Black Iron's Glory

This was the first time Claude got to see an otherwordly firearm . He had only seen some early firearms from pictures on the internet . But now, he could hold it in his hand and play with it . He secretly pointed it around and felt that it didn"t seem that different from the guns he had seen in pictures in his past life .

Welikro said that it was something his father brought with him when he retired from military service, a gally mark 3 matchlock . It was considered to be a gun from the earlier generation . Currently, the royal military had switched to the auba.s.s mark 2 matchlocks . Most of the gally mark 3 matchlocks had been retired from service .

Welikro"s father remarked that while the gun was still suitable for use by a soldier, it wasn"t that appropriate for hunting . When they saved up enough, his father commissioned for someone else to forge two new hunting guns for his own use and stored the matchlock in his home as a memento . Welikro came to monopolize that matchlock when he had grown up .

Claude curiously asked, "Wero, can guns be commissioned individually?"

"Of course," Welikro said with a nod, "There"s a public armory in Baromiss that produces more than 47 thousand guns of various models annually . It is the largest armory in all of the three southwestern commanderies and there are over three thousand people working there . They also accept public gun commissions and they come with serial numbers . However, to commission a gun privately, one has to be a dignitarian or higher . Those who retired from military service can also get a decent discount . "

"Then how are those hunting guns your father commissioned different from this matchlock?" Claude really lacked the knowledge about their differences . To him, both of them were matchlocks that required pouring gunpowder into the barrel, stuffing the bullet in, lighting the fuse and cleaning the barrel after the shot . All that work for a single shot . It couldn"t be more troublesome .

"The two hunting guns my father commissioned are at least double the size of this matchlock," Welikro said as he traced a large circle in the air with his finger to ill.u.s.trate the rough size of the gun, "While their firing range isn"t as far as this one, the power of the shots are multiple times stronger . This gun can hurt people with no problem and is quite useful in a battle . But against wild beasts in the deep mountains, it"s not really sufficient . After all, they have thick furs that can protect themselves better from projectiles which humans lack .

"Take for example the wild boar . We can only make the boar bleed a bit even four or five shots of this gun and it would be completely fine . Instead, it might even chase you to the ends of the world . Panthers and other fierce beasts are even further out of the question . If you don"t hit the beasts" vitals with this gun, prepare to be food . There won"t be a chance for a second shot . They"ll get beside you when you"re still fumbling to pour your gunpowder in .

"That was why my father had two new guns made . One of them is made specifically to counter thick-hided beasts . Even wild boars would fall from a single shot from that gun . The other is a spread shot that is much better for defense . A single shot will send a curtain of bullets forward . No matter how agile and quick the animal, they would inevitably slow down after being wounded and be much easier to deal with .

"The downsides to those guns are their weight . My father would be worn out after just a half-hour hike with those two on his back . When aiming with them, one would also have to use a fork rest to get it leveled properly . Without it, one won"t be able to hold it straight . Additionally, they used up too much gunpowder . Ten shots worth of gunpowder for my matchlock will only last those hunting guns less than three shots . That"s why we are almost running out of gunpowder at home and I had to spend my own money for some bullets and gunpowder for this trip . "

Claude inspected the gally mark 3 matchlock in his hand closely . The length of the gun was approximately 1 . 8 meters and it was made of cherry wood . The black barrel of the gun stuck out 30 centimeters from its stock and a slightly flared muzzle . Along the lower length of the gun was a silver-plated copper construction which held the stock and the body of the gun together . The rear half was also made of silver-plated copper parts . But much of the silver plating had worn off from the wearing of time and exposed the dark, scratch-filled copper surface .

Claude got to learn about the pan, slow match, serpentine, pan, pan cover, priming powder, and so on . He did recognize the trigger at least . However, after Welikro simulated firing a shot, Claude realized that something was off .

"Why doesn"t the matchlock have an aiming sight?"

"What"s an aiming sight?" asked Welikro .

"Uhh . . . " Claude didn"t know how to respond right away . He gestured as he explained for a good while to get Welikro to understand that it was something used to aim the gun with .

"Oh, you were talking about that . Look, it"s there," Welikro said with a look of realization and took hold of the matchlock to point it to Claude . "We don"t call it an aiming sight . We call it a firing point . Do you see that mark on the barrel and one on the pan cover? Those are firing points . When preparing to fire, we use those two markings to take aim, stabilize, light the slow match and close our eyes, before pulling the trigger . Bam! The bullet will fly out just like that . "

"Wait, what"s the point of closing the eyes before firing?" Claude didn"t get it at all .

