My Strange Savior - Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Why didn’t she think of that? If they can make mana bullets into arrowheads… Could it be made into condensed energy projectiles too?

Argh.

Gia, who hit her forehead hard enough with her palm to make it turn red, jumped up.

“Why are you doing this?”

Since Kalion had seen Gia’s peculiar behavior more than once, he asked nonchalantly, and Gregory and Oscar looked at her in astonishment.

“Wait a moment. Just wait a moment!”

Gia, who disappeared, raising more dust than the blowing wind, soon returned holding only half of her torso in a bag.

“This… I forgot I had this.”

“What is this?”

Gregory’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as he looked at the pitch-black bag.

It was a bag made of a material he had never seen before. As Gregory peered at its rigid surface, unable to contain his curiosity, Gia, placed the case on the ground and unfolded it.

In an instant, Gia, who assembled a sniper rifle from the bag, placed a tripod on the ground and lay down.

“It shoots like this.”

Gia, who lay casually on the dirt floor, looked at the three bewildered expressions.

“With this, Kalion, you should be able to hit the stone tower you mentioned.”

“Is that possible?”

Before Kalion could respond, Gregory showed interest in the mysterious item from another world.

“Uh-oh. Uh.”

“Can I see it then?”

“Unfortunately… That…”

Gia scratched her head, having used up almost all the remaining Bullets to save Kalion.

“But I can show you the principle.”

Gia, who stood up abruptly, drew a pistol from her holster. Even though it had been modified, a pistol was still a pistol, lacking in many aspects at range.

Gia, familiar with the grip, warned the three.

“Cover your ears.”

As Kalion watched the target shot with an arrow through the eyes, Gia adjusted her posture. She aimed precisely at the target with a slightly tilted posture.

Extending the hand holding the barrel and grip straight toward the target, Gia naturally bent the remaining arm underneath, gripping the magazine with the opposite hand.

Bang—

As soon as Gia finished speaking, a blue light scattered from the barrel as the energy bullet shot out vigorously.

The deafening gunshot echoed in the empty shooting range.

“Oh… did it hit?”

Even though it was Gia, she couldn’t see if the bullet hit the target a hundred meters away, so she walked briskly.

“Nice shot.”

Becoming an enhanced human greatly improved her physical abilities, but Gia also had a talent for marksmanship, so she generally hit her targets better than others. She had become worried because the target was a bit far, but at least it wasn’t moving.

Relieved without her knowledge, Gia called the three over.

“Come here!”

Startled by the gunfire, the three stood still as if frozen. Gia shouted once more, urging them to come quickly.

Approaching in a trance, the three looked at the holes in the target.

“Is this… possible?” 

Gregory asked, raising his hand to the pierced target with a face devoid of color.

“Since this is a pistol and has a short range… Instead, the sniper rifle I showed you earlier has a much longer range and is more precise in hitting the target than a bow. It’s much better than a bow.” 

Gia explained.

“Could it be that, Gia… the one you used when you first saved me…”

“Yeah, this one and that one.”

Gia showed the sniper rifle placed far away on the tripod and the pistol in her hand.

“With this level of destructive power, even without mana bullets… we could deal a fatal blow to a dragon.” 

Gregory mused, his eyes sparkling like a scholar’s as he witnessed how easily the thick wooden board was pierced.

“But… what about the remaining bullets?”

“Bullets? Do you mean the ones that emitted a blue light earlier?”

Gia removed the magazine and showed the bullets inside. In the past, the bullets were made of metal, but later they were all switched to energy bullets, incorporating the technology that put condensed energy instead of metal to enhance precision and range, all compacted into the omper-style improved guns.

Survival instincts led to advancements in weaponry. Since regular bullets couldn’t kill zombies in one shot, they were all replaced with energy bullets.

The specifics of how they were fired and how energy was condensed were not within Gia’s domain. Her primary tasks involved being on the field, rescuing people, securing food, dealing with marauders, and engaging in war, much like a hyena roaming the vicinity.

“There aren’t many Bullets left…”

Gia’s expression turned gloomy as she looked at the magazine.

“By any chance… were they used when you saved me?”

When Kalion asked, Gia shook her head.

“It’s not just because of that, and there weren’t many to begin with.”

It wasn’t Kalion’s fault since they had almost depleted the bullets due to the duel with Morrison before transcending dimensions. Gia responded to Kalion’s worried question if it was somehow because of that incident.

“It’s not because of you.”

Even with Gia’s assurance, Kalion still couldn’t ease his mind.

“It must be valuable…”

“Nah, it’s not that valuable.”

It was necessary to use them sparingly for survival, but when it came to saving Kalion, there was no choice. 

To face so many goblins, a decisive advantage was needed. If they hadn’t demonstrated their superiority through force, they wouldn’t have been able to defeat so many goblins.

In short, it was about using flashy displays to break their morale. They did this even at the expense of almost depleting the bullets they had.

“I wonder if we can make mana bullets with these kinds of bullets.”

Gia took out the last remaining sniper rifle round from her pocket and handed it to Gregory. It had a slightly elongated shape, unlike the nearly depleted pistol rounds.

