Chapter 310 - Firearms

It happened a little before we warped to the village to set out.

On the island I once used as my base when I turned strange, it awakened.

It was sealed deeply underground, along with all equipment. Little by little, the machines worked on it autonomously, and as if it were a butterfly breaking out of a cocoon, it opened its eyes. It slowly dug its way up, and breathed its first breath of fresh air.

After shaking off the dirt that coated its body, it jumped into the sea, and swam out.

As if it knew where it was supposed to be… it eventually arrived at the village I knew all too well…

Naofumi: “We need to get to Faubley quickly! Get out the carriages!”

Firo: “Eh?… Firo has to pull this carriage?”

Naofumi: “Deal with it! Now everyone, hurry! Motoyasu, have your three pull carriages as well! Gaelion, you too!”

Motoyasu: “Yes, Father-in-Law!”

Gaelion: “KYUA!”

Upon hearing my voice, it immediately ran to my carriage…

–

The next day. (Note: I think from the story, not from the events listed above)

Naofumi: “Do you think we’ll be able to get an audience in Faubley today?”

Queen: “Most likely.”

Us who had been resting in the inn met up with the Queen, who was staying in the castle.

Queen: “The other side also says they’ve finished their preparations to greet us, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

Naofumi: “I see. So they managed to gather the Heroes.”

By what command do they move?

Only one participated against Kirin. I don’t get how they work.

Aren’t they supposed to be fighting for the world?

The carriage bounced up and down as we proceeded forward. The roads changed to stone pavement at some point in time, but that doesn’t really matter.

Naofumi: “Ren, what do you think the otherworlders like us are thinking? Apparently, they didn’t participate against Kirin.”

Itsuki’s silently and expressionlessly staring in the carriage, and Motoyasu only looks at birds,so conversations like this won’t get through.

So I tried asking Ren

Ren: “There are a few possibilities.”

Naofumi: “Well, yeah.”

Ren: “The first is that they don’t care about the wave, and that they abandoned their mission.”

Naofumi: “I really sympathize with that one.”

If I was only thinking about myself, then that wouldn’t be a bad move.

It isn’t strange for someone to drop out of protecting this crappy world and go into retirement.

Honestly, I also think it would be best off falling to ruin.

But thinking of it as Raphtalia and Atlas’s world makes me protect it a bit more.

Ren: “Next is they thought the Hero they sent to Kirin to be capable enough, and just left the problem to him…”

Naofumi: “If they can just push their problems onto that guy like that, I have a bad premonition of what’s to come.”

I don’t think someone who was happily summoned to this game-like world would let an event like this go.

Is it that? They really place their faith in one single person that much?

Ren: “Hmm… there’s also the possibility that they were too focused on level-grinding to care.”

Naofumi: “Ah…”

I guess there are players who focus on their levels, and ignore events as well.

They seclude themselves in remote areas, or something.

If that’s the case, it would be exceedingly troublesome. For the world.

But if I look at these heroes gathered here, I guess it’s not impossible.

“Rafu~…”

Hmm?

I hear a familiar voice calling me from afar.

Naofumi: “Did you just hear something?”

Ren: “No, nothing.”

Naofumi: “Firo.”

Firo: “What?”

Naofumi: “Stop the carriage.”

Firo: “Okay, got it.”

We stop, and I strain my ears.

“Ta~li~”

There’s really something here.

Ah!

When I checked the bottom of the carriage, I found a single Raph holding onto the axel.

When our eyes meet, the Raph seems to give up his grip, and fall to the ground. It creeped out from underneath the carriage.

I don’t know why, but it was hiding.

Raphtalia: “Did something happen?”

I hear Raphtalia dismount from the carriage.

“I heard a Raph.”

Raphtalia: “I’m surprised you could hear that. So…”

I hold up the Raph, and show it to Raphtalia.

Raphtalia: “Did it follow us here?”

Naofumi: “Seems like it… wait…!?”

When I was patting it, I realized.

Naofumi: “Who is this? He isn’t one of the ones from the villiage.”

Raphtalia: “You can tell them apart!?”

Naofumi: “Yeah, from their feel, and their cries.”

Raphtalia: “When did you develop such an…”

Raphtalia stares at me with a questioning expression.

Isn’t it fine? They all have childish cuteness.

It’s like they’re a large litter of kittens born of the same mother.