Welikro laughed . "That"s to protect your eyes from the stuff in the flash pan that blasts out because of a poorly replaced cover . Also, the shot will also produce a lot of smoke . You"ll definitely tear up if they get to your eyes . "

"But can we still hit targets with our eyes closed?" How can there be any accuracy this way? You won"t even be able to get them even if they stand still in front of you!

"That"s why you need training . The most important part is for your hand to be steady . You can"t shake the slightest . That way, you can lock on to your target and close your eyes as you shoot . Nine out of ten times you"ll be able to hit your target . "

Though it sounded sensible, Claude couldn"t find any words to argue against it . However, his mind wandered back to the matter of the sight . "So, Wero, you said that the two firing points have to be lined up to the target in a straight line . So if the hand is stable while firing, will the shot hit for sure? As in, will the shot hit the point that lines up directly with the two firing points?"

"Of course not," Welikro said with a shake of his head, "You still have to estimate how high you want to level the gun . Normally, when the two firing points line up with the target, the vertical offset of the gun is more or less the length of a middle finger . So, if I want to hit the target"s head, I would have to make sure the gun is raised a finger higher than the head before firing . If I aim directly at the head, the bullet would hit the target"s neck instead . "

"This cruddy gun really is troublesome to use, both in terms of shooting and aiming," Claude said with a sigh, "Oh, Eyke, show me that ship-use short-barreled matchlock of yours . "

Eriksson"s short-barreled matchlock was something his father traded for . As a captain, he carried one such gun as a weapon of self defense . But the short-barreled one was bought by his father quite some time ago . During a captain"s gathering, his father won a gold-plated silver memorial edition short barrel from a card game and left the old short-barreled matchlock at home, which soon became Eriksson"s toy .

"My short barrel can"t shoot nearly as far as Wero"s, only about 50 meters to the front . The effective killing range is only around 20 or 30 meters and it can only be used for self defense . " Eriksson handed his gun over .

Welikro"s gally mark 3 matchlock"s firing range could reach as far as 280 meters with an effective killing range of 150 meters . Whether the shots. .h.i.t was a whole other question . However, within the range of 100 meters, the bullet could even pierce a wooden board five meters thick . No wonder it was used as standard military issue in the royal army back in the day .

The short-barreled gun on the other hand looked slightly hooked and stretched around 60 meters in length . Apart from the shorter barrel and the smaller components relative to those of Welikro"s gun, it didn"t look all that different . Instead, its short length made one feel that it was a little bloated when held in the hand .

The short-barreled gun on the other hand looked slightly hooked and stretched around 60 meters in length . Apart from the shorter barrel and the smaller components relative to those of Welikro"s gun, it didn"t look all that different . Instead, its short length made one feel that it was a little bloated when held in the hand .

"Oh, I want to see your gunpowder and bullets as well . I heard Wakri say something about using egg-white-based powder on ships for your shorter gun that"s twice the price of the one Wero got . How are they different?"

Claude didn"t think that the bullets and gunpowder would come in the form of paper cartridges with each bullet embedded on one end . The cartridge was made of some sort of oiled paper that was resistant to water . Between the bullet and gun was a small, soft wooden piece that had a diameter slightly larger than the cartridge itself .

"What is this piece of wood for?" Claude wondered why a piece of wood was stuck between the gunpowder and the bullet .

"It"s used to stabilize the cartridge in the barrel . As it"s a short-barreled gun, the bullet and gunpowder would spill out easily from the swaying of the hand," explained Welikro .

Knowing better, Claude attempted to pry open the cartridge to look at the gunpowder inside .

"Don"t," Eriksson said, "I"ll let you open it when we return with extras . Right now, each cartridge you open is one less shot we have . Each of these cost seven fennies, you know! I only got 15 and they cost us almost one riyas!"

Seven fennies was three short of one sunar, and ten sunars made a riyas . Morssen claimed that his daily wage was only one riyas, only enough to buy approximately 15 of those cartridges, which were sold at quite a high price .

"Then, Wero, does your matchlock use the same type of bullets?" asked Claude as he stopped his hands .

Welikro shook his head . "It doesn"t . The bullets I use are separate from the gunpowder . We store the powder in my powder horn here and they aren"t packaged in cartridges like his gun"s are . "

"Packing them in cartridges must be much more convenient . Is the reason you don"t use it the high cost?"

"Packing them in cartridges must be much more convenient . Is the reason you don"t use it the high cost?"

"No . Those cartridges simply aren"t suited for use with my matchlock . " Seeing that Claude was shaping up to becoming quite the gun fanatic, Welikro explained to him patiently without feeling the slightest bit of annoyance . "Even though cartridges are more convenient, the paper residue left within the barrel will be a pain to clean . Eyke"s gun has a short barrel, so it"ll be easier to look inside while cleaning .

