The Returned Lord Is a Genius of Gun Law - Chapter 17

chapter 17

Can You Make This Move?

The Returning Lord is a Gun Law Genius – Episode 17

Episode 17

“Do you think we can get this thing moving?” Pavel asked, his face full of anticipation.

Eugene studied the tank in the photograph closely.

It’s a printed photo… ripped from a book?

Even though the photo was faded, Eugene recognized the tank’s model just by looking at it.

An M60, huh?

An American second-generation tank from the 1960s.

By the 2020s, it was a museum piece. But during the war forty years ago, it had been pressed into service as a reserve unit due to a shortage of tanks.

It was probably captured back then.

The attacks from dragons, knights, and high mages, though clumsy, could still penetrate a tank if they hit directly. So it wasn’t unreasonable to assume one had been captured.

The problem was the tank’s condition in the photo.

“At the very least, this isn’t in good condition.”

The photograph only showed the tank’s exterior—a turret and hull completely stripped of paint and heavily rusted—but that was enough to infer the internal state.

It would likely require as much effort as building a new tank from scratch.

Though he’d lived his life as a mercenary rather than an engineer, he could still make that judgment based on his field experience.

“Building a new one would be faster,” Eugene replied bluntly, without beating around the bush.

Yet Pavel’s expression brightened at these words.

“…We anticipated that. We stored this captured tank in the underground warehouse during the war, so it’s been there for decades. If you’d said it could be fixed with little effort, I would have been suspicious.”

Eugene opened his mouth.

“This is going to cost a fortune and take a lot of time. Is there really any reason to restore such an outdated tank?”

Even in poorer countries on Earth, it was common to use decades-old tanks without any modifications. But this was Amida.

Unlike the free equipment they received from superpowers, the cost and time required here would be astronomical. That meant repairing even a single tank would be prohibitively expensive.

At this, Pavel smiled and replied, “It’s what my master wants.”

“Your master?”

“Ah, you’ve only recently arrived in Amida, so you wouldn’t know. We can leave that for you to discover at your own pace. But anyway, my master has a hobby of collecting Earth artifacts. He wants to see this one in action.”

“How ridiculous.”

Yujin snorted inwardly at the words.

To pay an astronomical sum for an enemy weapon from the war—and a powerful one at that—just for personal satisfaction?

At least, from his perspective, it was incomprehensible.

“Anyway, that’s not what we should be discussing right now… Is it possible?”

Yujin gave a clear answer to Pavel’s abrupt change of subject.

“No.”

“…You made it sound like it was possible earlier?”

“I’m not a mechanic. I can assess its condition, but fixing it is beyond my expertise.”

“…Really?”

“Even if it were possible, it would be a considerable undertaking… Is there any reason I should bother?”

That was the honest truth in Eugene’s heart.

If he could somehow get the necessary people, parts, and tools, he could spend the time to fix it.

The important thing was whether doing so would benefit Eugene and Crocus.

“As expected, you’re quick with your calculations, coming from Earth.”

In response to Eugene’s question, Pavel smiled, nodded, and pulled out a pouch from his waist.

He then took something out of the pouch and held it out to Eugene.

“Do you recognize this?”

“……”

Eugene stared at the object in Pavel’s hand for a moment before speaking.

“Are you offering this as payment?”

“Exactly. My master will provide a separate advance as well.”

Seeing Pavel nod, Eugene fell into thought.

If I had this… it might make things a lot easier.

It was about a minute later when Pavel spoke again.

“I’ll think about it.”

What he placed in his hand held enough value to change Eugene’s mind.

The very next morning, Pavel Armandi left Crocus Castle, claiming he had urgent news to deliver.

Soon after, Eugene summoned all the retainers of his territory to a meeting.

There was only one reason for this gathering:

“Does anyone here know anything about the Armandi family, or about Pavel Armandi?”

He was seeking information.

Having lived their entire lives within the empire, Eugene assumed they would at least have heard of the Armandi family, a prominent noble house in the capital.

But…

“Hmm…”

“Hmm…”

The Knight Commander and the Captain of the Guard were unable to answer Eugene’s question properly.

“…I’m ashamed to admit it, my Lord, but our territory is so remote that information from the capital rarely reaches us. Therefore… I apologize, my Lord.”

“Hmm.”

Hearing the Knight Commander Leon’s words, Eugene nodded with a resigned expression.

It was only natural, considering they weren’t specialized information officers.

Just then, a voice spoke up.

“I… I know a bit about the Armand family. It’s been a while, but I lived in the capital once…”

Eugene’s gaze turned toward the voice, which trembled slightly.