If you live around them long enough, you should at least be able to tell them apart.

Anyways, the Raph looks at Raphtalia.

“Fa…”

I shut him up before he could finish.

It’s not that Raphtlaia was pressuring me to or anything.

I just didn’t want him to say it, okay?

Naofumi: “But what should we do?”

Raphtalia: “Should we portal it back?”

Naofumi: “Hmm…”

It followed us quite a distance, so sending it back is a bit of a pain.

If we confront the Seven Stars and fail to find the culprit, we’ll be going back anyways.

“Rafu?”

Naofumi: “It’s not registered as one of my monsters either.”

“Rafu.”

The Raph nods, and releases some sort of magic at me.

A monster seal appears on it… It arbitrarily registered itself.

There are a few things I’d like to retort right now, but I check its status anyways.

… It’s surprisingly high.

Among the Raphs in my place, this one’s the highest.

Specifically, it’s at level 80.

What is this one?

Did a Raph venture into the wild, train itself, and choose to join me now?

It was a monster made by the strange me, so perhaps it’s just easy to register them.

Firo: “Hmm?”

Firo brings her face close to the unfamiliar Raph.

Naofumi: “Don’t eat it.”

Firo: “Why does master say that whenever Firo does this?”

Naofumi: “I think this is the first.”

Firo: “No, you said it!”

Fumu, perhaps it was the strange me again.

Naofumi: “And? What’s up?”

Firo: “Let’s see. This child is the one closest to Raphta-”

“Rafu~.”

The Raph in my hands uses its tail to block Firo’s mouth.

Firo: “It’s a secret?”

“Rafu~.”

Firo: “I see.”

It seems that these beasts have come to an understanding.

But… its fur feels really good.

It may be the best of all the Raphs I’ve held ‘til now.

They’re monsters based off of Raphtalia, so they feel similar to Raphtalia’s tail.

But this one’s feel is similar but slightly different. It’s strangely nice.

… What is it? Perhaps this is my ideal-

Raphtalia: “Naofumi-sama?”

Naofumi: “What?”

Raphtalia: “You appear to be forming strange ideas as you’re patting it.”

Fumu. I got off track there.

Now should I bring it, or not. I believe that was the predicament.

Naofumi: “For now, there’s no problems in taking it. I mean, its abilities are relatively high.”

“Rafu~”

Raphtalia: “… I see. I understand.”

Firo: “Nice meeting you, small Onee-chan. Or perhaps it should be… Raph Princess?”

Raphtalia: “Please don’t call it that. Why princess!?”

Naofumi: “So princess is no good. Then how about Raphtalia MKII? Or how about Raph Queen?”

Raphtalia: “Why!? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Sadina: “Really? Then I guess Raph-chan is fine.”

Sadina gets off the carriage, and names it.

Raph-chan…

Raph-chan: “Rafu~!”

Naofumi: “Well, I guess that’s fine.”

Raphtalia: “… Understood. I have gotten an insight into Firo’s and Naofumi-sama’s naming sense.”

Her reactions a bit unexpected.

Raph-chan: “Rafu~”

Pat. Pat. Pat.

Raphtalia: “Make sure not to pat it too much.”

Naofumi: “Yes, yes.”

Raph-chan: “Tali~”

But what’s the deal with this one?

Its cries differ from time to time.

Raph-chan: “Riya?”

–

We get on the carriage, and I continue to pat Raph-chan. The city scenery around me grows more and more modern as we progress. The Cityscape gradually steals my attention.

Ah, by the way, the 『Chan』 isn’t a suffix. It’s part of his name.

I guess if you were to call him properly, it would be Raph-chan-chan.

No, no, no…

“What?”

I’m a bit curious about the city’s prosperity, and… I guess you would call it Steampunk. I see various car-like things running on what looks like steam-based engines.

What’s lined in the shop are… guns?

It looks like Faubley is quite a modern place.

Motoyasu said he saw a car in this world before, but the technological growth here far exceeded my imagination.

Ah, there’s a genuine car. It looks old fashioned.

It gives off the feeling of one driven by a famous novel’s detective, or something of the sort.

Naofumi: “Guns. It looks like being shot with one of those is no joke.”

Queen: “Does Iwatani-sama have an interest in guns?”

Naofumi: “It’s not like I don’t… I was just thinking of how different this place was to Melromark. I think that you would lose if we waged war.”

