“Everyone, take out all your weapons.”
As soon as the kids gathered, Eugene said. He wasn’t one to beat around the bush. The kids would probably want to rest after boarding the train anyway.
“Suddenly?”
“Why?”
“What are you planning?”
Sylvia, Memilia, and the brown-skinned girl all looked puzzled at the request. The soundproofing between compartments must have been good, since they hadn’t heard the explanation from our side. Because this was something they needed to know too, Eugene explained.
“Looking at Emil’s armaments, if we leave it as is, we can’t trust the academy’s weapon inspection.”
A school that sends adventurers out without even a single dagger checked—there was no need to see the inspection results to know how bad it was. Decisions made by teachers who’d never set foot in the demon territory. From this side, the only option was to start from scratch and re-examine, strengthening the party.
“Ugh… do we really have to take out all the weapons?”
The brown-skinned girl frowned, clearly unhappy.
“Why, do you want me to take them out for you?”
“No, I just meant—why are you angry…”
The girl flinched after Eugene snapped at her. He then scanned the others for objections. Sylvia, who would’ve been most likely to argue, stayed silent for a moment, then said, “Wait a moment.”
She stood up, rummaged through her things, then came back holding a bunch of equipment in her arms.
“Here you go.”
Clatter, clatter…
She sat down again and set the weapons on the floor.
“Oh…”
“What’s this?”
“How come you’re cooperating so willingly?”
Everyone raised their eyebrows at Sylvia’s unusual compliance. She’d always been the one to growl at the mercenary the most, but now she was following his orders without complaint.
“Ahem.”
Perhaps conscious of the attention, the nun cleared her throat and said,
“Well, it’s because the mercenary here is an expert in this kind of field.”
‘I like that attitude.’
Admitting one’s own shortcomings and seeking help is a virtue. Though rough in personality, Eugene seemed to draw a clear line between work and personal matters. It was better to have someone with firm principles as a companion than someone just nice.
“Bring the other hawks’ weapons too.”
Sylvia brought hers, so you guys should bring yours too, right?
“Yes…”
With that, everyone except Sylvia went to their bags. While they were away, Eugene inspected the nun’s equipment. Her weapons suitable for combat were a revolver and a mace.
“Hmm,”
He picked up the revolver and checked the chamber. Judging by its diameter, it used large-caliber bullets. While inspecting the chamber, Sylvia pulled out some ammunition.
“This is the ammo we use.”
“This is…”
The bullet had a stubby projectile crimped into a cylindrical cartridge. The projectile was brass-colored, typical lead rounds sold at the guild. Since the Holy Empire’s weapons were meant to fight demons,
“These aren’t silver bullets.”
Silver was the optimal material against demons. Though the principle was unclear, demons weakened upon exposure to silver. That was why, even during the Demon King’s descent a hundred years ago, the Holy Empire still thrived. Silver ore veins were abundant within the empire.
“Why not silver bullets?”
Sylvia twisted her hair sheepishly.
“… Silver bullets are expensive.”
So, no silver bullets supplied to students. Silver bullets were exactly that—the projectile made of silver. They had to be finely crafted with sacred blessings, so the cost was high.
‘But they wouldn’t give kids normal lead bullets, would they?’
Normal lead bullets wouldn’t penetrate the tough hides of demons without significant firepower. Sending students into demon territories with only lead bullets would be a death sentence. No matter how much he disliked the Empire’s religious types, Eugene doubted they’d be that reckless.
[No one senselessly cuts their workforce.]
‘I agree.’
So the only conclusion was clear.
“They probably supply silver powder-mixed propellant in the cartridges—that is, degraded silver bullets.”
“Huh? How do you know that?”
Sylvia raised her eyebrows in surprise.
It was well-known that the empire’s monks wielded silver-made weapons, but the use of silver powder mixed into gunpowder instead of pure silver bullets was a relatively recent fact.
‘It’s a desperate workaround,’
A measure to improve efficiency as the empire’s silver mines depleted. Degraded silver bullets didn’t have the same potency as pure silver rounds but still weakened demons. It’s said the trend is shifting to these instead of pure silver bullets.
‘I would know—I invented it.’
“During my mercenary days, a comrade used degraded silver bullets.”
“Oh…”
The girl nodded as if convinced by the old tale. It was plausible that monks from the Holy Empire traveled the world fighting demons, and that some accompanied mercenaries on the battlefield.
“That’s amazing. Degraded silver bullets are only made by the Holy Empire, so they aren’t well known.”
