The Count's Gun-Shooting Scoundrel-Chapter 41

“Just pretend you didn't see that for now.”
“B-but, to do that, it’s too…”
Skevin was flustered as he continued to watch weapons appear from Arthur’s hand.
Arthur took out the armaments for the search party members one by one and stuck them into the ground.
This went on for about ten minutes.
Arthur was surrounded by a circle of various weapons.
“Haaah…”
Skevin stared at Arthur, dazed, as if he had lost his mind.
Arthur spoke with a satisfied expression.
“This should be enough, right?”
“Y-Young Master, what kind of magic did you just cast?”
“I’m taking them out of a Subspace.”
“Did you say a Subspace?”
Skevin’s eyes widened.
Sometime ago, while talking with Millerf, the topic of Subspace had come up.
He had said that while dragons were out in the world enjoying themselves, they carried necessary items or truly precious things with them directly.
What they used like a bag at that time was a Subspace.
Even Millerf had never seen one and had only heard about it from his master.
The fact that Arthur possessed such a precious thing was truly astonishing.
Moreover, the weapons he took out from it all emanated an extraordinary sharpness.
Above all, a Subspace was something exclusive to dragons.
In other words, it was highly likely that what he was seeing were weapons collected by a dragon.
“Where on earth did you get all this? Did you really go to a Dragon’s Lair or something…!”
As Skevin was speaking, something suddenly occurred to him.
The place where he had found Arthur at the western cliff. Thinking about it now, there was something suspicious.
When he fell from the cliff, what were the chances he would have landed right there?
It was clear that something must have happened there.
“Can you really not tell me?”
“I’ll tell you when the time is right, so please wait.”
“……Understood.”
“I’m going to see Millerf, so please look after things here.”
Arthur left the training grounds and went straight to Aild’s workshop.
As he entered the workshop, Millerf and Aild were talking to each other.
The two were startled by the sight of Arthur appearing in his armor.
Suddenly, their chests swelled with emotion, and they felt their eyes redden.
They were seeing again, through Arthur, a sight that had been forgotten since Count Malcolm’s time.
But the armor suited him so well, and it reminded them of the brilliant pride of the Count's family that they had forgotten.
Millerf’s gaze wavered at the sight of Arthur wearing the helmet.
‘N-no way…’
Aild wiped the tears welling in his eyes and greeted him warmly.
“You’re here?”
“Young Master…”
As Millerf tried to get up from the bed, Arthur held out a hand and said.
“Just stay seated.”
“Ah, yes.”
Arthur approached Millerf, checked his condition, and asked.
“How are you feeling?”
“I think I’ll be able to move by tomorrow.”
“That’s a huge relief.”
“I heard from the second young master. You brought back an Elixir…”
“I was lucky.”
“By any chance, did you meet Sir Teheran?”
“……!”
He seemed to know something.
Millerf waited for Arthur’s answer with a serious face.
Only Aild, who was watching the two, tilted his head, not understanding what was going on.
“What is it? Tell me too.”
“I was planning to tell you while giving you this anyway.”
As soon as Arthur spoke, magic books appeared in his hands.
Aild and Millerf were aghast at the sight.
“Th-this is…”
“A Subspace Pouch!”
“Everyone calm down and take what I’m giving you.”
Arthur first handed about ten magic books to Aild, then handed one to Millerf.
But unlike the ones he gave Aild, this magic book looked very special.
Its cover was not old paper but had an extraordinary aura, as if wrapped in gold, and it was filled to the brim with indecipherable letters.
The moment Millerf saw the letters engraved on the magic book, his eyes widened as if they would tear.
“Draconic!”
“What did you say?”
Aild’s eyes shot open when he heard the word Draconic.
Millerf’s hands, gripping the magic book, trembled.
“Finally…”
A way to rise to the 7th-Class had appeared.
The reason he had been stuck at the 6th-Class until now was that from the 7th-Class onwards, the magic was related to Draconic.
Magic books related to it could only be obtained from a Dragon’s Lair, so he hadn’t even dared to dream of it.
But now that the magic book had appeared, he could start his research right away from tomorrow.
Seeing this made it certain.
“Did you meet Sir Rumakas?”
When Arthur nodded, curiosity filled Millerf’s face.
“What was he like? My master said he was quite the eccentric.”
“I don’t know if he’s an eccentric.”
Arthur tilted his head and asked back.
“But you knew about Rumakas?”
“Yes.”
“Is there a reason you didn’t tell me about him?”
“To meet him, you must possess certain qualifications. That qualification is achieving 4-stars, but I didn’t know you would grow so quickly.”
“I see.”
Arthur understood completely.
“What did he say? I’m so curious.”
“I don’t have much time, so I’ll just tell you briefly.”
Arthur recounted only the key parts of what happened when he met Rumakas there.
However, he did not mention the parts related to himself.
“As expected, he also anticipated the Demon King’s return and made preparations.”
“He knew that bastard wasn’t one to die easily.”
“By any chance, did he say anything regarding Teheran’s Mana Training Method?”
“Are you talking about the side effects?”
“Huh? How did you… Did my lady tell you?”
“No, I heard it from Rumakas.”
“Is there a solution?”
Arthur shook his head.
“He said it was impossible from the start for a human to use a dragon’s power.”
“A dragon’s power? Then, did Sir Teheran learn a dragon’s training method?”
“He said he shared his own power, so I suppose so. There’s only one way to make that power my own.”
“Could it be… 9-stars.”
Arthur simply nodded without a word.
“As you know, Young Master, that is an impossible task…”
Millerf’s face darkened.
Even Teheran, who was hailed as the hero of the empire, had his limit at 8-stars, and he possessed power approaching that of a god.