Queen: “Against the guns?”

The Queen looks over at the weapon shop, and turns her eyes back to me.

What is she so curious about?

Guns are quite fatal where I come from.

Naofumi: “Isn’t that right? I mean, won’t bows lose against them?”

Queen: “I don’t think guns are that powerful weapons.”

Naofumi: “… Really?”

Queen: “Yes. Quite a few summoned heroes propose them as weapons, but most of their attempts failed.”

So some otherworld Heroes thought they would use their advanced knowledge to cheat?

Or something like that?

Naofumi: “Why?”

Queen: “I think that Hero of the Bow-sama over there understands.”

I call out the spaced-out Itsuki from the carriage.

Naofumi: “Itsuki, what do you think about guns?”

Itsuki: “Meaning?”

Naofumi: “The Queen is telling me that they aren’t that powerful of a weapon.”

Itsuki: “Let’s see… if someone of high level uses one, it would be troublesome… I think.”

??

I don’t get what he’s saying.

Itsuki: “Naofumi-san, while this is reality, we also have something called Status, right?”

… Hmm?

Queen: “The conclusion is that firearms probably aren’t as powerful as they were in the Heroes world.”

Itsuki: “Bullet speed is also effected by Status, and there are various problems involving reloading, and regulating gunpowder, and the like.”

The Queen nods at Itsuki’s answer.

Queen: “Yes, there’s the danger of the enemy discharging the bullets with magic, and even if you get to fire, you can’t rely too much on the firepower unless your level is high.”

Ah, I see.

I neglected taking Status Magic into account, and simply assumed they were stronger.

According to Itsuki, the momentum of bullets is also effected by Status.

Guns are good because they’re supposed to have the same firepower regardless of the wielder.

If you take away that point, I guess they aren’t as useful as in my world.

Hmm, they’re letting people practice over there.

A child is holding a gun, and aiming at a target.

Perhaps she noticed me concentrating my attention. Firo stopped walking.

The trigger was pulled.

With a bang, the gunpowder burst, and a familiar and unique sound entered my ear. The child threw his arms up from the recoil.

… Why is the bullet so slow?

I can see it moving. Perhaps at around the same speed as an arrow.

From my experience, isn’t it supposed to impact almost immediately following the shot?

Queen: “Using gunpowder, you can definitely accelerate bullets, but the damage isn’t particularly high. In comparison to a bow, its maintenance and ammunition costs are higher, so they aren’t really used outside of Faubley.”

Naofumi: “So that’s how it is.”

Queen: “And since fire magic can discharge the shells, if you want to attack at long distance, most would use a bow, magic, or a throwing weapon.”

Itsuki: “This is based on my game knowledge, but if you train, you can get quite strong. But I wouldn’t call it the strongest weapon or anything.”

Itsuki answers without any visible interest.

Well, in the Net Games I’ve played, the treatment of Guns has always been a bit strange.

Most of them have the attack power of them fall far behind the sword.

Even though this is reality, it is also a Fantasy World. I’m once again reminded of that fact.

So bows also have the merit of being easy to restock ammo.

And because of all this, gun technology doesn’t improve.

Naofumi: “So even firearms are subject to status.”

Itsuki: “Yes, range is also… if you shoot from too far away, the output drastically drops.”

Naofumi: “Does artillery work by the same principle?”

Queen: “Yeah, there is research underway towards the development of magic-firing cannons, but it would be much simpler, and quicker, to just cast the magic yourself.”

Naofumi: “I see.”

Queen: “Artillery and catapults can have quite a bit of output if they’re used by people with high levels, so they’re often brought forth in war, though.”

They’re dependent on user ability.

So if a class-upped high-level general were to light the fuse on a cannon, its output would drastically increase.

And if Itsuki used one, would it be strong?

I think it falls under the bow category.

I don’t see where Status starts and stops. What’s effected by it, and what isn’t?

It seems a bit complicated.

I’ve been participating in waves as if it were natural, but I never found it strange.

Then Bows and other weapons also take effects from Status.

… Of course.

However the outputs of Bows and Guns don’t differ greatly.

Since Itsuki’s the Hero of the Bow, can he not use firearms?

He should be able to use crossbows… I’ll have him try it out.

As if he sensed my intention, Itsuki nodded, and left for the Weapon Store.

With this, I hope he gets a bit stronger.