“After my years as a mercenary, I’ve seen and heard all kinds of things.”
That said, Eugene gave Sylvia a word of advice.
“But you have to replace all the bullets.”
“What!?”
Sylvia looked incredulous. Understandably so—degraded silver bullets were already expensive compared to normal lead rounds. Adding silver powder to the propellant inevitably raised the cost.
“Why?”
Eugene answered her question.
“The projectile is the problem.”
“The projectile?”
“Yes.”
The current projectiles might have worked ten years ago, but judging by the demon species recently seen in the demon territories, they no longer work. Unfortunately, demons living in the demon territories evolve fast,
“A study published four months ago said demons have adapted better to powder weapons.”
They’re now strong enough to shrug off a few lead bullets. Especially their hides have become lighter yet harder, repelling bullets. With the current ammo, it’s unlikely to even leave a scratch on them.
“From now on, effective bullets in demon territories are armor-piercing rounds.”
Armor-piercing rounds are a newly developed type of projectile. Unlike hollow lead bullets, the core contains a steel penetrator, improving penetration. More metal means heavier bullets and more propellant, making them expensive.
“Th-Then what do we do? Replacing all the bullets now costs… ”
Sylvia’s face paled upon hearing this recent news. Her main weapon was probably the revolver, with the mace as a backup. But a pistol without bullets was just a heavy chunk of metal. Replacing all the ammo was like losing an arm.
“Is money the problem? This is a matter of life or death.”
But it was also true the current ammo was ineffective against demon territory monsters. No matter how many caps you fire, it’s no better than a single real bullet. They couldn’t cling stubbornly to caps when facing so many demons.
‘I understand how she feels.’
There was no way she had much money. Only a survival-level budget, which would make buying ammo a heavy burden. Seeing Sylvia’s distress, Eugene said,
“I know a trader who sells cheaply in demon territory. I’ll cover the cost for now.”
“What!? Why would you…?”
Sylvia was taken aback by his offer. Replacing with armor-piercing rounds wasn’t cheap, and there was no reason for a complete stranger mercenary to fund this.
‘That’s the case for ordinary mercenaries strapped for cash.’
But Eugene didn’t need money to survive. Besides, armor-piercing rounds weren’t too expensive for his finances. If funds ran low, he could request support from the guild.
‘Would the emperor skimp on protecting his grandson?’
Not knowing these details, Eugene told Sylvia roughly, “It’s better I spend the money than have you die and leave a hole in my lineup.”
In other words, just stay alive until you return. He said this to avoid creating awkward debt feelings between them. Despite his words, a heavy shadow fell over Sylvia’s face.
“Thank… you…”
Whether out of gratitude or guilt, Sylvia bowed her head. These kids were strict with others and themselves. Having borrowed something from someone else made her uneasy.
“Show your thanks by surviving. Next.”
After saying this, Eugene looked for the next weapon to inspect.
“Here!”
The next student was the brown-skinned girl.
“Whoa!”
She tossed him a two-handed axe as tall as herself. Fortunately, the blade was wrapped in cloth, but her safety awareness handling weapons was severely lacking. Eugene immediately scolded her.
“Hey! Who throws blades around carelessly?”
“Yikes!? S-sorry…”
The girl clasped her hands, rubbing them nervously like a fly rubbing its legs. Her sincerity was palpable.
“Hehe… are you feeling better now?”
Rather than apologizing, it seemed she was just play-acting. She was probably a lighthearted kid like before. Too lazy to stay angry, Eugene shifted focus to the axe.
“Is this the only weapon you have?”
“Eh? Uh… other things just felt cumbersome.”
The girl answered while taking a boxing stance. Her form showed she wasn’t a novice at hand-to-hand combat. Though she primarily used fists, she wielded axes as well.
“Get yourself a bow too.”
It was no good bringing only an axe. Demons don’t always engage in close combat. Some attack from a distance with poison darts or acidic sprays.
“Huh? A bow? Out of nowhere?”
The girl looked puzzled. She specialized in melee and wondered why she needed a bow. But actually, you need strong muscles to use a bow.
“Turn around.”
“What? Me? My name is Vurdika, you know!?”
“Yeah, whatever. Just turn around.”
“W-What are you trying to do…?”
Suspicious but wanting to avoid getting scolded again, Vurdika turned her back. Her bare skin was exposed, with clothes that barely covered her.
‘Is she not cold? These days, is this style popular?’