It was Crawford, the newly appointed steward, speaking cautiously.

“As you already know, they’re one of the capital’s prominent noble families. As for their faction, they lean toward the First Princess.”

“Faction?”

“Yes? Yes.”

Flustered by Yujin’s question, Crawford stammered as he continued his explanation. “The court is divided into three main factions: the First Princess’s faction, the Crown Prince’s faction, and the Fifth Prince’s faction. The House of Count Armand is a central pillar of the First Princess’s faction.”

So, the person I’m serving is the First Princess, Yujin thought, his eyes twinkling with interest as he looked at the butler.

Gulp.

The butler swallowed hard under the lord’s gaze, but Yujin was thinking of something else. At least… he’s not lying.

If they have the power to divide the empire’s authority among three factions, they should be more than capable of providing the item I saw yesterday.

In other words, there would be no risk of not getting what I asked for.

“Good. When can the magic stone mine start operating?”

“Well… it’s still under development, so full-scale mining likely won’t be possible until next month. H-how about if you need it sooner, I could try to speed up the schedule…”

“No, that’s fine.”

“Ah, I understand…”

Leaving the butler, who was bowing his head with a tense expression, Eugene turned to look at Leon and Jerome, who were wearing awkward faces.

“And it seems it’s time to begin.”

“Begin…?”

“You were told that firearm training would start this week, weren’t you? You’ve been practicing properly, haven’t you?”

Under the lord’s cold gaze, the two knights froze.

The next day, Baron Crocus’s training grounds buzzed with activity from early morning.

Instead of the usual clash of swords and battle cries, strange roars erupted one after another.

Bang! Bang!

The dull, ear-splitting noise.

It was the sound of the spherical automatic rifles that Eugene had recently brought back from Ground Zero firing their shots.

On one side of the training grounds, wooden dummies used for sword practice had been set up as targets, forming a makeshift firing line. Knights and soldiers of the Baron’s domain stood before them, handling the firearms.

Of course, since most of the soldiers were handling guns for the first time in their lives, their training was inevitably clumsy.

Bang!

“Aah!”

A soldier, awkwardly shouldering the rifle, pulled the trigger. The shot rang out, and his body staggered backward under the recoil, unable to withstand the force.

Fortunately, he didn’t fall, but the wooden dummy set up as a target remained completely unscathed.

“You’re not shouldering it properly!”

“S-sorry, sir!”

The knights, who had received firearms training from Eugene in preparation for their roles as instructors, were no better off.

For men who had spent their lives honing their skills with swords and spears, these complex mechanical devices remained an enigma.

Of course, bullets were as crucial as the guns themselves, so Eugene was also preparing to manufacture ammunition.

While they could manage to aim and fire, the soldiers and knights looked utterly awkward when it came to anything more complex, such as reloading or disengaging the safety.

Yujin stood with his arms crossed, observing the chaotic scene of the knights and soldiers fumbling with their weapons.

Though his expression remained unchanged, his mind was anything but calm.

Just teaching them how to use firearms isn’t enough. First, we need to cover basic scientific principles.

They had no understanding of how bullets flew, how gunpowder exploded, or how the firearm mechanism worked.

To them, guns were no different from magic—or rather, they were even more mysterious and incomprehensible than magic.

Teaching soldiers about firearm maintenance, care, and even the principles behind how bullets fly toward their targets requires a solid understanding of science.

I’ll have to make sure basic sciences like chemistry and physics are included in future soldier training.

Just as Eugene was contemplating his future training plans, a voice called out, “L-Lord!”

He turned to see a familiar figure running urgently toward him from the training ground entrance. It was Crawford, the butler, who usually maintained a calm and proper demeanor despite his timidity. His face was etched with uncharacteristic bewilderment and tension.

“L-Lord, Lord…!”

Panting heavily, Crawford reached Eugene and bowed deeply, extending his hands forward.

In his hand, Crawford held a small, dust-covered wooden box.

“What is it?” Eugene asked in a low voice.

Crawford took a breath and replied, “My apologies, but I have something to tell you.”

He glanced around briefly before lowering his voice and continuing, “While sorting through the assets of the former butler, Beruf, whom we recently dismissed, I found this deep within his study.”

Carefully, Crawford presented the wooden box.

At first glance, it was a small, elegant box adorned with what appeared to be scales.

But…

“This is…”

Eugene’s gaze wasn’t fixed on the scales surrounding the box, but on the crest carved into the center of the lid.

A vividly engraved blue, petal-shaped shield—the crest of the Crocus Barony.