NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86
“Hmm.”
Jennifer was pondering with the weapons that Rena and I brought in front of her.
Even though Jennifer was Jennifer, she couldn’t completely avoid using textbooks, so after the dispatch practice ended, she continued classes through textbooks. And today, she finally came out to have a practical duel, but the problem was that our weapons were somewhat awkward for a ‘mock battle.’
Bolt-action rifles and shotguns were no big deal. After all, these firearms needed one or two shots before reloading, and if you had a good eye from afar, you could tell whether someone was cheating or not.
My revolver was the same. Since it’s double-action, you can see the hammer moving up and down with just one pull of the trigger.
But the semi-automatic pistol… it doesn’t move on its own unless the internal ammunition ignites. You can’t even see the hammer moving from the outside when you pull the trigger. Although this new model pistol made by the workshop has an exposed hammer at the back, its mechanism is single action.
However, in a ‘real battle’ scenario, it was odd to say, “Use this semi-automatic to shoot one and reload like it’s a BB gun.”
Moreover, considering the countless ways of emptying the magazine and reloading it, and even reusing a partially empty magazine, it was nearly impossible to decide if we would be disqualified or not.
But Rena and I didn’t just use one type of gun. Rena used two semi-automatic pistols, and I was using one semi-automatic pistol, one revolver, a rifle, and one shotgun.
Even that was hard enough for any normal person to remember, but we were even using bullets we crafted directly from Marmaros. It was almost impossible to determine if we would be eliminated or not.
“……”
In the end, after pondering for a while, Jennifer spoke up.
“……You two should practice separately over the weekend.”
Oops.
*
“Well, as for what Meyer uses, that’s understandable, but I’ve never seen the gun you use before.”
It was a prototype, after all. Its name wasn’t even properly set, so nothing was written on the slide.
“Is it a gun received from the workshop?”
“That’s right.”
As I nodded my head, Jennifer also nodded and said.
“It’s a bullet I’ve never seen before. When we met last time, you said you were working hard on it, and I guess this is that gun.”
“……”
I didn’t bother saying anything. The only reason I could respond this way was because it was Jennifer. I normally wouldn’t disclose detailed information to others.
The news of my exploits on the battlefield reached the Imperial Capital a step late. The most important thing about military firearms was to function properly in any situation, so I could somewhat imagine why the workshop master entrusted me with a gun. Since I was someone who would clearly shoot a ton in various situations, they lent it to me as a test.
Moreover, aside from a couple of spare guns stored at the Browning Workshop, this gun didn’t exist in the world. So if it broke, I’d eventually have to take it back to that workshop master for repairs. If it malfunctioned, I would have to hear why it broke; if it jammed, I would have to explain why it jammed.
“Well, that’s good. I know the workshop master’s skills well. Plus, since you chose that gun yourself, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
As I accepted the gun back from Jennifer, I nodded.
“I already know about the Type 98 rifle. Even though it looks like this, I’ve been on the battlefield in the northern regions.”
When Jennifer said this, Rena nodded along.
“Alright. I was thinking about a way to measure your skills, but…”
Jennifer shrugged her shoulders and said to us.
“Since you two are starting to use almost meaningless weapons that aren’t live ammo, I thought it would be better to conduct the test with live ammo.”
And what Jennifer pointed at was… well, should I call it a trench constructed using logs or a hut? Anyway, it was a place like that.
It was not made by digging into the ground. It was above ground to make it easier to enter through the entrance. Looking inside which was piled up with logs, it felt somewhat similar to a real trench.
Inside, there were also areas that could slide sideways like a real trench, and there were spaces that resembled rooms. It shouldn’t be too big since it had to fit in a corner of a playground, but once you entered, it felt like it would take a minute to come out the other side.
“Even though it looks like this, from above, you can see inside clearly.”
The expression on Jennifer’s face as she said that looked somewhat proud.
It was something to be proud of. After all, she had created this training ground in just a couple of days.
It looked like a typical World War-style trench, but its purpose seemed no different from that of a modern firing range.