"But the barrel of mine is much longer . It would be hard for us to clean it out after using a fixed paper cartridge . If too much paper gets stuck inside, the next shot"s accuracy and range will be affected . The barrel"s lifespan will also decrease as a result of piled up residue . "

Claude scratched his head in a troubled manner . The way he remembered it, the time-traveling protagonists of the historical novels he read in the past life could create cannons and conquer the land . Those novels basically heralded gunpowder as the ultimate weapon to obtain victory and the rate of fire of those guns could always be increased . They were not nearly as troublesome as these matchlocks . But why didn"t it work out in Claude"s case?

Welikro stood up and took out a few rectangular pieces of leather . "Alright, let"s prepare to leave . It"s around seven right now and we can lie in ambush near that small stream in waiting for any small animal that comes to get a drink . Each of you, take two of these leather pieces and wrap it around your calf before tying it up with a string . Don"t leave any open seams . "

Borkal looked rather annoyed . "Wait, Wero, why do we need to wear these? Aren"t we already wearing long pants and leather mountaineering boots?"

"It"s to prevent snake bites," Welikro said, "Without those leather pieces, your long pants can easily be pierced by a biting snake . But with these above them, they won"t . The most crucial point to pay attention to when traveling in bushes and forests during the night is the presence of those poisonous critters . Also, b.u.t.ton your collars up tightly so that the crawlies don"t get inside . "

"Can"t . . . can"t we just use a torch and poke it into the gra.s.s or something?"

"Hah . . . " Welikro was almost laughing with rage . "We are hiding for an ambush for a hunt, not a trip! If you bring a torch with you there, would the animals still approach the stream?"

Moments later, they finished tying up the leather pieces to their calfs . Welikro said, "If you"re ready, let"s depart . I"ll lead the way, Claude and Boa stay in the center and Eyke will walk at the rear . Oh, and since Boa already has his arbalest, use my hunting bow, Claude . I saw you shoot rather well during archery cla.s.s in school . My hunting bow is two times tighter than those soft, training bows we use in cla.s.s . You"ll need to use twice as much force to pull it, but you should be able to handle it .

"And, make sure to keep quiet . If possible, don"t make any sound at all . I"ll pick a hiding spot when we reach the stream . Keep conversation to a minimum there so that the animals don"t discover us and escape . Are you ready now? Alright, let"s go . "

.  .

This was the first time Claude got to see an otherwordly firearm . He had only seen some early firearms from pictures on the internet . But now, he could hold it in his hand and play with it . He secretly pointed it around and felt that it didn"t seem that different from the guns he had seen in pictures in his past life

Welikro said that it was something his father brought with him when he retired from military service, a gally mark 3 matchlock . It was considered to be a gun from the earlier generation . Currently, the royal military had switched to the auba.s.s mark 2 matchlocks . Most of the gally mark 3 matchlocks had been retired from service

Welikro"s father remarked that while the gun was still suitable for use by a soldier, it wasn"t that appropriate for hunting . When they saved up enough, his father commissioned for someone else to forge two new hunting guns for his own use and stored the matchlock in his home as a memento . Welikro came to monopolize that matchlock when he had grown up

Claude curiously asked, "Wero, can guns be commissioned individually?".

"Of course," Welikro said with a nod, "There"s a public armory in Baromiss that produces more than 47 thousand guns of various models annually . It is the largest armory in all of the three southwestern commanderies and there are over three thousand people working there . They also accept public gun commissions and they come with serial numbers . However, to commission a gun privately, one has to be a dignitarian or higher . Those who retired from military service can also get a decent discount . ".

"Then how are those hunting guns your father commissioned different from this matchlock?" Claude really lacked the knowledge about their differences . To him, both of them were matchlocks that required pouring gunpowder into the barrel, stuffing the bullet in, lighting the fuse and cleaning the barrel after the shot . All that work for a single shot . It couldn"t be more troublesome

"The two hunting guns my father commissioned are at least double the size of this matchlock," Welikro said as he traced a large circle in the air with his finger to ill.u.s.trate the rough size of the gun, "While their firing range isn"t as far as this one, the power of the shots are multiple times stronger . This gun can hurt people with no problem and is quite useful in a battle . But against wild beasts in the deep mountains, it"s not really sufficient . After all, they have thick furs that can protect themselves better from projectiles which humans lack

