The Returned Lord Is a Genius of Gun Law - Chapter 13
chapter 13
Distributing the Weapons
The Returning Lord is a Gun Law Genius – Episode 13
Episode 13
The first thing Eugene did upon returning to his territory was distribute the firearms, ammunition, and diesel he had brought back from Ground Zero.
The diesel was fine, as it was only useful for the excavators, but the various firearms and ammunition he had brought back had to be distributed to the knights and soldiers.
“Let’s store them in the warehouse for now.”
“The warehouse? Do you mean the underground one?”
“The underground warehouse is too damp. Let’s build a small new warehouse near the training grounds and store them there. We’ll be using them frequently anyway.”
After finishing the discussion, Eugene summoned the five knights of his territory to one place.
He had summoned them for one reason.
“Alright, take one each.”
Five men, including Knight Commander Leon and Guard Captain Jerome, each received a black pistol from Eugene.
“Are we… truly going to use weapons from Earth?”
Leon, as if he never expected to actually receive a firearm, looked flustered, his gaze darting between the Tokarev pistol in his hand and Eugene’s face.
Eugene nodded. “I thought I mentioned this last time, didn’t I?”
“That’s true, but…”
Eugene’s tone, as if asking the obvious, left Leon unable to hide his awkward expression.
A knight, who should wield a sword, must now handle these palm-sized weapons of cowards…
It was possible because the weapon itself, the gun, was widely considered a dishonorable weapon, far removed from honor.
Leon’s head already swam at the thought of how he and the Knights of Crocus would be treated if this fact were to become known.
The other knights seemed to share his thoughts, their gazes toward the dark, metallic pistol in their hands were far from favorable.
There was no way Eugene could miss their inner turmoil.
“Don’t you like it?”
“To be honest, no. I’m well aware that this weapon in my hand is powerful, but… as knights, we must uphold the honor that comes with our title.”
“Honor…”
At these words, Eugene smiled bitterly and continued.
“Have any of you ever been to the battlefield?”
“…No.”
It was understandable. The Baron of Crocus’s territory was considered a rear guard, far removed from the other nations of the Amir Continent. Though the occasional monsters that emerged from the Black Forest posed threats as dangerous as any battlefield, the truth was they had never had reason to fight on one.
Hearing their answer, Eugene’s lips parted.
“I’ve fought on many battlefields back on Earth. I’ve participated in quite a few major battles, and I’ve risked my life in combat more than once.”
The knights didn’t seem surprised by his words. The Eugene they knew was the kind of person who could easily do such things.
But.
What truly astonished them was Eugene’s next statement.
“And in my experience, war is never honorable.”
He said it in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, but his words carried a weight that belied his nonchalant delivery.
“Children not yet ten years old wield weapons and kill people. It’s common to use the corpses of the dead as traps to survive, and it’s a place where you feel relief at having survived while watching your comrades die without even leaving a body behind after being hit by artillery. I don’t know what the battlefields in Amir are like, but that’s at least what I’ve experienced.”
Most of the battlefields Eugene had experienced were civil wars between rebels and government forces, or between warlords.
In such places, he knew better than anyone that human rights and honor were nothing more than illusions.
“I learned only one thing on the battlefield: survival is everything. Without it, honor and human rights are meaningless. And to survive, you must be strong.”
Looking at the knights who stood silent before the lord as he shared his story, Eugene continued, “Without strength, the honor and lives you hold dear will be trampled into the dirt. My life will be trampled too. Will you let me die?”
“…No.”
After hearing the lord’s explanation, not a single knight raised an objection.
They don’t seem entirely satisfied, but… I’ll have to settle for this for now.
Eugene knew it wouldn’t be easy to change the way of life they had lived their entire lives.
What mattered was making the attempt to change.
“First, I’ll teach you how to use it. You knights will be the ones teaching the soldiers directly.”
“Understood.”
“Then, follow me.”
Eugene’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the five knights, who bowed their heads with resignation.
While Yujin was training the knights in the training grounds,
“This won’t do…”
Housekeeper Veruf sighed, his face dark as he sat at his desk.
There was only one reason for his gloom:
Baron Yujin Crocus, the newly appointed lord.
He was Veruf’s greatest cause for concern.
“I need to stop him before he gets too involved… Hoo.”
At first, Veruf had no intention of interfering.
Judging by Yujin’s actions, he thought the young lord would self-destruct soon enough.
