The Returned Lord Is a Genius of Gun Law - Chapter 3
chapter 3
The Lord Returns: Gun Law Genius – Episode 3
The Returning Lord: GUN Law Genius, Episode 3
Episode 3
The next day, Eugene set out for the Black Forest with the knights of Crocus.
“I heard you lived on Earth, my Lord… Do you happen to know how to ride a horse?”
“……”
Knight-Captain Leon, inexplicably deferential, asked while gripping the reins. Eugene answered with a nod.
In mountainous terrain like Afghanistan, where vehicles were difficult to navigate, it was essential to know how to ride a camel or a horse for missions. That’s why Eugene had also taken private lessons to learn how to ride.
“Haha, that’s a relief. I’ve heard many Earthlings don’t know how to ride.”
Leon looked slightly surprised and offered Eugene a single rein.
“In that case, you should ride this horse. The Black Forest is quite a distance away, so riding is the better option.”
Yujin accepted the reins offered by Leon and looked at the black horse. Unlike the Earth horses bred for racing at racetracks, this muscular black warhorse before him was far more robust.
With this size, it could even serve as cover in a pinch.
Snort, snort.
“Whoa, whoa there.”
Yujin gently stroked the warhorse’s back to calm it, as it seemed excited by the unfamiliar person. Then, he stepped into the stirrup and mounted the horse.
Leon, who had already settled into his own saddle, watched with admiration.
“You’re quite skilled at riding.”
“I have learned it.”
“But…”
It was at this moment that Leon’s expression, which had been nodding at the Lord’s words, stiffened slightly.
His gaze had fixed on the holster and pistol at the Lord’s waist.
“That… that’s a gun, isn’t it?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Ahem, I understand since you’ve lived on Earth, but… now that you’re in the Empire, wouldn’t it be better for you to learn swordsmanship, my Lord?”
Though he spoke indirectly, Eugene easily sensed that Leon disapproved of the pistol he carried.
He’s probably suffered the most from them. It’s understandable.
Nearly forty years had passed since the Great War, yet knights still harbored a strong aversion to firearms.
Even with the superhuman abilities granted by aura, the power of gunpowder was so formidable that a single bullet fired from a firearm could kill a knight who had reached the pinnacle of their art through decades of rigorous training, all with the flick of a finger.
Knights who achieved master-level mastery could use the ‘aura shield’—a protective barrier formed by aura that enveloped their bodies—to resist bullets to some extent. However, most knights who lacked this ability couldn’t help but feel a deep aversion to firearms that could end their lives with such ease.
Of course, this was irrelevant to Eugene, who had lived half his life with firearms.
“Does that matter now?”
“…No, it doesn’t.”
Under Eugene’s piercing gaze, Leon lowered his head in shame.
Given his past transgressions, this was only natural.
Moreover, the fact that the lord, who had been the target of the power play, remained silent only intensified his fear.
“Let’s go.”
“Understood, my lord. We’ll depart.”
Clip-clop, clip-clop
With that, four horses, including those ridden by Eugene and Leon, carried their riders away.
They reached the edge of the Black Forest, which occupied a portion of Baron Crocus’s territory, in about thirty minutes.
“My lord, this is the Black Forest.”
Neigh!
Leon, who had been leading the way to guide them, halted his horse and turned to look at Eugene.
Eugene, who had stopped his own horse behind him, gazed at the dense thicket of bushes and trees that filled his vision.
“It looks ordinary.”
That was Eugene’s first impression of the Black Forest.
The landscape was no different from the jungles on the unnamed islands on the enemy side, only the types of trees varied slightly. It was understandable.
As if he had anticipated this, Leon spoke.
“We’re still at the entrance, so we’re far from the territories of monsters or other races. Things change once we go deeper. You should always remain vigilant.”
No sooner had Leon finished speaking than—
Rumble—!
A faint vibration, as if flowing through the earth, reached Eugene’s feet.
Whirring—!
Along with it came the thunderous roars from the dark forest.
Eugene quickly guessed the source of the noise.
“A chainsaw.”
Crack—! Thud—!
The sound of a chainsaw cutting through wood, followed by the crash of a felled tree.
For Eugene, who had traveled the world on countless missions, it was a familiar sound.
“My Lord, a chainsaw…?”
“Someone must be cutting down trees.”
That doesn’t seem to be the whole story.
If nothing else, the vibrations were unlike anything a chainsaw could produce—they were so strong they could be felt even from this distance.
“I believe the area beyond that is Crocus’s territory, is that correct?”
“Yes, my Lord. Though not precisely, if the sound is coming from this direction, it’s highly likely to be from within the territory.”
At Leon’s answer, Eugene nodded and continued.
“We’re approaching.”
“What? That’s too dangerous, Lord.”
Leon tried to dissuade him, his face showing surprise, but Eugene shook his head.
“If the vibrations are this strong, they’re bound to agitate the monsters and non-human races in the forest, aren’t they?”
“That…”
“And eliminating these vibrations is our objective anyway.”