“If we have this, other students will also be able to use it.”
But since something like this hadn’t appeared in the original work, it’s likely that there weren’t any ‘nobles’ using firearms, so they probably didn’t strive to make a training ground.
In reality, if it weren’t for me and Rena, something like this might not even exist.
“It’ll be live ammo training, so both of you are okay with that, right? Oh, but don’t use the Marmaros. Otherwise, the laborers who worked hard for two days will be pitiful.”
“……”
Well, that makes sense.
No matter how much they got paid to make it, if the result was used just once and burned up, I’d feel deflated too.
*
The first one to go was Rena.
Holding a gun with eight rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber with both hands, she had more than enough ammo. The opponent was only a board that would pop up suddenly due to springs, so it wasn’t too dangerous.
I was wondering how they made a target that jumped up in a world without electricity, but it turned out that each one had been wound up with a spring and placed back down. …There was another reason why Jennifer asked me not to use the Marmaros. No matter how you look at it, it seemed way too expensive for its purpose and seemed prone to breakage.
Moreover, other students would take time to reset each target, too.
“I will work hard to learn.”
And during that, Rena spoke to me.
“……”
When I turned my gaze at Rena’s voice suddenly calling out, I saw her eyes filled with determination.
“I know it’s different in many ways from the battlefield where the Crown Princess fought, but I see this as a good opportunity to see even a fragment of it.”
“……”
She wasn’t trying to provoke me with these words, right? Her bright, shining eyes made it seem unlikely.
“Oh, really?”
And at that moment, Jennifer, who had just finished her work and returned, spoke.
“If that’s the case, it’s fine to watch together from up there.”
“Really?!”
“……”
I quietly stared at Jennifer, who was making an unnecessary suggestion to Rena, but Jennifer merely shrugged her shoulders in response.
*
Well, fine.
I also thought up my own solution.
If Rena was a character with romantic aspirations, what kind of character would I become?
It’s not exactly the opposite of romance, but how about ‘tactical’?
An extremely practical tactical approach could actually become a romance. Right? Like John Wick. Well, that character is unrealistic in a different sense, but.
In short, it means “just look plausible.” Since we’re transitioning from traditional line infantry tactics to modern warfare, I could use modern shooting techniques I know.
For example, let’s illustrate:
Click.
As the spring mechanism activated, the enemy targets rose up. Not just one, two would pop up beside it.
I shot one of them with a shotgun. It wasn’t my personal shotgun with Marmaros attached, but a regular school shotgun.
Yet, even such a shotgun is fundamentally the same shotgun. There’s plenty of ways to use some parts I used to operate it.
As I shot at one target, I simply placed the empty shotgun down. The sling strap that was hanging down from right in front of the shotgun stock drooped down, but unlike a typical rifle strap that connects the ends, the strap I wore was a sling bag style crossing my neck and shoulder. It didn’t drop the gun all the way down, allowing me to grab it again quickly.
I swiftly moved my right hand down to pull the handgun from its holster.
Wrapping both hands around the handgun,
Bang! Bang!
I fired two shots into the chest.
And I advanced.
Next, I shot another target with two shots, reloaded the empty magazine, and after loading seven rounds back into the gun, I placed it back into my holster and slipped back into the previous spot where the targets had appeared.
In the shotgun holster strapped to my right thigh were two rounds, followed by two more, and then another two in a neat line.
I pulled out two at once and inserted them into the chamber.
Repeating this twice, I reloaded and came back out.
As the two targets popped up again, I fired quickly at each.
…Firing felt good; I had reached the edge of the shooting range.
“Phew.”
I let out a small sigh and looked up.
Jennifer was looking at me and smiling. I wasn’t quite sure what the expression meant, but—
—at least, Rena was staring at me with wide eyes.
It felt like the effort of pushing the workshop master for gear over the past two days was worth it.
Practicing reloads all night was fulfilling.
…Sneaking into the newly built training ground last night and going through the motions on my own was also quite satisfying.