Occult Awakening: From Commoner to Archmage

"They're called rifles."

All of the nobles wore curious expressions as they stared at the items in the box with the long metal barrels. Luca was the same. As soon as he saw the items, he recalled what Digger and Erina had told him.

'Metal monsters that run faster than any horse, and barrels that shoot little balls of steel that kill men faster than any sword.'

"Guns," he muttered unconsciously.

"You never stop surprising me, Luca. Most commoners have never heard of these before," Thomas exclaimed, picking a rifle out of the box.

There were a total of five in there, along with the ammunition that went with them.

"I've heard a few things here and there. This is my first time seeing one, though."

"I don't doubt that. The Emperor restricts their use heavily to the main capital cities in the empire. It's a Styrian technology, after all."

Luca and the other nobles nodded in understanding. Weapons such as these would undermine the Emperor's authority if they were in widespread use, but it would also be rather stupid not to use such powerful tools at all.

"In any case, I managed to get these off the Duke's hands for today only. It cost a terrible amount, but I suspect it will be worth it."

The rifle had a long black snout, known aptly as the barrel, while the rest of its body was covered in sleek brown wood.

He shot a quick glance at Thalia, who seemed more composed than some of the other nobles about seeing the rifles. Something about her made him very uneasy, especially after that day she sent the spirit to follow him.

His eyebrows creased together in frustration. And now Vito and Jonny. She couldn't have known that I was coming with the baron. So what's her game?

His thoughts were interrupted by the baron's voice.

"All right, let's set out."

They checked gear and organized the hunting dogs and servants. Thomas passed the rifles around to the other four and kept the one in his hand. Luca and the other tagalongs were unarmed, though not completely.

Luca had gotten a new dagger from Humphrey's to replace the one he lost to Rust Hand, and both Vito and Jonny were freakishly strong.

The nobles mounted horses and rode into the forest, trotting at a pace that their stewards could follow on foot. Their path narrowed fast, but the hunting dogs still had not found any trace of game. Trees grew taller and the light dimmed. Birds scattered as they passed.

Luca walked with alert ears. He watched Thalia occasionally. Sometimes, when she noticed his stares, she flashed a small smile. Thomas was a chatterbox. Even as they went deeper into the forest, he still whispered in a not-so-quiet voice. The other nobles talked about previous hunting trips and trophies.

"This is going nowhere," he heard Vito snarl to Jonny.

Then the large grizzly man walked up to the front of the group, flashing a mouth full of yellow teeth.

"Baron, I'm sure you've noticed that we've been walking for a while and it's been fruitless. So I want to propose something."

Thomas halted his horse. "And what's that?"

"We're familiar with this area and it's been poached mostly clean by greedy nobles, err, people. By greedy people. But that's besides the point. With the Sunfather's grace, I also know of a few untouched spots in the area."

What are they trying to do? Luca frowned. However, he did not say anything and simply watched the situation from the side.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, most certainly. I swear to the Lord himself."

Thomas did not appear to mind the suggestion and even welcomed it.

"Well, point me to it, then."

"Ah, before I do that. I have to warn that they're all in different locations, and might not be safe for someone of your caliber to go to alone, so I propose we go."

Thomas waved it off. "That's not a problem, we've got the rifles, remember?"

"You can never be too sure, can you, sire?"

One of the other nobles, the ostentatious man known as Baron Tolkien, agreed with the suggestion as soon as it was said.

"Thalia's help is right. We can never be too sure!"

His cry emboldened the other two nobles and finally Thalia. A thin smile was drawn across her lips as she realized she was the deciding vote in the situation.

"Yes, I agree. Let Vito and Jonny scout out the situation for us while we focus on this area. We'll rendezvous at this exact spot in twenty minutes if they aren't back by then."

Thomas looked unconvinced, but eventually he yielded.

"Hey, Lu-Lu, why don't you come with us? It'll be fun." Vito grinned.

This time the baron did not agree with the suggestion. "That's not appropriate. He's been invited here as a guest by me—"

However, it was Luca who shut him down this time around. He looked at the middle-aged man calmly and waved it off.

"It's quite okay. I don't mind doing things such as this. I'm very used to it, after all."

By now the situation had become quite apparent to him. It did not take a genius to figure out what the two men and Thalia were up to. He did not know what the lady had against him, but he was not going to tolerate it.

"If that's what you wish. However, before you go, take this with you."

He pushed a thin bottle-like object into the baron's hands, then whispered, "It's a scent signal. Break this in case something happens and my dogs will rush to your rescue immediately."

Luca nodded wordlessly and walked over to meet Vito and Jonny, who were already facing a different direction than him.

Since they had taken the initiative to look for his trouble this time, and even went to such lengths, he decided he would take care of them here and now.

It was about time, and he had the perfect thing for them.