Firearms Demonstration

"How many years had it been since I came back? More than ten, I suppose?" With the setting sun at his back, the old knight gazed toward his hometown, Lakeheart Town.

The attendant beside him laughed. "Haha, Lord Schroeder must be unable to wait any longer, right?"

"I was so excited just moments ago, but then I suddenly thought—apart from those old acquaintances I occasionally exchanged letters with, would any of the other townsfolk still remember me?" A strange sadness welled up in the knight's heart. His horse seemed to sense its master's mood and gradually slowed.

The young attendant comforted him. "It has been more than ten years, after all. Even if they do not remember, there is nothing to be done about it. You will not be leaving again anyway. You have plenty of time, and they will accept you again."

"You are right, Joyce. No amount of sadness will help. Face it properly. Hyah—" The knight cast off his melancholy, flicked the reins, and his horse happily broke into a trot again.

"But what about you? Do you really not regret following an old man like me to a backwater like this?"

"What are you saying? I still have much to learn from you! I will not leave until I have thoroughly dug out all that knowledge you have kept tucked away."

"Oh? Then that will depend on your ability..."

"Knight Bryce—oh no, he should be Battalion Commander Bryce now—went with the Lord to campaign against pirates. He has not returned yet," Bryce's neighbor said.

"Thank you."

After thanking him, Schroeder turned to his attendant. "It seems the pirate menace here has flared up again! So be it. Let us first return to the old house and clean it up. Once Bryce returns, we can visit him then."

So they headed toward the old Schroeder residence.

Along the way, Schroeder examined the streets of his hometown. He had been in too much of a hurry earlier to look carefully, but now that he did, he found that while the overall layout had not changed much, the town had become remarkably tidy. At regular intervals stood objects labeled "Boiled Water Shop," which were probably meant to hold public garbage.

Leaving everything else aside, just in terms of cleanliness, even the royal streets of the capital might not compare.

"Hm? What is that? 'Boiled Water Shop'? What does it do? Is it some kind of local shop?" Joyce spotted a storefront he had never seen before.

"I do not know. I have no memory of such a shop either." The old knight was equally puzzled.

Just then, they noticed a group crossing the pontoon bridge. After reaching Lakeheart Island, they did not head toward the town's main street. Instead, they turned onto a side path and disappeared.

"Hmm... it seems the campaign against the pirates did not go well." The knight and his attendant exchanged glances, arriving at the same thought without speaking.

"And so, your Grandfather paid off my family's debts, funded my further studies in the capital, and later recommended me for service in the Northern Legion at Long Ridge Fortress."

In the castle hall, Knight Schroeder finished his introduction.

"Then you returned to Lakeheart Town because...?"

"Once a person grows old, they begin to long to return to their roots. So I resigned from my post in the army and returned to my hometown to settle down."

Knight Schroeder's words stirred Paul slightly. Yesterday's defeat had greatly dampened the excitement he had felt as a transmigrator. As for that former "hometown"... he did not know whether he could ever return to it.

"Your family gave me a new life. When I heard of what happened to your father, I felt deep sorrow. Please allow me to join your ranks, avenge the Old Earl, and do my part for the peace of our homeland."

At the mention of the Old Earl, grief and indignation appeared on the old knight's face. The Old Earl had still been boasting in his letters that he was fit as a fiddle, yet now he was suddenly gone. Those damned pirates.

Bryce said happily, "Lord Schroeder has extensive military experience. His joining us will surely help us recover from yesterday's defeat."

Paul shot Bryce a dissatisfied look. The man had no sense of vigilance at all. How could military secrets be casually revealed in front of outsiders? It seemed he needed to strengthen confidentiality education in the army.

Still, he truly did need a commander familiar with the military system of this era. Although Bryce and the others were loyal enough, dealing with pirates was clearly already the limit of their current abilities.

"Knight Schroeder, welcome to my army." He rose and extended his hand to the old knight.

Schroeder clasped the young Earl's hand. "For reasons you should already know, I cannot openly swear allegiance to you. But time will prove my sincerity."

Paul expressed his understanding. Besides, he did not want to use the feudal era's personal bonds of servitude to ensure the army's loyalty.

Accompanied by everyone, Knight Schroeder visited the long-resting Old Earl at the family cemetery. Afterward, he requested an inspection of the territory's current troops.

That afternoon, four companies assembled on the Drill Ground in the military camp. Seeing the soldiers' assembly speed and posture, Knight Schroeder was greatly astonished.

"They are good soldiers. Even His Majesty the King's army could not form ranks so quickly or march with such uniform steps."

Hearing the old knight say this, the young Earl puffed out his chest with pride, as though he had forgotten about the defeat he had just suffered.

"But their spirit is far lacking."

"Uh... most of them are recruits, after all, and their first battle went poorly. However, we have powerful Secret Weapons. Let us demonstrate them before the entire army now. This will be the first time."

