It had been a while since I was able to train at the academy training grounds.
Most of the distinguished imperial knights use swords. It's not that they don't use firearms at all, but they are generally considered supplementary tools.
After all, there are gendarmes armed with firearms within the imperial palace. From their perspective, swords are actually auxiliary tools, and firearms are the primary weapon. There are training grounds for these people, but...
Well, honestly, it felt a little strange for me to train there by myself.
While it wasn't that women didn't exist in these roles, the majority were men. Moreover, all the knights and gendarmes in the imperial palace were under the imperial family’s command, so if I were to go, the training would undoubtedly be disrupted. It would cause quite the inconvenience.
When I trained with firearms as a child, I practiced by shooting flying birds or randomly firing indoors to get used to it. Even back then, I was still young, so I doubt anyone would have seriously trained me if I went.
Therefore, having a training ground where I could freely practice shooting without interruption was something I deeply appreciated.
“Phew...”
I exhaled as I checked my gun at the end of the training ground. Suddenly, I heard clapping from behind.
For a moment, I thought it was Sophia Bianchi, but when I turned around, I saw Lena standing there.
When I realized who was clapping, I felt a bit embarrassed.
Just a moment ago, I had been training around the grounds without rewinding time once. After meeting the Masked Woman twice, I had firmly realized that if I relied only on my ability, I would become utterly useless the moment it disappeared.
As the Sword Saint said, I wasn’t particularly talented in that area. I had fired a lot of shots, so I could hit something when I tried, but that was about it.
That said, I wasn’t going to seal away my abilities or swear off relying on them completely. But if I were to lose that power, at the very least, I should be more useful than the trash lying on the street. I used to criticize characters in games and comics who were useless, and I didn’t want to become one of them.
To avoid that, the best thing I could do was practice a little more, so I could be of some help, even if just a little, in such situations.
“Impressive.”
“Is that so?”
I had to make a significant effort to avoid blushing at Lena’s words. If I had rewound time to practice, I might not have cared. After all, it would have been the result of something I adjusted to make happen.
But to be complimented without ever rewinding time—at least it meant that, to Lena, my skills weren’t lacking too much.
...Then again, I had probably already trained in this area hundreds of times, so maybe that’s why.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t join you yesterday.”
“It’s fine. You had a lot of equipment to check, so it was inevitable.”
It felt a bit strange having this conversation with Lena, just the two of us. Maybe it was because we were both using formal language with each other.
Lena’s equipment had only arrived yesterday. After Jaiden bombarded the enemy with the monitor ship, the autonomous country became nervous, and the Empire responded by positioning more troops near the warlord regions. As a result, the atmosphere in that area became tense.
Lena’s weapon was a battleship cannon, one of the weapons being transported to the academy, where the noble children of the Empire gathered. Because the procedure had already become complicated, her weapon had been delayed at the border for a while before arriving yesterday. As a result, she hadn’t been able to join us at the café yesterday.
She didn’t seem to mind too much, but honestly, if the Empire started sweeping through the border region like that, even someone who had requested it in advance would be frightened.
Not just any weapon, but cannons. While each one was mounted on a separate ship, the caliber was similar to the dreadnoughts that soared above Rondarium. Given the number of ships, it might have been the same as if the dreadnought had gone to bombard us.
After the incident, the autonomous country moved its troops, and it was a bit absurd for the Empire’s army to respond in that way.
“Are you here to train?”
“Yes. Now that I’ve received my weapon, I thought I’d take this opportunity to check it out.”
I nodded and stood up from my seat.
---
Lena’s skill was as impressive as ever.
Given her personality, it was no surprise that she hadn’t taken a break during the vacation. In fact, her movements had become even more refined than before.
Hmm, in some ways, her movements seemed similar to mine.
In the past, I had only shot with pistols in both hands, but now, Lena was wearing a short submachine gun on her back.
“Impressive.”
As I watched Lena finish her round of the training ground, I clapped for her, just like she had done for me. A flush appeared on her face, but it wasn’t just from running around.
“I referenced your movements, Sylvia-sama.”
At those words, I almost blushed as well.
I was lucky it was dark outside.
I had only mimicked her movements—I wasn’t actually a member of a special forces unit. I had just pulled out the little knowledge I had of military tactics and tried to move the way I thought would work.
Still, I was glad it looked somewhat practical to the people around me.
“That so...?”
“Yeah!”
As I replied to Lena, trying to think of what to say next, I heard a voice shouting from behind.
“Your Highness, you were amazing!”
...
I turned around, and this time it was truly Sophia Bianchi.
“That was a move I never thought of!”
Well, of course. You’re a swordsman, right?
Now that I think about it, there seems to be an overwhelming number of swordsmen in Azer and Electric. Still, wasn’t the game set in an industrial revolution era? I mean, this was an era where people were digging trenches and mowing people down with machine guns. But here we are, swinging swords. Of course, the ones wielding swords are only the monsters who survive the gunfire.
Still, even they would die from a bullet.
“There are many people in Belbur who handle firearms, but I’ve never seen anyone move like you two,” Sophia said, looking impressed.
“...”
Lena’s face became a little dazed as she listened to Sophia’s words.
Lena knew about Sophia Bianchi. After all, she was in the same class, and since she had been hanging around us, Lena had naturally had the chance to speak with her.
It seemed like Sophia Bianchi had set her sights on getting close to me through my circle, if not through me directly.
“Is this training ground only for you two?”
Sophia asked, and Lena shook her head.
“No. Other students can use it too, but...”
...No one else would even think about using it as long as I was here.
Most of the students who use firearms are commoners.
“I see...”
Sophia tilted her head but then shrugged her shoulders.
“How did you manage to come here at this hour?”
“Oh, I was just taking a walk and heard the sounds, so I came to see. If there’s such a nice place here, I’d like to try using it too... Um...”
Sophia Bianchi stared at the training ground for a moment and then spoke.
“Would it be alright if I used it?”
Lena looked at me after Sophia spoke.
“I don’t have the right to stop you, but...”
“Well, could you tell me how to use it? How do I get the target board to go back up?”
“...”
I almost wanted to say, “Go wind it up yourself,” but...
Sophia Bianchi was terrible with machines. Especially with clocks. She’d break them at least once a month.
She’d over-wind the springs and break the parts, or press the mechanism’s buttons and cause it to malfunction. It had been a joke in the game, but in reality, it was disastrous.
“...I’ll help you.”
I sighed and said, holding back my frustration.
---
And the result was disastrous.
It was my complacency that caused the problem.
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Yeah, honestly, I thought just winding the spring would be enough.
Who would have thought that hitting the target board too hard would cause the parts to break?
When I saw Sophia Bianchi coming out of the training ground with a proud look, I glanced back at the board and noticed it was twisted in an odd direction. After checking, sure enough, it was in that state.
“...Sorry.”
And just like that, Sophia Bianchi apologized.
She seemed somewhat accustomed to this situation.
“...”
I had to try incredibly hard not to wipe my face in embarrassment.