Chapter 673

“Sir Crony, please think this through carefully. This is truly an extraordinary weapon. Its power has already been proven in Hawan.”

“Now, now, calm down. Isn’t this just a bit too dangerous?”

Ian froze at the conversation drifting from deeper inside the office. Crony had called for him, but it seemed he wasn’t alone. Should he wait a moment?

He felt uneasy about being seen with Crony by people from other departments. He knew all too well how the Magic Department viewed him.

The uncle of the Deputy Minister of Imperial Defense, a mage who didn’t serve the Magic Department’s interests, a potential traitor… Naum had helped him in many ways, but breaking those prejudices was still a challenge.

“I’ll come in shortly.”

“Sir Crony said to let you in as soon as you arrive. You may enter.”

As Ian stepped back, the attendants calmly guided him forward. Their monotone voices carried an unspoken pressure, as if Crony’s orders were flowing directly from their mouths.

creak

“Excuse me.”

“Oh, Uncle Ian! Perfect timing!”

Crony rose with a warm smile, pretending the meeting was a coincidence. Yet Ian knew he had been summoned to the Imperial Defense office.

Crony approached and lightly gripped Ian’s shoulder, a bit firmer than usual. Ian glanced at the officials seated around the room.

On the massive table, a wooden box caught his eye. From this angle, he couldn’t see what was inside.

“Shall I come back later?”

Crony laughed and pulled Ian closer.

“No, this is perfect timing. There’s something I want to discuss. Take a look.”

With each step Ian took, more of the box’s contents were revealed. It was an object he had never seen before. Puzzled, he looked at Crony, who motioned for him to sit.

“This is a fire gun brought from Hawan.”

“A fire gun?”

Crony lowered his voice, describing it as a terrifying weapon.

“It’s said to grant immense power even to those who aren’t mages, capable of wiping out countless enemies in a single strike. And with just explosive ammunition, it can fire dozens, even hundreds of times without tiring.”

“I see.”

Ian was amazed. As he instinctively reached out, Crony snatched his wrist roughly.

“No, Uncle Ian. It’s dangerous.”

He then glanced at the officials seated opposite and added,

“No one knows when or how it might explode. It could easily threaten the user’s life. Truly, it’s a foolish and frightening weapon.”

“Now, now, Sir Crony—”

“That’s something to be studied—”

Before the officials could voice their objections, Crony ignored them and turned back to Ian.

“Uncle Ian, as a mage, what do you think? In foreign lands, this weapon is called ‘a power to rival magic.’ Do you believe that?”

“Ah…”

Ian’s instincts were right. He should have turned away at the door. As a mage, acknowledging a foreign weapon as a ‘power to rival magic’ was blasphemy. The Magic Department already looked at him askance; one wrong answer could spiral out of control.

“The source of a mage’s power is the divine.”

“Yes, exactly! That’s right!”

Ian answered cautiously, and Crony clapped his hands enthusiastically. That was the answer he wanted.

“Did you all hear that? A mage himself says it! Such a weapon could never threaten Bariel. With mages like Bariel’s, what is there to fear? Yet, some insist on bringing in this weapon. I find your intentions quite puzzling.”

“Sir Crony, listen. This weapon has already spread from the East to Hawan. Soon, it will be widespread among neighboring countries. If that happens, Bariel will—”

“Bariel has mages, doesn’t it!”

Bang!

Crony slammed his fist on the desk, shouting.

Powerful weapons are certainly beneficial for national defense. But that only holds true if the Imperial Defense Department controls them exclusively. Imagine what would happen if such destructive power fell into the hands of ordinary farmers.

Swish.

Calming himself, Crony slid a document across the table.

“Here is a petition signed by the central nobility.”

Power equals authority. And authority is vast and complex—any disruption causes fractures. Crony knew well that if the fire gun were officially imported, existing power structures would shatter.

Moreover, death is the great equalizer. Except for mages, even the emperor’s life ends with a single breath. But if this weapon—said to rival divine power—fell into the wrong hands, class, order, and even the empire’s history could be rewritten.

And yet, they still want to bring it in? The empire’s downfall was as clear as day. The existing elite would lose all their power.

“Bariel will ban the import of fire guns. This is to protect the foundation of the empire, and the Imperial Defense Department must ensure it.”

Sigh “It’s frustrating, Sir Crony. If the lower ranks are afraid, then at least strictly control it—keep it only within the palace—”

“Do you think that’s possible? Hawan shares a border with us.”

“That’s nonsense! Be honest!”

Are they worried the emperor might form a military force armed with these fire guns? If so, the Imperial Defense Department would never stand by. The palace’s power lies solely in their hands.

“Be honest yourselves. Aside from the immense military advantage, what other benefit is there in importing these weapons?”

“It’s not about benefits, but losses! Bariel will fall behind the times! While neighboring countries advance, Bariel will remain stagnant!”

“Let them try to catch up! Bariel has those who fly through the skies, cut through the earth, and command the winds!”

Crony represented the nobility, the core of Gaia. They had concluded that introducing this new weapon would only bring chaos, so they rejected it outright.