Eugene’s words were irrefutable. If the source of these vibrations wasn’t removed, there was a real possibility that the powerful monsters dwelling deep within the forest might descend towards Crocus’s location.
In the end…
“…We will obey your command, my Lord.”
Looking down at the knight commander who had finally yielded to his words and bowed respectfully, Eugene maintained a stern expression.
Whirring—!
Eugene and the three knights entered the dark forest, advancing toward the source of the thunderous noise.
Because the forest was rarely traveled, they had to hack their way through the pathless woods with hand axes they had prepared in advance.
Yet, the end of their journey toward the thunderous noise was not far.
Crack—!
The moment Leon chopped through a branch blocking their path with his axe,
This…
The scene beyond the branch came into view for Eugene.
Whirring—!
“Careful, I’m going through!”
Crackle—!
A group of people wielding chainsaws, felling trees all around.
They had cut down so many trees that only unsightly stumps remained scattered across the open clearing.
And beyond the clearing, a crude forest path opened into the woods, with carts laden with logs trundling back and forth…
It was obvious to anyone that these were the source of the vibrations and noise.
The problem was where they came from, and why they were systematically cutting down trees in Crocus’s territory.
Is that… an excavator?
Thump, thump.
Eugene frowned at the vibrations that shook the ground each time the rusty excavator, which looked decades old, drove its steel teeth into the earth.
At least, the answer to where they came from was quickly found.
“The Primrose South Family.”
“Primrose?”
“They’re the lords of the territory bordering Crocus. Their crest is on the clothes of these woodcutters. But why are they wreaking such havoc in Crocus’s domain…?”
Having finished his explanation, Leon moved his hand to his waist as if he were about to draw his sword.
“Those Primrose bastards, knowing the Lord has returned…”
“We can’t let this stand.”
The knights behind him were equally furious.
Their relationship must be strained.
From their words and actions, Eugene could roughly guess the relationship between Crocus and Primrose.
The conflict likely stemmed from the death of his father, the former lord.
If his studies in the capital were anything to go by, territories without an heir for a certain period often fell to neighboring lords.
But that was a matter for later.
“I’ll approach them.”
“What?”
“They seem to know each other. I’ll talk to them first and decide.”
With that, Eugene approached the men still diligently felling trees.
“Huh? W-who are you?!”
As Eugene and the knights advanced, a soldier who appeared to be from Primrose’s forces spotted them and shouted, “Intruders!”
Clang!
Hearing the shout, the other soldiers dropped their axes and chainsaws, drew their swords, and gathered before Eugene.
Seeing this, Leon drew his own sword and declared with a furious expression, “This is Baron Eugene Crocus, the rightful owner of the Baronage of Crocus! Who dares to act so brazenly in Crocus territory?”
Things are completely different from yesterday.
Eugene scoffed inwardly at Leon’s words. It was the first time he’d experienced someone who had been squeezing his hand tightly just yesterday now extolling him.
But the soldiers’ reactions were different.
“Baron Crocus?”
The moment the name “Baron Eugene Crocus” left Leon’s lips, the atmosphere among the sword-wielding soldiers froze.
“There was a lord in the Barony of Crocus?”
The soldiers murmured amongst themselves, looking around as if hearing this for the first time.
“Leave this place immediately! Otherwise, the Sword of Crocus will not spare you!”
Perhaps feeling he had gained the upper hand, Leon continued to shout at the soldiers in a voice still brimming with righteous fury.
But.
“No.”
Eugene shook his head at his words and stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Leon.
“Explain yourselves. Why have you entered my territory? What are you doing here? And on whose orders are you acting?”
Why were these men, from the Black Forest—one of the four forbidden zones—invading another lord’s territory to cut down trees and dig holes in the ground?
As the lord of the Barony of Crocus, Eugene had every reason to be aware of this fact.
Thud, thud.
At that moment, two figures emerged from among the soldiers.
One was a man wearing a coat emblazoned with a crest shaped like a light green flower. The other was clad in metal armor bearing the same crest, a longsword gripped in his right hand.
“I thought the House of Crocus had been wiped out. How did you manage to find an heir?”
The man in the coat spoke first.
“Greetings, Lord. My name is Kael Primrose. I am the future heir of the Primrose family.”
Despite his seemingly polite tone, Kael stood ramrod straight, meeting Eugene’s gaze with his chin raised.
Compared to Eugene, who was merely the heir to the Primrose family without any official title, this man was the head of the Crocus family and its lord. To behave so rudely and arrogantly was quite audacious.
Yet.
What captured Eugene’s attention wasn’t the man’s attitude, but the object in his right hand.
…That…
A crude firearm, its metal barrel and receiver made of an unidentifiable metal.
Wrapped around it were a wooden barrel shroud and a roughly finished wooden stock.
Finally, a long, banana-shaped magazine curved at the end.
Eugene knew its identity all too well.
An AK-47.
The most widely produced rifle in the world, the one that had killed the most people, was held in the hands of this man with his arrogant expression.