Today, I was testing out the oddest gift I have received from my Uncle.
It was a .38 caliber revolver, an unorthodox choice for a child’s 10 year birthday gift. Inside the box that it came in, a letter was tucked inside.
This is the latest product of Scott & Wedgers. They called it the “Safety Hammerless”. To be honest, I picked this gift because I wanted to give you something unique. I have never heard anyone in Englaterra giving a ten year old a revolver. So I supposed it was the right choice for me to be remembered as the cool uncle.
Stay safe, your favorite Uncle Arthur.
It was quite an unique sentiment. But it worked, this was easily the most memorable gift I received when compared to the other gifts I received, a pocket watch, a child sized unsharpened saber and a makeup set from Lancelot…
The revolver was a miniature version of the Schofield from my old world. It fits inside the palm of an adult, but for me it’s like a child-sized hand cannon.
It held 5 rounds, more than enough to kill, and it’s also a double action. There was a grip safety so the gunner wouldn’t accidentally shoot himself while carrying it in pockets.
For today, I was considering buying a new grimoire. And perhaps I could pay a visit to the orphanage that Mr. Mann used to run.
Inside the carriage, I sipped my tea as we rode along the unpaved road. It was a smooth ride, thanks to the suspension.
“You two seem to be in a good mood.”
I said, the reason was more to pass time than genuine curiosity.
“Well, the weather’s been rather lovely today.”
Sola smiled softly, her gaze was fixated outside the windows.
“Finally, we have some time to spend together outside the manor, just the three of us.”
Luna added, her voice was delight. She had begun speaking more, expressing her own opinions instead of letting her sister do it for her.
Their attachment had grown even stronger.
[Affection : 100]
Their affection had reached 100, though nothing really popped up afterward.
But I supposed that it doesn’t matter, it was something I could utilize to sculpt obsession and bent loyalty out of people. Controlling them like a pawn in my hand.
A useful tool, albeit it was a specialized one.
I needed more cards to play this game.
I have already milked all the empathy points from my family from my Brother’s outburst. But those things tend to die down after some time. True power came from unwavering loyalty. The victim card was only a limited time tool to emotionally blackmail someone after all.
The children of the orphanage could offer some potential, though I couldn’t put them to use if I didn’t understand them first.
I snapped out from my thinking zone to continue this unimportant small talk.
Then, there was the sound of crackling wood and something falling to the ground.
The carriage abruptly came to a halt.
I opened the small sliding window connected to the coachman seat and asked.
“What’s the matter, Mr. Morris?”
The coachman bent down to meet my eyes.
“A tree had fallen, blocking the road.”
He paused, looking ahead at our escort dragoons.
“The riders are already trying to figure a way to clear the road, just wait a few minutes and we will be moving soon.”
Before he could finish, the loud sound of a bullet being fired echoed from the woods.
“Master!”
Sola, who was looking outside, called out urgently.
I followed her gaze toward the forest.
There were fifty or so masked individuals all pointing their rifles toward us.
I moved toward the small front window to try and get a glimpse on the front.
Our four escorting dragoons had already raised their arms in surrender.
“Never thought I would see highwaymen traveling in such numbers robbing a nobleman in broad daylight.”
Though, it’s most likely they were not highwaymen. Roadside bandits usually travel in groups of five, fifty was too much. Whatever they were, it seemed like they had the confidence to get away from the authorities.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
I fell back into my seat, a long forgotten yet familiar tingle rose in my chest. This was the first time in many years I had felt threatened. The surge of adrenaline sent shivers down my spine, it was euphoric. Though I managed to control the sensation. No time to let loose of myself now.
There was no point in fighting back. Even if a mage can cast mana shield to block bullets, it wouldn’t last long until the shield shatters. There’s a reason that bullets replaced swords and wands, despite the nobility’s best effort to preserve it as tradition.
The best course of action would be to hear their demand. I gestured for Sola and Luna to stay put and awaited inside.
They were tense, but they obeyed my command.
“Coachman. Down. Slow. No sudden movement.”
The voice of the gunner outside commanded, Mr. Morris complied without a word.
I reached into the pocket of my vest, taking out the pocket watch my Father gave me, the time was 9:15. We were about ten minutes away from the nearest town if a rider galloped full speed.
Putting it back into my pocket, I leaned back and crossed my arms.
Then, two cloaked individuals stepped out of the forests.
They were short, too short for adults, must’ve been children.
They approached our carriage. And without hesitation, they opened the door and stepped inside.
“Mind switching seat so we can sit across from him?”
One of them asked politely, judging by his voice, he was a boy.
The twins turned toward me, and I gave them a nod. They moved beside me, flanking me from both sides.
The newcomers took off the hood of their cloak.
A boy and a girl, somewhere around my age. The boy had brown hair and a pair of hazel eyes. The girl had cinnamon hair and her eyes shone emerald green, slightly freckled face. Ginger.
The boy was amused to watch me being sandwiched by two little girls.
“Ah! You must be the type that goes around breaking the story just to build a harem. I have met a lot of people like you.”
My head tilted, and my eyebrows frowned. I was genuinely confused about his question.
What did the word ‘harem’ mean? I had never heard that word before.
And what did he mean by ‘breaking the story’?”
Looking at my confusion, the boy’s smile widened.
