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The first lesson of the third term was a shared subject: military training with Mr. Tanutanu. On the training grounds, a magic cannon had been prepared for each student—today’s lesson would include both an explanation and a live demonstration. With multiple targets set up both nearby and at a distance, it was easy to guess that we would be required to demonstrate the skill to shoot them down.

Before the class began, there was a brief moment when Vannabelle and Rizel shook hands, as this was a joint lesson between Class F, ranked first overall, and Class A, ranked second.

“We’re going to keep our lead all the way to the end of the term.”

Vannabelle declared it boldly, though in truth, if you excluded my bonus points, the gap between Class F and Class A was razor-thin.

“We won’t lose next time.”
“Bring it on! Right, Leafa?!”

Vannabelle turned to me with fiery enthusiasm as Rizel responded in kind. Good grief. I was already standing out enough because of the bonus points—I wished they’d stop dragging me into this.

“Alright, this is a large joint session. Let’s begin.”

Mr. Tanutanu cleared his throat and motioned for Vannabelle and Rizel to return to their positions.

“Oops. Sorry for holding things up.”

Perhaps mindful of the time, Vannabelle withdrew without further fuss.

“Today, we will cover the handling of magic cannons, followed by a demonstration. First, the items prepared in front of you—these are magic cannons. More precisely, they are integrated magic cannon-and-sword units.”
“An explosive-type magic cannon! The Type 92 Imperial Gunblade, forsooth~!”
“Quiet, Isaac.”

Isaac, a Mecha Soldier enthusiast, could not contain his excitement as he proudly showed off his knowledge. Romeo scolded him in a low voice, drawing warm laughter from both classes.

“Now then, the explanation of the magic cannon—Romeo, can you handle it?”
“Huh? …Oh, yes.”

Still smiling, Mr. Tanutanu handed the explanation over to Romeo. Beside him, Isaac clenched his fists in encouragement. Romeo scratched his head awkwardly before slowly beginning.

“A magic cannon is the most widely used portable firearm on this continent. It fires iron bullets with enough force to kill a target. Broadly speaking, there are two types: the wind-pressure type, which uses compressed air generated by a simplified formula employing wind runes, and the explosive type, which uses an explosion generated by fire runes. The one in front of us, as Isaac mentioned earlier, is the explosive type.”
“Excellent. Full marks.”

Mr. Tanutanu narrowed his eyes in satisfaction and praised Romeo. Applause broke out from Class A’s side, and Romeo shyly shifted closer to Isaac, almost hiding behind him.

“Now then, in modern times, nearly all magic cannons are of the explosive type. The wind-pressure type has fallen out of use due to its inferior range and power. The Type 92 Imperial Gunblade you will use today, as Romeo explained, is an explosive-type magic cannon. Furthermore, this model features a revolver-style rifle-type magic cannon with a sword attached to its underside, allowing for both close-quarters combat and ranged attacks.”
“Mmm~! The most splendid explanation that was!”

A female voice rang out from somewhere. Judging from the distinctive tone and manner of speech, it did not belong to any student I knew.

“Now then, as for the specific handling procedures, today’s special instructor, First Lieutenant Marianne von Versailles, will provide the explanation. Listen carefully.”

Ah, so this must be Marie—the one Estea had mentioned—invited as a special instructor. A first lieutenant, which meant that in terms of military rank, she technically outranked Mr. Tanutanu while serving here in an official capacity.

“Goodness me! Please stop addressing me so stiffly.”

No sooner had the voice rung out than one of the trees on the training grounds rustled violently—and Marie leapt out from within.

“Hey! Leafa!”

Before Vannabelle could even finish shouting in shock, Marie had already closed the distance between us and pointed the grip of her magic cannon straight at me. Hom instantly stepped in front of me to shield me, so there was no real danger.

“Ohoho. I was merely teasing you a little.”

Her blue hair—cut in a rounded bob at the top, with the nape left long and flowing like a tail—swayed lightly as she stepped back a few paces and spun the magic cannon deftly in her hand.

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Marianne von Versailles. Though I hold the rank of First Lieutenant, I am also a student of this academy. Please, do call me Marie, with affection.”

With the graceful bearing of a noble lady, Marie offered a light curtsy. The students of Class A hurriedly bowed deeply in response. Aristocratic society certainly seemed troublesome. I followed suit and lowered my head as well.