"Take for example the wild boar . We can only make the boar bleed a bit even four or five shots of this gun and it would be completely fine . Instead, it might even chase you to the ends of the world . Panthers and other fierce beasts are even further out of the question . If you don"t hit the beasts" vitals with this gun, prepare to be food . There won"t be a chance for a second shot . They"ll get beside you when you"re still fumbling to pour your gunpowder in

"That was why my father had two new guns made . One of them is made specifically to counter thick-hided beasts . Even wild boars would fall from a single shot from that gun . The other is a spread shot that is much better for defense . A single shot will send a curtain of bullets forward . No matter how agile and quick the animal, they would inevitably slow down after being wounded and be much easier to deal with

"The downsides to those guns are their weight . My father would be worn out after just a half-hour hike with those two on his back . When aiming with them, one would also have to use a fork rest to get it leveled properly . Without it, one won"t be able to hold it straight . Additionally, they used up too much gunpowder . Ten shots worth of gunpowder for my matchlock will only last those hunting guns less than three shots . That"s why we are almost running out of gunpowder at home and I had to spend my own money for some bullets and gunpowder for this trip . ".

Claude inspected the gally mark 3 matchlock in his hand closely . The length of the gun was approximately 1 . 8 meters and it was made of cherry wood . The black barrel of the gun stuck out 30 centimeters from its stock and a slightly flared muzzle . Along the lower length of the gun was a silver-plated copper construction which held the stock and the body of the gun together . The rear half was also made of silver-plated copper parts . But much of the silver plating had worn off from the wearing of time and exposed the dark, scratch-filled copper surface

Claude got to learn about the pan, slow match, serpentine, pan, pan cover, priming powder, and so on . He did recognize the trigger at least . However, after Welikro simulated firing a shot, Claude realized that something was off

"Why doesn"t the matchlock have an aiming sight?".

"What"s an aiming sight?" asked Welikro

"Uhh . " Claude didn"t know how to respond right away . He gestured as he explained for a good while to get Welikro to understand that it was something used to aim the gun with

"Oh, you were talking about that . Look, it"s there," Welikro said with a look of realization and took hold of the matchlock to point it to Claude . "We don"t call it an aiming sight . We call it a firing point . Do you see that mark on the barrel and one on the pan cover? Those are firing points . When preparing to fire, we use those two markings to take aim, stabilize, light the slow match and close our eyes, before pulling the trigger . Bam! The bullet will fly out just like that . ".

"Wait, what"s the point of closing the eyes before firing?" Claude didn"t get it at all

Welikro laughed . "That"s to protect your eyes from the stuff in the flash pan that blasts out because of a poorly replaced cover . Also, the shot will also produce a lot of smoke . You"ll definitely tear up if they get to your eyes . ".

"But can we still hit targets with our eyes closed?" How can there be any accuracy this way? You won"t even be able to get them even if they stand still in front of you!.

"That"s why you need training . The most important part is for your hand to be steady . You can"t shake the slightest . That way, you can lock on to your target and close your eyes as you shoot . Nine out of ten times you"ll be able to hit your target . ".

Though it sounded sensible, Claude couldn"t find any words to argue against it . However, his mind wandered back to the matter of the sight . "So, Wero, you said that the two firing points have to be lined up to the target in a straight line . So if the hand is stable while firing, will the shot hit for sure? As in, will the shot hit the point that lines up directly with the two firing points?".

"Of course not," Welikro said with a shake of his head, "You still have to estimate how high you want to level the gun . Normally, when the two firing points line up with the target, the vertical offset of the gun is more or less the length of a middle finger . So, if I want to hit the target"s head, I would have to make sure the gun is raised a finger higher than the head before firing . If I aim directly at the head, the bullet would hit the target"s neck instead . ".

"This cruddy gun really is troublesome to use, both in terms of shooting and aiming," Claude said with a sigh, "Oh, Eyke, show me that ship-use short-barreled matchlock of yours . ".

Eriksson"s short-barreled matchlock was something his father traded for . As a captain, he carried one such gun as a weapon of self defense . But the short-barreled one was bought by his father quite some time ago . During a captain"s gathering, his father won a gold-plated silver memorial edition short barrel from a card game and left the old short-barreled matchlock at home, which soon became Eriksson"s toy

"My short barrel can"t shoot nearly as far as Wero"s, only about 50 meters to the front . The effective killing range is only around 20 or 30 meters and it can only be used for self defense . " Eriksson handed his gun over

Welikro"s gally mark 3 matchlock"s firing range could reach as far as 280 meters with an effective killing range of 150 meters . Whether the shots. .h.i.t was a whole other question . However, within the range of 100 meters, the bullet could even pierce a wooden board five meters thick . No wonder it was used as standard military issue in the royal army back in the day

The short-barreled gun on the other hand looked slightly hooked and stretched around 60 meters in length . Apart from the shorter barrel and the smaller components relative to those of Welikro"s gun, it didn"t look all that different . Instead, its short length made one feel that it was a little bloated when held in the hand

"Oh, I want to see your gunpowder and bullets as well . I heard Wakri say something about using egg-white-based powder on ships for your shorter gun that"s twice the price of the one Wero got . How are they different?".

