“I’ll just… yes, I’ll take a break for a moment.”
Gordon, whose perception of the world had just been shattered to the point of being reduced to dust, held his forehead and complained of dizziness before staggering away from his spot.
“But if it’s this valuable, wouldn’t selling everything solve most problems?”
Dariann, who had been carefully observing Gordon’s reaction, turned to Felix and asked.
“I mean, you know, things like debts… stuff like that. Wouldn’t selling all those things and living as filthy rich people solve everything?”
“…That’s true. Why didn’t I think of that?”
Rosaria blinked her eyes wide in realization and clapped her hands as if struck by an idea.
If the treasures they possessed were truly that valuable, then why not sell them off just like they had sold the precious jewels and expensive furniture in the mansion during the early days of their possession to secure funds? Selling items like the World Tree branch or dragon scales (of course, they didn’t bother asking Tene’s opinion) would surely solve all their problems.
“It’s not that simple.”
“…Why not?”
“Yeah, why can’t we?”
“…Sigh. Let me explain, so listen carefully. That includes you too, brother.”
Felix, who had been watching the two, let out a deep sigh and squatted down on the training ground floor. Using a stick he had picked up, he started drawing diagrams to help explain.
“You understand that the World Tree branch and dragon scales are not just expensive but incredibly, incredibly, incredibly rare, right?”
“Yes.”
“We get it.”
“But what do you think would happen if someone in the empire started selling these rare items in large quantities?”
“…Wouldn’t customers flock to buy them?”
“Oh, I get it! If too many people rush in, you could run out of stock super quickly, right?”
“Ooh, smart as expected! That’s my son.”
“Hehe.”
“…Sigh, no! Obviously, people would find it suspicious! The Empire’s Emperor himself can’t freely acquire such items, but suddenly they’re being sold from some mere Count’s territory? It would cause absolute chaos!”
Felix slowly described what might happen if they started selling World Tree branches or Black Dragon (Tenebrix Nox) scales as Dariann suggested.
“Those two materials, if used properly, hold enough power to unify the Empire—or even the entire continent.
But what if the Empire’s enemies approached us to buy those treasures? Or worse, what if they didn’t just buy them but stole or looted them?
Then, using those materials, they forged weapons and launched an attack on the Empire?”
“…..”
“Then…”
“It would be utter chaos. And there’s no way the Empire’s higher-ups wouldn’t catch wind of it. They’d immediately approach us to investigate the source of the materials, or worse, accuse us of treason or something to justify taking them by force.”
“Is it really that serious…?”
“Whoa…”
“If the fact that we possess so many of these treasures becomes public, it would bring us immense danger. That’s why we’re being so cautious and keeping it a secret.”
“Why do you think Dad and Grandpa have been locked in meetings for days, just trying to figure out how to safely sell the World Tree leaves in this territory?
It’s because it’s so risky that they’re racking their brains to ensure everything is done securely.”
“Oh… I had no idea…”
“Me neither… I thought we could just sell them for a high price…”
Once Felix finished explaining, Dariann and Rosaria exchanged bewildered looks, finally understanding why even the brilliant Freya and Estelle hadn’t rushed to sell the treasures but instead meticulously calculated every move.
“Alright, you can listen now.”
“Oh, okay!”
With that, Felix tapped the shoulder of Shalle, who had been squatting in a corner with her long ears folded to block out sound.
This was to ensure that their family secrets wouldn’t be overheard by an outsider, even one with the exceptional hearing of an elf.
They had not only sent Shalle far away but also made sure her ears were physically covered.
“Anyway, let’s start with performance testing.”
Bang-
Crash-
“Oh, ohhh…! This feels amazing…!”
Rosaria, who had aligned her aim after a few practice shots, destroyed a wooden piece she had set up as a target.
She pulled her eye away from the scope, trembling with excitement as she struggled to contain her overwhelming emotions.
“What do you think? I used the lessons from the last experiment to lower the destructive power and enhance the penetration.
Of course, even with the lower destructive power, it’s still strong enough to pierce through an ordinary beast in one go. It can shoot up to about 500 meters without a problem!”
“You’re right. At first, I thought it would be another ridiculous weapon that’d tear up the training field, so I was a bit nervous… but this is practically just a gun! No way I could ever aim this at a person.”
Even though the target was set at quite a distance, the moment she pulled the trigger, it was shattered to pieces. Rosaria, feeling a bit dazed, clasped her trembling hands tightly.
“The bullet I just fired is an anti-personnel magic bullet.”
“I’ve also created different versions of magic bullets while adjusting the power. Feel free to practice. There’s even a non-lethal version that won’t kill but just delivers some impact, so don’t worry about it.”
“…That’s kind of eerie, honestly.”
As Rosaria looked at him with a mix of surprise and unease, Felix proudly displayed the magic bullet he had made, holding it in his palm as if seeking her approval.
The magic bullet in her hand was slightly larger than usual but bore a striking resemblance to the 5.56mm rounds she’d grown all too familiar with during her military days.
“When loading the bullets, you use this magic bullet cartridge—designed to hold exactly ten. Anyway, put the bullets in here, then insert them into the loading section below. After that, pull the bolt-action lever on the side to load it. Honestly, I’m no expert in firearms, so it had to be manually loaded like this.”
