NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38
There are bears in this world.
But this bear isn’t like the kind you think people encounter on Earth.
Ah, of course, Earth’s bears are dangerous too. They tear people apart. If you get hit by a bear’s claw, your intestines would spill out onto the floor in no time. And the bear would happily snack on that.
Similar to the reasons for elephants, rhinoceroses, and other large land animals, there are lions and tigers as well.
They are actually called that. ‘Bear’, ‘lion’, ‘elephant’… they all have the same names in the game’s monster compendium, but…
Well, I wonder if it’s okay to treat the beasts I know and the beasts in this game as the same thing.
First of all, the fur color is different. On Earth, there were bears with brown, black, or white fur, but the bears in this world have a much more colorful fur.
Red, blue, green, or brown.
And the shape of their claws is different too. If you think of ordinary beast claws, you’re in trouble. Unlike the hard keratin structure of regular claws, these bears’ claws look like they’re made of solid ice, are always on fire, or create winds strong enough to blow people away or cause tremors in the ground when swung… Anyway, they could do things that absolutely no ordinary bear could, making them frankly just beasts with forms of attack that are utterly unbelievable.
Lions, tigers, elephants, and rhinoceroses are similar. The only animals that resemble what people on Earth would recognize are horses. In fact, even those horses have a story that says humans bred them for convenience, so wild horses might even have manes made of flames…
…Anyway, that’s how it is.
And surprisingly, humanity has survived in a world dominated by such insane beasts and has become the apex of all creatures.
Well, I suppose it isn’t particularly strange, considering the first emperor ruled over the gryphons with his bare hands.
Because of this, one shouldn’t look down on civilian firearms. Shotguns, rifles, they’re all weapons made to take down those monsters. There are even people who make money selling the parts of the monsters they’ve hunted.
Like using a large-caliber shotgun to smash the skull of a bear or using a rifle that’s much larger than standard military rifles… Wizards would have likely focused on practical magic purely for survival.
“…Instructor!”
And, no matter how much one lived as a noble, it’s impossible to be entirely oblivious to this fact. Just because you’re a noble doesn’t mean you stop eating meat, and there are plenty of taxidermy decorations on the wall.
“Still, aiming a shotgun at them! This is blasphemy! How can you shoot a beast with a gun…!”
Strangely enough, the creators seem to have drawn this perception from reality. They say that Europeans were horrified to see the Americans using shotguns during World War I. Conversely, the Americans felt annoyed that the Germans were using submachine guns, saying, “They’re using weapons meant for gangsters.”
Well, regardless of whether one feels annoyed or not, it doesn’t mean anything. In the confines of a narrow trench, shotguns or submachine guns are extremely useful. When you’re in an urgent situation where there’s no time to aim, you could just pull the trigger while pointing randomly, or you can grip it tight with both hands and spray bullets without thinking, there’s no reason not to use a firearm that could silence the opponent.
And this might be the reason why they’re pitting commoners against nobles in a fight.
Jennifer has been fighting warlords who shoot down both nobles and commoners.
“Do people think they’re not beasts?”
As a noble student raised a hand in protest upon seeing the crowd of commoners approaching, Jennifer quietly looked at that student and asked softly.
“Be it human or beast, if you get shot, you bleed and die. Just because you’re a human doesn’t mean every pellet of birdshot will completely miss. Once again, let me emphasize, there’s no honor or glory on the battlefield. There’s only a muddy beast struggling to survive in a trench full of water.”
Saying this, Jennifer raised one side of her lip slightly.
“Or else, asking our Crown Princess might not be a bad idea. Sylvia.”
Wait, what?
I’m not saying anything and just standing still—
—Hmm, thinking back again, it seems I was the only one standing speechless. The noble class students, even Leo, Charlotte, and Alice, were showing some discomfort on their faces while I remained calm.
To put it another way, Claire was pretty calm too, but she probably recalls what life’s like at the bottom of human society.
“What do you think? Will the enemy protest against using shotguns? Do you think they’ll request us to use ‘honorable weapons’?”
As I had just responded that there was no glory in battle, it was likely they asked me that because they were sure I wouldn’t say something like that.
I mean, I’ve never just dismissed a Count with an assassination. I did set a bomb on a carriage, but honestly, that wasn’t exactly ‘noble’ either. If you’re a noble, it would be proper to boldly declare a duel and neutralize or kill your opponent fairly.
I wonder if Jennifer knows that much. But at the very least, I get the sense that she has some strange trust in me.
Jennifer seems to view me as a ‘soldier.’
…Did she hear that I was supposed to go to the battlefield?
“Can we get shotguns or submachine guns?”
At my words, the surroundings murmured.
Revolvers and rifles have already conjured images as essential weapons on the battlefield. So, no one would challenge someone carrying such weapons. If they want to ridicule a commoner who’s practically without affiliates, they won’t go as far as to boldly say, “You’re a coward.”