After all, Yujin had recklessly ventured into the Black Forest, provoked conflicts with the neighboring Barony of Primrose, and even entered the den of criminals on the opposite side of the empire. Any of these missteps could have led to serious consequences for Yujin himself.
The problem was, he had overcome all of it.
In the Black Forest, he had seized the ore mine being developed by the Barony of Primrose. In the decisive duel against them, he had personally defeated their knight commander and secured victory.
Furthermore, he had traveled to the other side of the continent and brought back a massive supply of Earth’s weapons and fuel to his territory.
That was the decisive factor.
Does the Lord truly intend to arm his soldiers with Earth’s weapons? Doesn’t he realize those ignorant fools might revolt?
The idea that firearms were cowardly weapons used only by cowards was a common belief across the continent of Amir, but that didn’t mean people underestimated their destructive power.
No, it was more a matter of understanding the true power of firearms so well that they sought to belittle and suppress them.
After all, a weapon that could kill knights and mages who had trained for decades with a tiny piece of metal held enough power to threaten the very system of the Amir Continent, which was dominated by swords and magic.
This was precisely why the imperial court and lords of the empire were so reluctant to introduce firearms, except in special circumstances.
But if this lord truly arms his soldiers with those things… the duchy’s military strength will undoubtedly surge. The power of Earth’s weapons is no ordinary thing.
This was terrible news for Beruf.
I have to transfer this territory to Primrose somehow, or I won’t survive. If only the lord hadn’t returned, my plan would have worked…
But simmering with resentment wouldn’t solve anything.
If he didn’t take action soon, his goal would remain forever out of reach.
And…
In the end, there’s no other way.
He had no choice.
Click
After finishing the letter, Beruf stood up and approached one of the carrier pigeons in the cage.
After tying a message to the leg of the carrier pigeon, he threw it out the window.
Flutter-flutter-flutter!
This time, the pigeon flew in a different direction than before.
The butler knew exactly where it was headed.
The assassins’ guild will handle this properly, just like last time.
They were known for taking any life, no matter who it belonged to, as long as the price was right.
They could easily take the life of this rampaging new lord, just as they had with the previous one.
“I wish I didn’t have to worry about this anymore,” he muttered.
The butler’s eyes gleamed coldly as he watched the carrier pigeon disappear into the distance.
On a night with two new moons,
In the pitch-black darkness where not even moonlight could penetrate, Eugene’s eyes snapped open.
What’s this?
Intuition.
The sharp intuition that had kept him alive on the battlefield, amidst the mud and blood, was now sending him a sense of foreboding.
Something’s here.
He had no evidence, only his intuition, but Eugene trusted this intuition that had saved his life countless times before.
Screech!
Eugene rose from his bed and opened the duffel bag he always kept by his side. He pulled out a pair of binoculars—or rather, a portable night vision scope that allowed him to see clearly even in the dark.
Creak!
Pressing himself against the wall next to the window, Eugene carefully opened the window, raised the night vision scope to his eyes, and scanned the surroundings.
Soon, his vision was filled with a gray world, defined solely by shades of black and white.
And then.
What’s that?
Eugene’s expression hardened as he spotted something lurking on the walls of Crocus Castle.
An intruder?
But he couldn’t sense the presence of the guards who should have been stationed on the walls and at the gates.
They must have already been taken care of.
Suddenly, the words of the steward, Beruf, came to mind:
And… assassins have appeared.
With that, the memory of his father, Baron Baien Crocus, the previous lord, flashed through his mind.
Who could have sent them? Primrose?
He couldn’t know the full extent of the situation, but one fact was certain: they had trespassed into his domain and castle, and their intentions could never be good.
…I need to prepare.
Yet, Eugene didn’t sound the alarm to announce the intruders.
If I do, they might escape before I can uncover who’s behind this.
He had to find out who was targeting him and his domain. And there was one way to do that most effectively:
Capture them myself.
Clink, clank.
Having made up his mind, Eugene threw open his duffel bag and began donning his gear one by one.
He wore a battle suit, tough enough to withstand most damage, a plate carrier with steel ballistic plates, a tactical vest capable of holding various equipment like grenades, a pistol to protect himself, and his beloved HK416.
After donning all his gear, Eugene looked down at the last item in his hand. It was a ballistic helmet with a bizarre night vision device, its four cameras aligned in a row, resembling a creature with four eyes.
“It’s been a while since I fought at night…”
As he muttered, his eyes, gazing at the helmet and night vision device, slowly grew cold and steady.