“You sure this isn’t just a gun you made?!”
“Calling it a gun feels off, doesn’t it? Could you call it the Magic Bullet Launcher MK II (Enhanced Version) instead?”
Felix insisted it was a staff, but with its attached scope, trigger, bolt-action mechanism, and cartridge, it was essentially a gun in every way.
“Good grief… whatever. I’ll just use it for practice for now.”
‘This is insane. A sniper rifle in a fantasy world? This is epic!’
Although Rosaria muttered as if exasperated, deep down, her heart raced with excitement at the thought of owning a sniper rifle, something that stirred every man’s fantasy.
“Mom! What’s that?”
“Huh? Oh, Ariel, you’re here?”
Just then, Ariel, who hadn’t shown herself until now, suddenly popped out of thin air with a poof! and began twirling around Rosaria’s head. Spotting the Magic Bullet Launcher MK II (Enhanced Version)… well, sniper rifle in her hands, Ariel’s curiosity was instantly piqued.
“This? Oh, it’s a weapon that can hit targets from far away.”
“Show me! Show me!”
“Haha, well… Alright! Let me show you the skills of an Army veteran and expert marksman!”
Rosaria, her confidence bolstered by Ariel’s enthusiasm as the little one perched on her shoulder bouncing up and down, immediately aimed her rifle at the remaining targets and began focusing on her shot.
Soon.
Bang-
Thud-
“Ahh~ This is it!”
“Wow! Amazing! So amazing!”
Rosaria, who had momentarily held her breath and hit the target in one shot, was surrounded by Ariel, who flew around her excitedly.
“I want to try! Let me try too!”
“…Huh? You too?”
Then, suddenly, Ariel, who was clinging tightly to the sniper rifle Rosaria was holding, pleaded to have a turn herself.
“Um… but Ariel, your body size doesn’t match, so it might be hard for you.”
However, the sniper rifle, sized for an average human, was far too large for Ariel, whose entire size was barely the size of Rosaria’s palm.
“It’s fine!”
“Huh…? Ariel? What are you doing…?”
But despite Rosaria’s words, Ariel shook her head fervently and placed her hand on the sniper rifle.
Flash-
“What?!”
As soon as Ariel’s hand touched the sniper rifle, it began to glow. Startled by the dazzling light, Rosaria closed her eyes tightly.
“What’s with this sudden light… Wait, what is this?”
As the light began to fade, Rosaria opened her eyes, blinking, and noticed that a windmill-shaped symbol, similar to the one on the back of her hand, was now engraved on the side of the sniper rifle.
“Mom! Do it again! Again!”
“Umm… Okay, I got it.”
Still unsure of what just happened, Rosaria reluctantly shouldered the sniper rifle again at Ariel’s insistence, peered into the scope, and prepared to shoot.
And then.
“Huh? Was it always like this…?”
The scope, enchanted by Felix for magnified vision, had initially felt like just a basic telescope. However, after Ariel’s strange intervention, there were now additional peculiar features.
Specifically, through the scope, she could see faint but clear lines, almost like those in a computer game.
These lines weren’t visible outside the scope, but as soon as her eyes moved back inside, the suspicious trajectory was clearly visible.
Though unsettled by the strange feeling, Rosaria quickly regained her composure, aimed again, and locked onto her target.
Bang-
Thud-
Her finger pulled the trigger once more, and the magic bullet once again flawlessly pierced through the target.
However.
Thud-
Thud-
Thud-
Thud-
“…What?”
The fired magic bullet, which was supposed to disappear into dust along with the magic crystal powder inside after hitting the target, didn’t.
However, after hitting the first target, the magic bullet’s trajectory curved and pierced through the second, third, and fourth targets one after another. Eventually, all the wooden pieces used as targets were completely shattered.
― “Yahoo! I hit them all! Mom! Did I do well?”
―”Th-that just now… was that you?”
― “Yep! I did great, right?”
Rosaria, who had been staring in bewilderment at Ariel, who was cheering and bouncing around nearby, asked with a surprised expression.
Ariel nodded brightly with a big smile.
“This is… fascinating. Is it because Ariel is a wind spirit? I can’t believe she can control magic bullets…”
“Is that it?!”
― “Yep! This is so fun!”
Felix, who had been watching the scene unfold with interest, stroked his chin and explained what had just happened. Ariel burst out in laughter, affirming his explanation with delight.
“Ha, haha… This is like a total cheat weapon. It’s basically an aim-hack, isn’t it?”
Thus, Rosaria now not only had a sniper rifle but also the ability to control its bullets.
Holding this overwhelmingly powerful weapon in her hands, Rosaria couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
“Still, this is kind of a relief. Honestly, I was worried.”
“…? About what?”
Felix, standing beside her, nodded to himself and mumbled, prompting Rosaria to look at him questioningly.
“In a month, it’ll be time for you to return to the academy.”
“Although I’ll also be at the academy as an honorary professor, there’s a limit to how much I can protect you. At least now, you won’t be underestimated wherever you go.”
“…Ah.”
As Felix reminded her of something she had forgotten until now, Rosaria’s mouth fell open in realization.
The academy.
The vacation granted by the academy was coming to an end.
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