Claude didn"t think that the bullets and gunpowder would come in the form of paper cartridges with each bullet embedded on one end . The cartridge was made of some sort of oiled paper that was resistant to water . Between the bullet and gun was a small, soft wooden piece that had a diameter slightly larger than the cartridge itself

"What is this piece of wood for?" Claude wondered why a piece of wood was stuck between the gunpowder and the bullet

"It"s used to stabilize the cartridge in the barrel . As it"s a short-barreled gun, the bullet and gunpowder would spill out easily from the swaying of the hand," explained Welikro

Knowing better, Claude attempted to pry open the cartridge to look at the gunpowder inside

"Don"t," Eriksson said, "I"ll let you open it when we return with extras . Right now, each cartridge you open is one less shot we have . Each of these cost seven fennies, you know! I only got 15 and they cost us almost one riyas!".

Seven fennies was three short of one sunar, and ten sunars made a riyas . Morssen claimed that his daily wage was only one riyas, only enough to buy approximately 15 of those cartridges, which were sold at quite a high price

"Then, Wero, does your matchlock use the same type of bullets?" asked Claude as he stopped his hands

Welikro shook his head . "It doesn"t . The bullets I use are separate from the gunpowder . We store the powder in my powder horn here and they aren"t packaged in cartridges like his gun"s are . ".

"Packing them in cartridges must be much more convenient . Is the reason you don"t use it the high cost?".

"No . Those cartridges simply aren"t suited for use with my matchlock . " Seeing that Claude was shaping up to becoming quite the gun fanatic, Welikro explained to him patiently without feeling the slightest bit of annoyance . "Even though cartridges are more convenient, the paper residue left within the barrel will be a pain to clean . Eyke"s gun has a short barrel, so it"ll be easier to look inside while cleaning

"But the barrel of mine is much longer . It would be hard for us to clean it out after using a fixed paper cartridge . If too much paper gets stuck inside, the next shot"s accuracy and range will be affected . The barrel"s lifespan will also decrease as a result of piled up residue . ".

Claude scratched his head in a troubled manner . The way he remembered it, the time-traveling protagonists of the historical novels he read in the past life could create cannons and conquer the land . Those novels basically heralded gunpowder as the ultimate weapon to obtain victory and the rate of fire of those guns could always be increased . They were not nearly as troublesome as these matchlocks . But why didn"t it work out in Claude"s case?.

Welikro stood up and took out a few rectangular pieces of leather . "Alright, let"s prepare to leave . It"s around seven right now and we can lie in ambush near that small stream in waiting for any small animal that comes to get a drink . Each of you, take two of these leather pieces and wrap it around your calf before tying it up with a string . Don"t leave any open seams . ".

Borkal looked rather annoyed . "Wait, Wero, why do we need to wear these? Aren"t we already wearing long pants and leather mountaineering boots?".

"It"s to prevent snake bites," Welikro said, "Without those leather pieces, your long pants can easily be pierced by a biting snake . But with these above them, they won"t . The most crucial point to pay attention to when traveling in bushes and forests during the night is the presence of those poisonous critters . Also, b.u.t.ton your collars up tightly so that the crawlies don"t get inside . ".

"Can"t . can"t we just use a torch and poke it into the gra.s.s or something?".

"Hah . " Welikro was almost laughing with rage . "We are hiding for an ambush for a hunt, not a trip! If you bring a torch with you there, would the animals still approach the stream?".

Moments later, they finished tying up the leather pieces to their calfs . Welikro said, "If you"re ready, let"s depart . I"ll lead the way, Claude and Boa stay in the center and Eyke will walk at the rear . Oh, and since Boa already has his arbalest, use my hunting bow, Claude . I saw you shoot rather well during archery cla.s.s in school . My hunting bow is two times tighter than those soft, training bows we use in cla.s.s . You"ll need to use twice as much force to pull it, but you should be able to handle it

"And, make sure to keep quiet . If possible, don"t make any sound at all . I"ll pick a hiding spot when we reach the stream . Keep conversation to a minimum there so that the animals don"t discover us and escape . Are you ready now? Alright, let"s go . ".