“Of course. The most important thing on the battlefield is to ‘prepare weapons in advance’. I’ll allow you to choose your weapons before the fight. Whether it’s a rifle, a revolver, or a shotgun, feel free to choose.”
“Thank you.”
Perhaps pleased with my answer, Jennifer nodded with a smile on her face.
…She’s a pretty attractive person, just like people coming out of games.
Honestly, from the way she talks, she doesn’t seem fully sane.
Well, given that she’s seen such a battlefield, it’s no surprise.
*
The duel itself is close to a one-on-one battle, but that doesn’t mean the noble class is all on the same team. With fifteen people, it might not be bad to move as one unit, but among the noble students, there’s those who think that ‘holding a shotgun on the battlefield’ is an unpleasant thought.
As the grade increases, their awareness might change, but at least for the students who have just entered the academy, it seems that’s considered ‘cowardly behavior.’
“……”
And the people gathered around me didn’t seem to be in particularly good spirits either.
“If you really don’t want to use it, you don’t have to.”
Seeing Alice treating me with no prejudice and even Charlotte, who treats people fairly, not having a particularly good look, I said that.
“If you’re going to use a weapon you’re not familiar with, you might end up making mistakes. No matter how easy a weapon is to use, it won’t feel right in your hands if you’re picking it up for the first time.”
As I said that, I loaded the shotgun.
The M1889. This shotgun that Jennifer brought was supposedly the weapon designated by the Winterfield family’s soldiers in the Northern Region. It has a heat-shield plate with a hole on top, and the absence of a hammer, which is typically outward, or a groove for attaching a bayonet, makes it look like the shotgun used by the American troops in World War I commonly known as a ‘trench gun.’
Or, thinking about the game’s developers, it’s possible they just changed the name of that gun and threw it in.
The incoming ammo is five rounds in the tubular magazine and one in the chamber. So, a total of six shots.
While my primary weapons are rifles and revolvers, that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to use a shotgun. I practiced a fair amount for this too. Honestly, I think I practiced more on reloading than shooting. To be frank, the reloading method is one of the coolest in modern firearms.
“…For now,”
As I finished loading the shotgun and was packing the speedloader that looked like a cigarette box, Alice finally opened her mouth.
“I’d like you to tell me how to use it first.”
At Alice’s words, all the surrounding gazes shifted towards her.
“If you know how to shoot, that means you can use it, right? Certainly, there’s nothing better than this gun for taking down enemies that appear close by.”
“……”
I quietly looked at Alice as she spoke and picked up the break-action double-barrel shotgun next to me.
I loaded each barrel with birdshot and handed it over to Alice.
“Two shots are loaded. Point the muzzle toward the enemy and pull the trigger.”
Even though there are two triggers, they’re set up for easy consecutive shots, so you can shoot both at once just by pulling the trigger, making it good for immediate firing.
“After firing both shots, you could just drop the weapon and draw your sword right away.”
If you’ve already shot twice, it means you’re close enough to the enemy.
Moreover, Alice can handle a sword too. If she’s approached within sword distance, she might be able to go for it.
…If that doesn’t work, we could always reset time and try it from the start, adjusting our tactics step-by-step.
“Is there anyone else here who needs it?”
“……”
At my question, there was a moment of silence before,
“Ah, I don’t know.”
I heard Leo mumbling.
“Claire, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell Father.”
“Why would I bother to say that?”
Claire answered cheerfully at Leo’s words. Leo frowned at her.
…Haven’t you said that a lot?
“Crown Princess—”
“Please call me by my name. While it may not be the case in the classroom, we could make a mistake if we use titles here.”
Because we have two princesses on our team. Some even share family names.
“……Sylvia. I’d also like to learn the usage.”
They say nobles hunt ducks on Earth, but it seems it’s quite different in this world.
Do they all swing swords on the battlefield?
I handed Sylvia the same gun I gave to Alice.
“You heard my explanation earlier, so I won’t repeat it. Don’t try to reload while fighting. If the situation allows you to draw your sword, it’s better to do that instead. You aren’t soldiers trained in firearms combat, after all.”
At my words, Leo nodded, seeming a bit tense.
Commoners… but they’re all people who have enough skill to get into this academy. Their shooting skills shouldn’t be too poor. Perhaps they might be better than me, who has had relatively few real-world shooting experiences.
Though, if they miss, we can always reset.
“I want one too!”
Claire chimed in, her voice still cheerful, and I handed a shotgun to her without a word.
There are submachine guns as well, but it would be uncomfortable unless you’re not primarily using them. They’re bigger than the shortened double-barrel shotgun.
If the shotgun doesn’t fit Claire, I’ll hand her a submachine gun instead.
“……”
And, with each of us holding firearms, we all turned to look at Charlotte.
“……”
Charlotte, who had a strangely strong sense of pride, seemed uneasy with our gazes as she turned her head elsewhere, and finally,
“Ugh, seriously!”
She complained while holding out her hand since we wouldn’t stop staring at her.
She’s cute after all.
She was a character popular due to such cute gaps.
Should I consider adopting that?