But to be told to achieve 9-stars was like being told to become a god.
Was that even possible?
Millerf asked with a stern expression.
“So what did he say? No, what are you going to do now?”
“What can I do? And he told me to face the Demon King only after I achieve 9-stars.”
“I suppose so. Even Sir Teheran at 8-stars couldn’t defeat the Demon King.”
“I’m going to do my best as far as I can. So you help me by my side too.”
“Of course, I will…!”
Millerf stopped mid-sentence and stared intently at Arthur.
Arthur nodded and said.
“Now that you’re more than pulling your weight, I’ve decided you can join me.”
“Y-Young Master…”
Millerf, his face filled with overwhelming emotion, got up from the bed, knelt on one knee before Arthur, and bowed his head.
“I, Millerf, will serve Lord Arthur Julius as my master until the day I die.”
Arthur placed a hand on Millerf’s shoulder.
“I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
Arthur, with a faint smile on his lips, shifted his gaze to Aild.
Aild, with a very pleased expression, said.
“I’m proud of you.”
“I have a favor to ask of you too, hyung.”
“What?”
Aild’s eyes widened as he stammered.
“Wh-what did you just say…?”
“Why? Should I call you like I used to?”
“N-no, it’s not that, it’s just that you suddenly called me ‘hyung’…”
“I’m calling you ‘hyung’ because you’re acting like one. If you want to keep hearing me call you that, keep up the good work.”
“Of course, I will.”
The corners of Aild’s mouth turned up.
Arthur looked back and forth between the magic books on the table and him, and said.
“I’d like you to make some potions needed for the Knight Order.”
“If you’re talking about potions, I can make as many as you want.”
“You can already make those. I want something that, when drunk, will have the same effect as receiving a buff from a mage.”
“What did you say?”
Aild was taken aback.
He had never even considered a potion that could serve the role of a mage’s buff.
Millerf’s eyes also flashed at Arthur’s words, and he nodded.
“There haven’t been any successes so far, but there might be an answer in those magic books.”
“They’re magic books from a Dragon’s Lair, so there will probably be special things in them.”
“I will research them alongside you.”
“Then I’ll be counting on you.”
“But where are you going?”
“I’m going to search the western mountain range again.”
“Is it because of the monsters?”
“The fact that they keep appearing makes me think there’s something we’re missing.”
“No way!”
Millerf looked at Arthur with a serious expression.
“I know you’ve become much stronger than before, but please promise me one thing.”
“Go on.”
“Are you perhaps thinking of searching below the cliff?”
“As I thought, you know something.”
Arthur’s gaze sharpened.
“That place has long been a forbidden zone.”
“What’s the reason?”
“I heard that nothing that enters that place can survive.”
“Who said that? Your master, Mardoro?”
“How do you know my master’s name!”
Millerf was startled.
Except for Count Malcolm, he had never told anyone that his master was Mardoro.
Arthur grinned and revealed that he had met Kanmurasas, who had been arranged to be in the helmet.
Millerf was even more surprised by this fact and finally realized clearly what he had to do.
It was to become Arthur’s strength.
“I will serve you with all my might.”
“Let’s end it here for today. We’ll talk after I get back.”
“Of course. I just hope you know one thing. Young Master, you are no longer alone.”
“I know. I have no intention of disappointing your expectations.”
Arthur answered resolutely and went outside.
Millerf smiled faintly and muttered to himself.
“That sounds just like the Young Master.”
***
After leaving Aild’s room, Arthur decided to meet one more person before heading to the training grounds.
As he entered the forge, the sounds of hammering steel and steam being generated were incessant.
Making his way through the hazy steam, he saw faces he hadn’t seen before.
They were sweating profusely, diligently making something.
Van, who was examining a blueprint, slightly raised his head when he sensed a presence.
“Y-Young Master…!”
Van’s eyes widened.
He quickly put down the blueprint, approached Arthur, and examined the helmet from all angles.
“Where did you get this?”
“Someone was keeping it.”
“May I take a look for a moment?”
Arthur shook his head.
“There’s no time for that. I’ll let you see it later, so take this.”
A book suddenly appeared in Arthur’s hand.
Van’s eyes widened as if they would tear at the sight.
“S-Subspace…”
“It’s a book related to alchemy.”
“Alchemy?”
Van quickly picked up the book and opened it.
“Oh! This is…”
He quickly ran somewhere, brought back another book, and compared it with the one he received from Arthur.
It was the second volume of the book he already had.
“Finally!”
It seemed he would finally be able to solve the mysteries he couldn’t because he was missing the second volume.
Van looked at Arthur with sparkling eyes.
“I heard you’re going on a search in the western mountain range. When you return, you must tell me what happened.”
“Got it. There will be a lot of work to do from now on, so be fully prepared.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I’ve supplemented the personnel with skilled people, so just give us the word.”
Van’s face was overflowing with confidence.
“I’ll look forward to it.”
Arthur grinned, left the forge, and headed to the training grounds.
As he entered the training grounds, the knights were assembled and waiting.
Skevin, upon spotting Arthur, shouted in a booming voice.
“All, attention!”
At that, the knights quickly snapped to attention and faced forward.
“……!”
Their eyes shot open when they saw Arthur.
‘A golden helmet!’
‘Th-that appearance is…’
‘What kind of armor shines like that?’
Along with their surprise, they tensed up at Arthur’s intense presence.
Even seeing Arthur again, Skevin’s heart pounded, and he was captivated by his intensity.
He felt it was an unparalleled honor to be able to serve such a person as his lord.
He performed a sword salute with a disciplined motion and shouted.
“Sir!”