Only then did Ian realize he had been used as ‘evidence’ to support Crony’s argument.

“This cannot be allowed. I will petition His Majesty directly.”

“His Majesty will not permit it. I’m certain.”

The officials stiffened and rose, issuing a stern warning to Crony.

“You’re making a mistake, Sir Crony. You’re making decisions for yourself, not for the empire.”

“To accuse a salaried official of such is insulting.”

“You will regret this. Future Bariel will record today’s choice as a grave error.”

“No, they will praise it as a wise decision.”

Their scornful gazes passed over Crony and landed on Ian, who had only added a single comment but was now lumped in with Crony’s stance.

Two attendants approached, covering the fire gun’s box and carefully moving it. Ian’s eyes followed them.

Curious.

A new weapon so powerful that officials feared foreign military strength. Its true power was beyond his grasp. Ian muttered, staring at the closed door.

“Isn’t it alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“That fire gun. Other countries have royal families and nobles. If they accept it, it must have significant future value. Shouldn’t Bariel hurry to adopt and study it as well—”

“Uncle Ian.”

Tap. Crony lightly struck the desk, frowning. His silent rebuke told Ian to stop with such presumptuous talk.

“Interests aren’t so easily defined. The Magic Department won’t welcome the fire gun either. You must tread carefully.”

It was named so when imported from abroad: ‘a power to rival magic.’ Whether true or not.

“…My apologies. But if it is imported, will it only come through Hawan?”

“That seems to be the case for now. It’s known that Cliffford and Luswena also have contact with Hawan. I wonder what the Eastern mages have been doing—letting such things run rampant.”

Ah. Could it be they were all caught off guard by these fire guns? Crony’s face twisted into a sneer as he turned away.

“Don’t worry too much. Though I hold this position now, when the time comes, I will soften my stance.”

For now, there were more reasons to oppose it: fear of rebellion from the lower ranks, preventing the emperor’s power from growing, and so on.

But who knows? When he no longer fears anything in the palace, he might welcome the fire gun’s arrival.

‘A power to rival magic.’

Intriguing. But not yet.

Handing over the nobles’ petition, Crony asked Ian,

“Do you have anything else to say?”

“…No.”

“Return quickly. A new mage wandering outside their post is frowned upon.”

---

“Ian.”

The mage’s call snapped Ian back to reality. Memories involving Crony always swallowed him whole.

The mages exchanged worried glances between Ian and the Hawan troops.

“Is it alright to proceed?”

“No, wait.”

Ian motioned for everyone to hold and furrowed his brow. Though the details were unclear, this looked slightly different from the version he had seen a hundred years later. This must be the fire gun’s early form.

“This is called a fire gun, a weapon brought from the East. It fires like a bow, but explodes on impact, causing devastating damage…”

There was something he couldn’t quite understand. How had that already made its way here in this era? The spread of firearms from Hwanan to other countries was supposed to happen a hundred years later.

Ian pondered deeply, then a possibility struck him—the existence of ‘Shatima.’

“Did sending Prime Minister Shatima back to Hwanan change the future?”

In the original timeline, there had been no civil war in Hwanan. That meant there was no internal strife strong enough to fuel such a conflict.

Answers always reveal themselves to those who seek them. Whether it was Shatima’s faction or the royalists, perhaps in their efforts to overpower the other side, they sought help from a foreign power.

“If that’s the case, then the firearms were probably introduced through the royalists.”

Shatima had returned home backed by Bariel’s support. The royalists, unable to request aid from Bariel, fundamentally needed something to counter the mages.

“Toolun’s puppetry… and the Eastern firearms.”

It wasn’t clear if the puppetry was intentional, but the royalists had devised a clever plan—and the fact that it worked to some extent was what mattered.

“…Firearms—”

Ian muttered as he recalled.

“They’re fast and powerful, capable of stealing an opponent’s breath like magic. But their accuracy is poor, and they’re unsafe enough to potentially harm your own side.”

“If the accuracy is that bad, then it’s over, right? Just put up a shield, close in, and smash them.”

In theory, yes. But since history had already been twisted once, there might be something unexpected that defied Ian’s predictions.

Rolling up his sleeves, Ian gestured.

“Hail, Beric, and I will take the Hwanan front. You all push through to Luswena. As long as you watch out for Idgal and the dragons, it should be fine.”

“Yes, understood, Ian!”

“Stay safe!”

“Beric! You’re with Ian!”

“Where!?”

“There! Toward Hwanan!”

At the mages’ shouts, Beric spun around sharply, then stomped hard and dashed across the field toward Hwanan.

“Hail, let’s go too.”

“Yes, I’ll escort you.”

Ian conjured a protective barrier with his magic and flew toward the Hwanan forces. In the distance, thick smoke billowed from the muzzle of a firearm.

“…?”

Something was definitely off. Firearms a hundred years later didn’t produce that much smoke.

“Everyone, aim—!”

“Aim!”

As Ian approached, still suspicious, Erika confirmed the order and swung her arm wide.

“Fire!”

“Fiiireee!”