“It’s an unusual shape.”

Showing interest, Gregory picked up the bullet from Gia’s palm.

“It might be difficult, but I’ll do my best.”

Despite not having a favorable first impression of Gia, the alchemist’s fervor for study was ignited to the point where even that didn’t matter. Holding an item from another world in his hand, Gregory adjusted his glasses.

“How long do you think it will take? We don’t have much time.”

They had only a month at most before the Emperor’s eyes would be on them. Even if they hurried and left as soon as possible, it was still tight. Could they afford to delay further here? 

Kalion looked at Gregory with a worried expression.

“I’ll try to make it as soon as possible.”

Gregory turned and disappeared first, and since Oscar had also promised to provide him with a workshop, he left the area.

Only Kalion and Gia remained in the shooting range.

“Starting today, I plan to train with the members.”

When Kalion finally broke the long silence and spoke, Gia also raised her contemplative face.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll join in.”

Since it’s rare for women to undergo military training, Kalion showed a rare expression of surprise before quickly concealing it.

“Well… Gia was considered a rank similar to a knight in that world.”

Kalion agreed, knowing that training was necessary for her too.

“The recruits will arrive soon.”

“Great. Let’s take advantage of the opportunity to sharpen our horns and get used to the faces, all while training at the same time.”

“Understood.”

Gia reached out energetically, suggesting they also assess the skills of Kalion’s recruits. Although there was a sound of ‘thud’ every time she twisted her body left and right, Kalion deliberately averted his gaze.

Putting the sniper rifle back into its case on the floor and rising, Kalion noticed that his recruits were now lined up in the practice area.

“I assume you’ve all heard the story.”

Kalion skillfully introduced Gia to the recruits.

“She’s going to be with us, facing challenges together. We’ve decided to train together starting today, so please treat her well.”

“Hello.”

Gia smiled and greeted the expressionless recruits, extending her palm with a cheerful greeting.

“I’m Yu Gia. You can call me Gia.”

Even Gia’s greeting seemed to carry a chilly breeze. Well, perhaps it was already there. Perplexed, Gia looked at Kalion.

“What… Why is the atmosphere like this?”

Internally sighing, Kalion looked at Rockt and the recruits in front of him.

“I won’t tolerate any behavior that disrespects or belittles her just because she’s a woman. Understand?”

“Understood.”

Their response was gruff, but they were already looking down on Gia in their hearts.

“Just because she’s a woman… What kind of training for a woman is this?”

“Yeah, what kind of woman… And what’s up with those ridiculous clothes?”

The members critiqued Gia as if telling her to listen carefully.

Under the directive of the heavenly commander, they were to train together, but they couldn’t forcibly suppress their dissatisfied hearts.

Kalion knew this, but he couldn’t forcibly control their emotions as they followed him, risking their lives with determination.

Anticipating a somewhat challenging future, Kalion signaled to Rockt to begin the training.

“Everyone, return to your positions and begin training.”

“Yes!”

The members who answered returned to their places and assumed their positions familiarly. Those skilled with swords held swords, and those familiar with archery held bows.

As Gia watched them train intently, she looked around and wandered near the armory.

Although the world had succumbed to zombies and become a realm of augmented humans, their main weapons were firearms, so the swords the members carried seemed unfamiliar to her. Gia had only seen such an armory in fantasy movies.

“Maybe I should have learned swordsmanship.”

Of course, she had never used a military dagger in haste, but since it wasn’t her primary weapon, Gia wore a perplexed expression.

“Hey, Kalion.”

“Oh my. Th-that… That woman is talking to the commander…”

“She must be out of her mind.”

Just calling for Kalion evoked an unusual response. Glancing at the members who seemed to emit fire with their eyes, Gia shrugged.

“Do I have to address you as ‘Commander’ too?”

“There’s no need for that.”

“Can I just call you casually then?”

“Yes, please do.”

Now that she was here, Gia thought it didn’t matter if she referred to Kalion as the commander. Kalion also found it more comfortable for Gia to address him the way she always had.

“Can you teach me how to use a sword?”

“A sword, you say?”

“Yeah.”

She didn’t know how to use a sword? The murmurs among the members grew louder. Did she even know how to properly mount a horse or swing at a target without whimpering and complaining? That would be fortunate.

The members, who had already judged Gia based on their standards, became even more outspoken, almost as if telling her to listen.

“Come this way.”

Kalion looked at the armory Oscar held out to him, his face thoughtful.

“Is there something you’re familiar with?”

“I suppose this one is the best for now?”

Gia chose a typical longsword. It was a sword often wielded by those who held the rank of a knight. She had used it until she found a sword that suited her better.

Knowing Gia’s strength and stamina to some extent, Kalion nodded and handed her the sword hilt first.

“First, I’ll teach you the basics of swordsmanship.”

“Yeah.”

“This is going to be a disaster.”

“A woman who’s grabbing a sword for the first time is supposed to kill a dragon.”

As the noise grew, Kalion sharpened his gaze, indicating that he had no intention of quietly enduring the increasing disturbance and murmuring.