Then he called out to the soldiers, "All troops, at ease."

"Soldiers, do not be discouraged by yesterday's defeat! I have had our hastily developed Secret Weapons brought here. Now we will show you their power. With them, we will surely wash away our humiliation. First, we will demonstrate the Hand Grenades. Grenadiers, step forward!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a squad of soldiers carrying packs ran to a spot sufficiently far ahead of the crowd and formed a line facing several thick wooden stakes that had long been planted in the ground. From head to toe, these soldiers were wrapped in thick padded clothing.

They first took out Bamboo Fire Tinders they carried with them, opened the lids, and blew the embers to life. Then each pulled a strange cylinder from his pack. Everyone guessed these were the Hand Grenades the Earl had mentioned. A wooden handle protruded faintly from the bottom, wrapped with a thin cord. After unwinding the cord, the soldiers gripped the handles tightly.

Then the young Earl gave the order, "Throw the grenades!"

The demonstration soldiers immediately used their Bamboo Fire Tinders to ignite the cords on the objects in their hands. After they had burned for a while, the soldiers put their full strength into hurling the objects toward the wooden stakes.

The thrown "Hand Grenades" exploded one after another among the stakes with deafening blasts. Some exploded after hitting the ground, while others burst before they landed. Fragments scattered in all directions, and great clouds of white smoke rose from among the stakes.

Those who had not participated in developing the new weapons were badly startled by the explosions. Then they realized that the blasts they often heard during recruit training had been caused by these things.

A soldier clad in heavy armor entered the cluster of stakes to inspect the area. After confirming there were no unexploded grenades, he gave the signal that it was safe. Paul then ordered the formation dismissed and allowed the officers and soldiers to come forward and inspect the effects of the new weapon.

Covering their noses against the pungent smell, everyone approached the wooden stakes. They found that some tremendous force had violently embedded the post-explosion fragments—mostly iron nails set into the Hand Grenades—deep into the wood. Cries of amazement arose all around. If these were thrown into a crowd, anyone lightly dressed would lose a layer of skin even if they survived a hit. And if some unlucky fellow got one in the face... the image was too horrifying to imagine.

Knight Schroeder sincerely praised them. "They would be extremely effective against poorly trained troops conscripted at short notice. Throwing a few of these would send them scattering."

"Next, we will display the second weapon. With it in hand, even a farmer who has just put down his hoe can effortlessly kill a warrior who has trained for years." Paul clapped loudly to draw everyone's attention, proudly making an incredibly tantalizing claim.

Two thick iron plates were fixed upright in the ground. Then two soldiers carrying Matchlock Guns stepped forward, and everyone was quickly drawn to the strange weapons in their hands.

The two soldiers stopped ten meters from the iron plates. Following the steps they had practiced beforehand, they took out small bottles containing gunpowder. After opening them, they first filled the priming pans behind the barrels with some powder, then closed the pan covers.

They then stood the guns upright and poured all the remaining powder from the bottles into the barrels through the muzzles. Next, they loaded lead balls into the barrels, drew out the Cleaning Rods from beneath the barrels, and used them to ram the powder and balls tight.

Finally, they secured the burning ends of their match cords in the match clamps at the tips of the serpentine levers. The pan covers effectively prevented the match cords from accidentally touching the priming powder and causing an accidental discharge.

"Aim!!!"

Upon hearing the command, the two soldiers pointed their guns at the iron plates before them, adopting a stance that looked to the onlookers like that of crossbowmen taking aim.

"Fire!!!"

The soldiers closed their eyes and pulled the triggers. Driven by the triggers, the pan covers opened while the tips of the serpentine levers swiftly dropped toward the pans, allowing the match cords to ignite the priming powder. The priming powder rapidly burned and ignited the propellant within the barrels.

With a bang, flames and thick smoke burst from the barrels. Everyone followed the guns' aim and saw terrifying large holes in both iron plates.

"Oh...!!!" Those who had not participated in developing the new weapons stood dumbfounded. Someone muttered, "Is this... is this magic?" Such a tiny ball had actually pierced an iron plate.

The terrifying power of the Matchlock Guns stirred monstrous waves in everyone's heart, especially Knight Schroeder, who had spent decades in military service. When he had seen the power of the "Hand Grenades," he had merely offered praise. But the Matchlock Guns filled him with utter shock.

He had trained in martial arts for decades. With equal weapons, he was confident he could take on more than a dozen ordinary men in close combat. But if the other side possessed weapons like Matchlock Guns, even a child with slightly above-average strength could easily kill him.

Something suddenly occurred to him, and he turned to ask, "My Lord, you must strictly control the use of this weapon. Otherwise, there is no telling what kind of trouble it might cause."

The young Earl merely said with a grin, "Of course, Knight Schroeder. I do not want someone suddenly blowing a big hole through my chest."