kscans

Chapter 30 - Gun Repair and a Commotion

"What!? There's no way you could do it! Don't get ahead of yourself! You can't even process a metal plate properly!"

"You'll probably just break it again anyway. What is he even talking about?"

"He should say that after he's trained more. I really don't get him."

In an instant, a storm of criticism erupted. It seemed Shion had completely lost the trust of those around him. The man himself was trembling with hatred.

"Papa, I don't want some old guy like that fixing my gun. It's too important to me."

"Ah, yeah, you're right. Then let me have it."

"Let me repair it! I'm going to show you the difference in our power!"

"Whoa, stop it, Shion."

Shion suddenly lunged at me, trying to forcibly take Bayonet's gun.

"Shion, let go! Don't handle it so roughly!"

"I'm going to repair it! I'll show you the difference in our power!"

""What do you think you're doing! Let go right now!""

The soldiers grabbed him, but Shion resisted fiercely. He forcefully snatched the gun from me and held it high.

"I can fix this without any tools!"

""Ah!""

As Shion squeezed the hammer with all his might, it snapped with a pokiri sound.

"You broke it! Are you kidding me! What was that about fixing it without tools!"

"Why would you even try that? Couldn't you think it through?"

"This is so pathetic I'm at a loss for words. Maybe he should just die and start over."

The whole crowd was utterly disgusted. What did this guy seriously want to achieve? At a word from Senji-san, Shion was restrained.

"Why are you so incompetent!"

"I'm not incompetent! I'm competent!"

Shion was beaten mercilessly. Bayonet walked right past him and hurried over to me.

"Papa! That old guy broke my gun!"

"I'm sorry about that. But it's okay. I'll fix it right away."

"Papa, you're so reliable. A world of difference from that weird-smelling old man."

I thought I could hear the sound of Shion grinding his teeth, but first, I took the gun and returned to the forge. Of course, Militar, Iz, and the soldiers came with me. Shion was also brought along by Senji-san, who told him to study. But looking at it again, it really was a magnificent gun. A slender yet dependable barrel, a stable stock. The formula for the magic circle was incredibly complex too. To think I made this, it was unbelievable.

"Hey, hey, how are you going to fix it?"

"Let's see. First, I'll disassemble it, and while cleaning it, I'll hammer out the distortions."

I broke down the Shinket into three parts, the barrel, the forend, and the action which held the hammer. There was a thin layer of grime accumulated in places. I wiped it off with a cloth and oiled it as I went. Holding up the barrel and looking through it from the back, I saw the tip was slightly warped. I checked it and corrected it with a hammer. Perhaps because magic bullets passed through it, the inside was a bit rough too. I cleaned and polished it using whetstone powder. I decided to forge the hammer from Steel Ore. The work took about an hour.

"...And, well, that should do it."

I had finished. The Shinket was now sparkling clean. The hammer that Shion had broken was restored, and it looked as good as new. Well, not that I'd seen it when it was new.

"Papa, you're amazing! I love you!"

The moment I handed her the gun, Bayonet threw her arms around me. She pressed something soft and yielding against me. The optics weren't great, so I gently pushed her away. Militar and Iz were looking quite stern, after all.

"H, hey, please hold it. And I need you to do a test shot."

"Aww, you don't have to do that."

"We might need to make some fine adjustments."

"Fine."

I pressed the gun into her hands, and she accepted it with a reluctant look. I breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, the expressions on Militar and Iz's faces softened.

"Okay, someone get me a target."

""Yes! Right away!""

As Bayonet spoke in a listless tone, her corps members hurried to prepare a target board. It made me realize that despite her demeanor, she was a proper captain. Bayonet dropped to one knee and took aim, and the magic circle on the stock glowed with a purple light. After a breath, she pulled the trigger, and a purple wave of energy shot from the muzzle. I see, so that's a magic bullet. It was my first time seeing one, and it was beautiful… whoa. Wow!

The magic bullet struck the target and exploded violently, blowing the board to smithereens. But the impact was so intense that it gouged out a large chunk of the ground as well. The blast wave gently brushed my face.

"Yaaay, bullseye! Papa, how was it?"

"Th, that's some incredible power. I was shocked."

It had the impact of a cannon. A portable gun with that much power would be a considerable threat to any enemy.

"It's because your gun is amazing, Papa. I just put in a tiny bit of magic, and it gets that powerful."

"Isn't it because of your skill, Bayonet?"

"No, no. It's thanks to Papa's gun."

The soldiers around us were buzzing as they looked at the large hole in the ground.

"The captain's gun really is something else. I got to test-fire it once, and it was seriously insane."

"And what's more, it doesn't tire you out at all. There's definitely no other gun like it."

"I'm gonna have Dareth-san do maintenance on my gun too. It's a huge relief to have the best blacksmith around."

Thankfully, it seemed the members of the Musketeer Corps had accepted me as well. What a relief.

"Papa, I love you!"

Bayonet clung to me, looking very pleased. Let's not do the clinging thing, okay. Militar and Iz are getting twitchy, you see. And over there, Shion was watching the scene with veins popping on his forehead.

"Why does everything good happen to you! I'm a former guild master! I won't forgive you, I won't forgive you, I won't forgive you!"

"Hey, wait! Get back here!"

Shion flew into a rage and ran off somewhere.