Apparently, Estea had already told her about me. Marie cast me a sidelong glance and smiled in satisfaction.

“Now then, where shall we begin? Let us continue from where Mr. Tanutanu left off.”

As she spoke, Marie skillfully rotated the magic cannon in her hands, holding it up so everyone could see clearly.

“This Type 92 Imperial Gunblade was adopted by the Imperial Army during the Third Holy-Empire War. As you can see, it employs this rotating loading mechanism known as a revolver. The structure is quite simple. When you c̲o̲c̲k̲ the hammer here like this, a round is loaded. When the user’s finger touches the hammer, it draws aether from them. The moment the trigger is pulled, the aether-infused hammer falls, activating the internal simplified formula. The resulting blast fires the bullet.”

While sliding her finger along the barrel as she explained, Marie abruptly fired—piercing a distant target clean through without any warning.

“That is the gist of it. Are there any questions?”

Though she addressed the class, her gaze was unmistakably fixed on me.

If she was deliberately directing the question my way, I could hardly pretend not to notice.

“I understand the principle. However, why go to the trouble of attaching a sword to a firearm?”
“That is because this magic cannon is not nearly as powerful a weapon as you imagine. Military Studies students will cover this next year, but since the opportunity presents itself, I shall give you a brief explanation.”

My question must have been anticipated. Marie smiled knowingly and continued.

“In military combat, Imperial soldiers employ a spell known as Physical Boost. Those under its effects gain dynamic vision sharp enough to track a bullet’s trajectory, along with the reaction speed necessary to evade it. For those who find that difficult to picture, it would be quicker to demonstrate. Mr. Tanutanu!”

At the same moment she called out, Marie raised the grip of her sword-mounted magic cannon toward Mr. Tanutanu.

“For the sake of demonstration, is it acceptable to—”
“Of course. Please shoot me.”

Cutting him off, Marie answered with a bright smile. Without even confirming whether this was truly alright, Mr. Tanutanu pulled the trigger without hesitation.

““No way!?””

Vannabelle and Rizel’s voices overlapped as students screamed in alarm. Yet contrary to the worst expectations, Marie evaded each bullet with minimal movement. For the final shot, she even knocked it aside with the blade attached to her own gunblade.

“…What was that just now…?”
“Nyaha! She sliced it in half with the sword part of the gunblade!”

Even Hom had been unable to follow Marie’s movements with her eyes, but Farah—who possessed the Magic Eyes of Delay—provided the explanation.

“To be able to follow movements enhanced by Physical Boost—how splendid. We Imperial soldiers are trained to activate Physical Boost without incantation. Therefore, gunfire from a magic cannon cannot serve as a guaranteed killing blow. The gunblade is integrated with a sword so that, after suppressing the enemy with gunfire, one may finish them with swordplay.”

In short, the ranged attack created the illusion of initiative, only to catch the opponent off guard in close combat.

“That is rather similar to Mecha Soldier combat, is it not?”

Isaac chimed in agreement, but I still could not fully grasp it.

“What do you mean?”
“Mecha Soldiers can carry magic cannons too, but small-caliber ones can’t penetrate their armor. The armor plating made from alchemical metals is far too tough for ordinary bullets to get through. It’s said you need at least an 80mm caliber to achieve penetration.”

Romeo explained in Isaac’s place. Considering he had supported us as a mechanic during the Zersteller, it was easy to imagine he had only deepened his knowledge since then.

“For that reason, close-quarters combat is emphasized in Mecha Soldier battles, forsooth.”

Listening to Isaac’s explanation, I began to understand. That was precisely why competitions like the Zersteller existed. If battles arose that overturned established doctrine, the military would have to anticipate them and expand its tactical repertoire accordingly.

“As expected of the top-ranked students of your year—you noticed an important point. Training with magic cannons can also be applied to Mecha Soldier combat. There is no harm in learning it.”

With that, Marie concluded her explanation regarding the magic cannon. She then had each of us handle the prepared weapons in turn, guiding us through their operation and allowing us to experience live-fire practice firsthand.

***

#Type 92 Imperial Gunblade#

A magic cannon adopted as a standard-issue infantry firearm by the Arcadia Empire during the Third Holy-Empire War.

As this model was manufactured in Holy Flower Era 592, it was assigned the designation “Type 92.”