Her Majestic Battle Cry

Isaac sat back in the armchair, propping one leg up and resting his elbow on his knee, eyeing the pair before him with some confusion.

“Are You two really that tired? You look drained. You didn’t even stop to eat when you got back?”

Rafael and Carissa awkwardly turned their faces, each clearing their throat lightly.

After clearing his throat, Rafael said, “We’ve eaten already. It’s just that we’re a bit w worn out… Yes, we’re exhausted from the whole night’s work. I also went to the palace, then came back and bathed. It was all just…very tiring.”

Isaac furrowed his brows, looking at Carissa with confusion. What was this? Was Rafael really stammering now?

Carissa avoided his gaze and quickly asked, “Have you eaten yet, Isaac?” Text © by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

Isaac perked up immediately, clearly enjoying the change of subject. “Since last night, I’ve had three meals already. By the way, Lily’s ravioli is fantastic–better than any delicacy from the mountains or sea!”

“Yes, it’s really good,” Carissa agreed, and then her gaze fell to the strange object Isaac was holding. “Is that a matchlock?”

“Yep, something our mentor has been tinkering with. He asked me to bring it over for Rafael to see if it’s something the Ministry of Defense could mass–produce.”

Rafael’s eyes sharpened at the sight of the matchlock–it was different. It was longer, with some kind of mechanical latch on it. And there was no match cord to be seen.

“How has this matchlock been improved?” Rafael asked, his curiosity piqued. “Can it fire multiple rounds–two, maybe three in a row?”

“Six,” Isaac replied, grinning. “This one uses gunpowder, so no need for a match cord anymore. You just pull the trigger, and… Here, I’ll show you.”

He disassembled the matchlock, revealing an intricate mechanism.

“It has a fire–discharge device. Most matchlocks only fire three times, but this one can shoot six. Sage Adrian finished the three–shot version years ago, but he said three wasn’t enough. Six was better. He’s already working on a ten–shot version, but that’s still in development.”

“Six shots?” Rafael’s weariness melted away instantly.

His interest surged, and he quickly moved closer to inspect the weapon. Though he had never studied matchlocks much–after all, they were unreliable and prone to misfire, not

to mention requiring a match to ignite–he couldn’t deny his fascination

“How far can it shoot?

Isaac shrugged. “Supposedly pretty far, but Sage Adrian didn’t bother measuring it. He said you could test it after I delivered it to you

“Give it a try,” Rafael said. He was unsure how to reassemble it, but was unable to hide his

excitement.

Isaac swiftly reassembled the matchlock. “I used it once in that little grove over there. Oh, and here’s something called a “sight–supposedly, you can aim and shoot with it. Normally, you’d look through this little hole, and if you spot an enemy’s head, you just pull the trigger.”

As he explained, Isaac held the matchlock up and pointed it directly at Carissa’s head. “If I fired this right now, Carissa’s head would explode like a melon.

“Don’t point it at her.” Rafael’s hands shook as he quickly covered the dark muzzle with his hand. “Let’s go outside to test it.”

Definitely can’t aim it at her,” Isaac said with a smile, clearly finding the situation amusing. He tumed to ask Carissa, “Are you scared?

Carissa met his gaze with a playful smirk. “Scared? Of course. I’m scared Sage Adrian might maim you.”

Isaac’s smile faltered for a moment before he straightened up, raising his hand in a dramatic gesture. “Alright, let’s take this outside.”

It wasn’t really suitable outside, so they needed to go to an open field where they could set up targets to measure the shooting range.

Rafael called Dylan, Travis, and even Jacob to join them. They went to an empty field on the outskirts of the capital, setting up a target every hundred feet. In total, there were three targets, to see if they could hit a target as far as 300 feet away.

Rafael doubted it would reach 300 feet. After all, the older model had a range of only about 100 feet, with the usual range being around 50 to 80 feet.

Isaac raised the matchlock, and the group stood by, watching as he placed one eye against the sight. He pulled the trigger.

The group waited for a sound, but there was none. They stared at the target in confusion, until they realized there had been no gunshot.

“Ah, sorry, I forgot to load it. Let me try again.” Isaac chuckled, quickly reloading the matchlock with swift efficiency. He aimed again.

Bang!

A cloud of smoke puffed up from the barrel, q

Dylan took off running, first checking the 100 finally the 300–foot target. When he saw the h believe it.

“My god, that’s 300 feet!”

A cloud of smoke puffed up from the barrel, quickly dissipating into the air.

Dylan took off running, first checking the 100–foot target, then the 200–foot one, and finally the 300–foot target. When he saw the hole in the 300–foot target, he could hardly

believe it.

“My god, that’s 300 feet!”