear people apart. If you get hit by their claws, your intestines will spill out onto the ground. The bear will eat it up deliciously.

Similar large terrestrial animals like elephants, rhinoceroses, and even lions or tigers exist.

They are actually called by those names. “Bear,” “lion,” “elephant”… even in the game’s monster encyclopedia, they are written with the same names…

Well, I wonder if it’s okay to treat the animals I know and the animals in this game as the same.

First of all, their fur colors are different. Even on Earth, there were bears with brown, black, or white fur, but the bears in this world have more diverse fur colors.

Red, blue, green, or brown.

And the shape of their claws. It’s difficult to think of their claws like the typical claws of animals. Unlike the hard keratin tissue of normal claws, the claws of these bears can be like frozen ice, always emitting fire, generating winds strong enough to make people fly, or causing earthquakes when they strike the ground… Anyway, these bears can do things that normal bears could never do, honestly, they are forms of attack that you would never see in just an ordinary animal.

The animals called lions, tigers, elephants, and rhinoceroses are the same. In this world, the animals familiar to Earthlings are just horses. In fact, even horses have been bred by humans for convenience, so wild horses can have flames on their manes…

… Anyway, that’s how it was.

And surprisingly, humans have managed to survive in a world ruled by such crazy beasts.

Well, Emperor Chohdae did play the role of a general among griffins barehanded, so it doesn’t seem that strange.

That’s why civilian firearms are not to be taken lightly. Shotguns, rifles, all were firearms used to hunt those monsters. There were even those who captured the subordinates who brought down those monsters and made a profit.

Putting shells into a large-caliber shotgun and shattering a bear’s bones, or using a rifle with a much larger caliber than a standard military rifle… Wizards would have focused on practical combat magic for survival.

“… Instructor!”

And no matter how noble they were, they couldn’t deny the truth. Just because they were nobles doesn’t mean they didn’t eat meat, or that there were no taxidermy decorations on the walls.

“No matter what, how can you shoot at us with a hunting gun! This is an insult! How can you use a gun to hunt animals…!”

Surprisingly, it seems the production team took this perception from reality. It’s like how Europeans were shocked to see the American soldiers using shotguns during World War I. On the other hand, the American soldiers were appalled to see the German soldiers using submachine guns, saying they were using guns that only mafia members use or something like that.

Well, whether they were appalled or not, it doesn’t matter. Shotguns and submachine guns were extremely useful when faced with enemies in narrow corridors. There was no time to aim precisely, so just roughly aiming and pulling the trigger, or grabbing with both hands and firing rapidly, there was no reason not to use firearms that could silence the enemy.

And perhaps the reason why commoners and nobles fought each other was also because of this reason.

Jennifer, whether noble or commoner, had been fighting against mercenary groups that shot down their opponents.

“Are humans not like animals after all?”

As a commoner group approached, a noble student raised his hand to protest. Jennifer looked at the student quietly and calmly responded, “Whether human or beast, if you get shot, you bleed and die. Just because you’re human doesn’t mean every pellet from a shotgun will miss you. Let me reiterate, there is no honor or glory on the battlefield. It’s just a muddy creature struggling to survive within the confines of a shield.”

With those words, Jennifer lifted one corner of her lips and continued, “Or perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to ask our princess, Sylvia.”

No, why me again.

I didn’t say anything and just stayed quiet—

—Well, thinking about it again, it seems like I was the only one who stayed quiet. Even the noble students, including Leona and Charlotte, showed a hint of discomfort on their faces, but I remained calm alone.

Claire was also relatively calm, but she probably vaguely remembers what the bottom of society is like.

“What do you think? Will you oppose using shotguns against enemies? Will you request to use ‘honorable weapons’?”

Asking me about using such weapons after I said there’s no honor on the battlefield is probably because they’re confident I wouldn’t say such things.

After all, I have a history of not only dueling but also assassinating a viscount. I did plant a bomb on a carriage, but that’s not really a ‘noble’ act. If you’re a noble, challenging your opponent to a duel and incapacitating or killing them is the honorable thing to do.

I’m not sure if Jennifer knows all that. But at least, she seems to have some strange trust in me.

It seems like Jennifer sees me as a ‘soldier.’

…Did she hear that I’m planning to go to the battlefield?

“Can I get a shotgun or a machine gun?”

My words echoed around me.

Pistols and rifles are essential weapons on the battlefield, so no one would object to fighting with such weapons. Even if they might chew out a commoner with no back support behind their back, they wouldn’t boldly say ‘you’re cowardly’ to their face.

“Of course. The most important thing on the battlefield is ‘preparing your weapons’ in advance. So, I’ll give you a chance to choose your weapon before the fight. Whether it’s a rifle, pistol, or hunting gun, choose as you please.”