“I am sure you are confused, many people do.”
From their demeanors and their attitude, I deducted. These people are either reincarnators just like me or vessels possessed by high intelligent demons.
Since they brought an entire platoon here, the former was the most likely candidate.
“Let’s try a language you are more familiar with.”
「あなたは転生者ですか？」He spoke slowly, making sure each word reached my ears.
I stared blankly, and answered.
“I don’t speak your language.”
The girl was stunned, the boy, with an expression of doubt, turned his head toward the girl, she nodded her head.
“I see… I thought being reborn was a Japanese only thing.”
He muttered and leaned back.
“Which country were you from before you came to this world?”
Judging by the girl’s reaction, she could tell lies apart from the truth. However, I remained calm.
“Before I came here? Like, before I was born?” I acted confusedly.
The boy nodded.
“Well, I suppose if there was an afterlife like the gods claimed” I closed my eyes, acting as if I were imagining. “I was from a nation of freedom, where souls can dream, where souls continuously move in and out.”
The boy again turned toward his human lie detector, she nodded her head.
He turned back to me.
“I don’t know how you managed to dodge that question, but you will slip up, eventually, they always do.”
Then, a follow-up question.
“So, you are not the real Percival, are you?”
“I am Percival.”
I replied firmly.
“No, you’re not.”, He said without a doubt “You see, we have done our own research. Your behavior doesn’t match how Percival was supposed to act?”
I furrowed my brows in confusion.
“Then how was I supposed to act?”
Then the girl next to him shot up in excitement.
“Oh! Percival was a meek little boy who was always ashamed of his own blood, until he met Lancelot.”
The girl was getting more excited.
“Unlike the other noble children who pushed him away, Lancelot treated him like a true friend.”
She then put both her hands onto her cheek, passionately continuing to describe.
“So, he developed a crush on Lancelot.”
Her expression was dreamy.
“It was the most romantic boys’ love ship among the female players.”
And the four of us were speechless, a bit stunned by her enthusiasm.
“I thought I already told you to leave the talking part to me.”
The boy massaged his temple in frustration.
“Me? And that guy? That playboy?”
I said, my voice sounded like I was offended.
He ignored my complaint and said, “Yeah that was how the story was su-”
“Hold on, you keep repeating the word ‘story’, what story do you mean?”
The confusion wasn’t just an act, it was genuine, what did he mean by story?
“You… don’t know?”
His expression turned to a look of surprise.
“No, I don’t.”
The boy turned toward the girl, she had cooled down from her little outburst. She shaked her head, looking surprised just like the boy.
“You know, the famous gacha game ‘Magic & Gunpowder’, it was a mobile game that was really popular in Japan?”
“What’s a mobile game, I’ve never heard of it?”
It was the truth. The smile on his face faltered as he realized something was wrong.
“A mobile game is a game that’s installed onto a smartphone.”
“I’ve never heard of a smartphone.”
His mouth gapped, and he froze.
The world I used to live in didn’t have anything called a smartphone. We only had flip phones and public payphones.
And mobile games? Digital games were runned by computers and consoles, how was it possible to put a game inside a phone?
Were they really from the same world as me?
The girl nudged him, he snapped out of his daze.
“No, doesn’t matter, you’re coming with us.”
Diplomacy had failed, there was no way to stall them through peaceful means anymore.
So, I reached into my coat, and pulled out my revolver, pointing it at the boy.
Seeing this, Sola and Luna lashed forward to restrain the girl.
“You didn’t think I would pack an iron, huh?”
The boy raised his hands up.
Though my revolver was only an act of bluff, the bullets chambered inside were all sealed with explosive spells, making me unable to pull the trigger in this enclosed space.
“Woah, easy there…”
“Oh, don’t worry about getting shot, you two will be interrogated, and our family would sure love to squeeze every bit of information out of that cheeky mouth of yours.”
“Well, Mr. Camelot, you seem to have forgotten that I still have fifty gunmen right outside this carriage.”
That statement was true, and normally there wouldn’t be a lot of people passing by this road. And even if they saw what was happening here, the nearest town was 10 minutes away.
But I wouldn’t be pulling a gun on him if I wasn’t a card shark hiding a fifth Ace up my sleeve.
“HEY! STOP RIGHT THERE! YOU ARE ALL ARRESTED!”
The loud shouting from the constables, along with gunfire exchanged by both sides made the boy tensed up. The girl was trying to move, but she was pressed down by the weight of both the twins.
The pocket watch that my Father gave me had two spells sealed inside, tracking and the ability to send distress signals to the nearest law enforcer office. A gift of perfect timing for me to use it against the reincarnator duet.
Then, the boy’s tension disappeared, now with only a smug smile left.
“You think we didn’t come in prepared?”
Suddenly, the body of both the boy and the girl began to glow, and eventually, they vanished into light.
Sola and Luna stumbled forward, falling into the seats where the girl had just been.
I sighed yet again. Of course they wouldn’t be easy to catch.
But I felt as if I allowed them to slip away from my fingers, it was an itchy feeling. Like a predator watching its prey leaping into a tunnel too narrow for it to fit in.
I tucked 38 hammerless back into my coat.
I then pulled out my pocket watch.
The time was 9:28, three minutes off from my estimate.