Chapter 76 - When a Friend Arrives
“So, you’ve been praising me like that? How embarrassing... and yet, I feel proud. ...Are you in the middle of work?”
“I was just receiving a patrol report. This is the esteemed individual from the high comital family. Their family is the Minister of Magic’s house. Be polite. ...This is the leader of the first shooter party in our Guerilla Unit. She’s exceptionally skilled, and her scouting range is unmatched within the unit. A highly capable soldier.”
I introduced the two of them, who were meeting for the first time. My Friend briskly entered the office and extended his hand to the shooter, asking for a handshake. The shooter, responding to his serious gaze, extended her hand as well. They shook hands firmly, locking eyes. Some kind of mutual understanding seemed to pass between them, as the tension in the shooter’s shoulders eased. Then, her gaze wandered before settling on me. What was that about?
“You’re quite beloved by your troops, My Friend. Well, that’s good. Listen, soldier, despite how I look, I feel nothing but friendship toward your precious commander. I’ve come here as a member of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Magic Research Division, Fifth Seat, of the Royal Palace Magitech Academy. In other words, I’m a representative of the state. Hm? Is that a gun on your back?”
“Y-Yes...! It’s a gun, Sir!”
“Would you mind showing it to me? I’m interested. It’s the decisive weapon against monsters and magical beasts that My Friend poured his heart and soul into developing. As a magitech tool developer, it would be strange if I weren’t curious. I had a hand in its development back then, but I’ve never seen the finished product. I’d like to take a look.”
The shooter shot me a confused look. The gun contained My Friend’s “thoughts” as well. I had no issue with him examining it. In fact, I wanted him to take a good look and point out any flaws if he found any. I nodded slowly to the shooter. With determination, she slung the gun off her shoulder and handed it to my friend with both hands, as if presenting it.
My Friend, understanding the significance of the gun to the Guerilla Unit, accepted it with both hands and pressed it to his forehead in a gesture of gratitude. Almost immediately, he began inspecting the gun with a serious expression. After dry-firing it a few times, he turned to the shooter.
“Are there any issues? Has its operations become heavier since you first received it? Has the aim started to drift?”
“No! ...Sir!”
“Really? What about the trigger pull? Any deviation in aim? Especially vertical drift, or has the trajectory correction value increased?”
“...W-Well, now that you mention it, the trigger has felt a bit heavier lately, Sir.”
“I thought so. Hold on a moment. Hey, I’m borrowing your desk.”
My Friend swiftly moved to the side of the desk, the gun in hand, and began tinkering with it. Or rather, he started disassembling it. It happened in the blink of an eye. He removed several pins, pulled the barrel from the stock faster than the standard procedure, disassembled the trigger mechanism, and dismantled the firing mechanism. He conjured detailed appraisal runes in his hand, floating it as he meticulously inspected each part.
The disassembled gun was neatly arranged on the desk in an orderly fashion, his work more precise and thorough than even mine, the one who had built it. For the components embedded with runes, he channeled mana into them while conducting a detailed appraisal based on the results. When he examined the barrel, he thrust it toward me and spoke in a sharp tone.
“The centerline is off. Fix it. ‘Craftsman’—that’s you—you can do it here, even without a forge. Look at the muzzle and the action. The trajectory will be off like this. Fix it.”
“O-okay.”
He continued to scrutinize the action with a serious expression, clearly finding several issues. As I adjusted the barrel, I could hear him muttering to himself. He hasn’t changed since our days in the Alchemy Tower. The habit of thinking out loud is still there. He was supposed to fix that as a noble’s son, but...
“The basic design is the same as the gun from the Alchemy Tower. It’s built with simplicity in mind to withstand the harsh conditions of combat. But this is no good. The runes at the joints are under too much strain because the connections are too simple. There’s stagnation and damage in the activation runes. It lacks redundancy. If it were me... I’d add another layer of runes. That would create a time delay in the activation, reducing the load on the main runes and making it more durable for long-term use without maintenance. ...This gun is this soldier’s lifeline. It can’t afford to misfire when it’s needed most. Alright, I’ll make the modifications now.”
Without waiting for my permission, he began weaving runes and adding it to the firing mechanism of the gun. Hey, that’s official equipment of the knightly house! Even if it’s only issued to the Guerilla Unit, it’s still standard military gear! Before I could say anything, the runes in his hand vanished.
The work was done in an instant.
After fixing the modified runes, he snatched the barrel I had adjusted and began reassembling the gun. His skill surpassed mine. A true genius treats even complex magitech tools like toys. My Friend was no exception. In no time, he had reassembled it to its original state and handed it back to the shooter.
“It’s back to its initial condition. Well, the accuracy should be slightly improved. The recoil will be lighter, and it’ll use less mana. With the magic battery embedded in the stock, you won’t need to replace it until it’s at 150% capacity. Other specs remain the same, so don’t worry about that. However, the trigger has been reset to its initial state, so it’ll feel a bit lighter. I recommend a test firing.”
“Huh? Ah, y-yes! I-I’d like to test-fire it, Sir!”
“My Friend, permission?”
“Understood. Permission granted to use the firing range within the Fortress. Ammunition type: live rounds. Target: Piscus remains. Understood?”
“Yes! Understood!”
Watching the shooter’s face, I felt a pang of guilt. I had ordered each shooter to maintain their guns, but I realized I hadn’t personally disassembled or serviced any of them. As I watched the shooter run off, My Friend looked at her retreating figure with a smile, as if watching something endearing. I expressed my gratitude to him.
“I should have listened more carefully. Thank you, My Friend.”
“Well... It’s a treasure handed down by their beloved commander, so the soldiers wouldn’t dare complain... or rather, they can’t. Good thing I’m here, huh?”
“Absolutely. So, what did you add?”
“Just a little something. A little bit of runes. The same runes I gifted to my elder brother. It’s been thoroughly analyzed down to the finest details and comes with a guaranteed effectiveness.”
“The one mentioned in the Royal Palace Magitech Academy’s announcement... That one?”
“Yeah, that’s the one. It’s a set of runes that balances mana efficiency and redundancy in runes. It’s easy to implement—just slot it in the middle.”
“...You’re still a genius, as always.”
“Oh, come on... Well, maybe? Ahaha!”
My Friend laughed without a care. He was wearing a robe from the Magic Academy, open at the front, but underneath was casual clothing like what men in the town wore—a white flannel shirt and gray-black trousers. Was he using suspenders because they were too big? Yet, even in that outfit, his strikingly alluring physique was impossible to hide.
I gestured toward the sofa, deciding it was time to discuss My Friend’s problem.
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