“Thank you.”

Jennifer seemed pleased with my answer, smiling slightly and nodding her head.

…She’s a pretty woman who looks like she belongs in a game, to be honest.

To be honest, she doesn’t seem all there.

Well, after seeing such a battlefield, it’s understandable.

*

While the training itself is close to a mock battle, that doesn’t mean a noble class will all be on the same team. It wouldn’t be bad to move like a squad of fifteen, but since there are nobles who find ‘holding a shotgun on the battlefield’ distasteful.

As the grades go up, perceptions may change, but at least for now, in the eyes of the newcomers to the academy, that seems to be a ‘cowardly’ act.

“…”

And the people around me didn’t seem too happy either.

“If you don’t want to use it, you don’t have to force yourself to use it.”

Seeing even Alice, who treats me without prejudice, and Charlotte, who treats people fairly, not looking too pleased, I said that.

“If you’re forced to use a weapon you don’t usually use, you might make mistakes. Even if it’s an easy weapon to use, you won’t be proficient with it at first because you’re not used to it.”

I loaded the shotgun with shells as I spoke.

M1889. The shotgun Jennifer handed me seemed to be a weapon used by the soldiers of Winterfield in the north as part of their formal attire. It looked like the shotgun used by the American soldiers in World War I, commonly known as a “trench gun,” with holes on the top for ventilation, visible grooves for loading shells, and no external hammer.

But considering the game developers, they might have just changed the name of the gun and put it in the game.

The shotgun could hold five shells in the magazine and one in the chamber, totaling six shots.

Although my main weapons were rifles and revolvers, I was not unfamiliar with shotguns. I had practiced quite a bit, more on reloading than shooting. Honestly, among modern firearms, shotguns had the coolest reloading methods.

“…First,”

After finishing loading the shotgun, I picked up a speed loader resembling a cigarette case for the Erkensen rifle, and Alice finally spoke up.

“I wish someone would explain how to use it first.”

All eyes around us turned to Alice at her words.

“Just knowing how to shoot is enough to use it, right? Certainly, there’s no better gun for dealing with close encounters.”

“….”

I silently watched Alice speak and then picked up a break-action double-barrel shotgun from the side.

I loaded shells into both barrels and handed it to Alice.

“It’s loaded with two shells. Point the muzzle at the target and pull the trigger.”

Although it had two triggers, they were arranged for easy double firing. Just pulling the trigger would fire both shells consecutively, making it good for immediate shooting.

“After firing two shots, you can drop the gun and draw your sword.”

If you’ve fired both shells, it means you’ve already approached the target.

And Alice was skilled with a sword as well. If she got close enough to use her sword, she could handle it somehow.

…If things didn’t go as planned, you could always turn back time and try again, changing tactics step by step.

“Is there anyone else who needs help?”

“….”

There was a brief silence in response to my question, then Leo muttered, “I don’t know.”

“Clare, I hope you didn’t tell Father about this.”

“Why would I say something like that?”

In response to Leo’s words, Clare replied cheerfully. Leo frowned at her response.

…I feel like I’ve said this many times before.

“Your Highness—”

“Please use my name. It might be confusing if you use titles here, as we have two princesses in our team. Some even have overlapping surnames.”

“…Silvia. I would appreciate it if you could explain how to use it.”

I heard that nobles on Earth even go hunting, but it seemed like that wasn’t the case in this world.

Were they all just practicing with swords in the courtyard?

I handed Silvia the same gun I gave Alice.

Since you’ve already heard the explanation earlier, I won’t go over it again. Please don’t try to reload during a fight. If you can draw your sword, it’s better to use it. You’re not trained soldiers in firearms.

Leo seemed to tense up a bit at my words and nodded his head.

Although they were commoners, they had enough skill to enter this academy. Their marksmanship couldn’t be underestimated. They might even be better than me, who hadn’t had many opportunities for real combat shooting.

“Me too!”

Claire’s cheerful voice still rang out as she said that, and I wordlessly handed her the shotgun as well.

Although I did have a submachine gun, it would be uncomfortable to use it as a primary weapon. Plus, the shotgun I handed her was larger than the sawed-off double-barrel shotgun.

If the shotgun didn’t suit her, I would let her use the submachine gun.

“….”

And with a gun in each hand, we all looked at Charlotte.

“….”

Charlotte, who had a strong sense of pride in a strange way, seemed uncomfortable with our gaze and looked away. Then, she muttered, “Oh, really!” and reached out her hand while still avoiding our gaze.

She’s kind of cute.

In fact, she was a popular character because of that kind of gap.

Maybe I should learn a little from her.