"With the weapons I have made, you will win the war. It will also make hunting more convenient.


    He was a middle-aged man with a beard and big eyes.


    He looked more like an engineer than a scholar. It is not surprising that someone has come up with a new siege weapon.


    Once again, I checked his name.


    His name was Ortumba. A strange name, I thought... Dwarf. He is quite short, come to think of it. Many dwarves are short even as adults. Kerala, however, is quite tall, perhaps because of her various bloodlines.


    What is it like?


    Yes, my name is Gun. With the power of gunpowder, a small hard ball flies out of a metal cylinder and shoots the enemy.


    "How is it different from a bow and arrow?"


    "Not at all. It is less affected by wind and has a higher killing power. And the time it takes to become proficient is much shorter than with a bow and arrow. However, it does not ignite when wet, so it is vulnerable to rain.


    Juaneria''s dog-ears twitched a little. Perhaps her merchant''s sense of smell had caught on that she could make money.


    "My name is Fannelia. Why did you decide to make that weapon?


    "My dwarven village is often raided by bandits, and we usually fight them off, but it is hard for the men alone to keep watch at night. So I thought, why don''t we make weapons that women and children can use to fight?


    Ortumba continues his story.


    "My profession is blacksmithing, but in my village we have always used gunpowder to intimidate and attack. I used gunpowder quite often in my work in the mountains. So I thought, what can I do with this?


    I was suddenly interested, too.


    "At first, it didn''t work at all. I almost died from an outburst. But it seemed that my profession was suited for this, and I made a lot of progress.


    I couldn''t get past the word "profession.


    "Wait a minute. What exactly is your profession?


    "Yes, it''s pretty special, believe it or not - it''s called Kunitomoshu. Apparently, it is a profession related to blacksmithing.


    --A friend of the state!


    The High King howled.


    Hey, Nobunaga, do you know something?


    --Kunitomo is the land of gunsmiths. I mean, where they made guns.


    So they have guns in Nobunaga''s world. Is it strong?


    --The High King once destroyed a troop of cavalry with those guns. The cavalry cannot fight unless they get close, so he destroyed them individually with his guns. Even armor was pierced and the enemy died. They took several generals'' heads.


    If you have such a thing, tell me about it at once. ....... It''s my profession. .......


    --The High King doesn''t know enough to teach you how to make it from scratch. Even if you tell him verbally, he won''t understand it.


    That''s true. If I were asked to make a sword myself, I''d say it''s impossible.


    I understand. Ortomba, you are hired. But I''m more concerned about that gun than the officer. You will point it out to us.


    "I agree. Then, it is strange to ask you here, but could you make the tax collector of my village a more decent man ......?　He''s not a very well-behaved guy, and whenever he comes to collect taxes, he demands that we have a banquet, which is another tax-like burden. ......"


    "I know that too. I''ll give you a half-tax-free settlement if you work hard enough. Next time, bring me a gun or something.


    I was smiling after Ortomba left.


    "As one would expect from such a large population in the vicinity of King''s Landing, there are many people with strange occupations.


    "Yes, I also had a mysterious job as an akechimitsuhide, so it''s not like I''m a stranger or anything, but I do feel close to you."


    Kerara has a straight face, but this is the face she makes when she is at work.


    The interviews were held over several days, so I asked Ortumba to visit me again after the interview the next day.


    Indeed, what Ortumba was holding was a metal tube.


    He asked me to prepare a target for his bow and arrow, so I immediately took him to the outdoor archery range.


    "It''s a beautiful sunny day," he said, "and I think you''ll have a good success.


    "Yeah, let me see what it''s like."


    I had him take the same distance as an ordinary bowman in training. Ortumba told me that I could aim further away, but it would be better to use the same conditions as with a bow so that I could see the difference.


    "I''m only a blacksmith, so I''m not very good at aiming. ...... Still, I think I can get away with it if I''m this close."


    After lighting the rope behind him, Ortomba pointed the tube at the target.


    "Oh, yes, it makes a loud noise, so you might want to cover your ears--"


    --Pow!


    Before Ortomba could finish, there was a high-pitched rumbling.


    The sound was making a strange squeaking sound behind my ears. It sounded like the temple was yelling that the devil had done it. Some of us were even stunned.


    But the important thing was the result.


    In the corner of the target was a hole the size of a thumb.


    When the soldier examined it, he found a spiked bullet stuck in the hardened soil behind it.


    "What do you think?　Even at twice the distance you are now, you can still inflict enough fatal wounds. If you want, you can try it with your armor on the ground.


    "Ortumba, your village tax will be halved this year."


    I said it right then and there.


    It was a small price to pay for this weapon.