Release that Witch

”This is a heavy machine gun. It uses the same bullets as a bolt rifle. You can pull a bullet out of this pouch and shoot it from the new rifle,” the prince said and patted the big machine gun. ”Its mechanism is far more complicated than a rifle, so I won’t bother giving you all the unnecessary details. I named it Mark I type HMG. I’ll show you how to use it.”

He sat behind the firearm and pulled the trigger. What happened next was hard for Iron Axe to comprehend.

All of a sudden, flames shot out of the muzzle, and the strong airflow caused by the gunfire shot the fluffy snow into the air. The strip of bullets seemed to be constantly pulled into the gun. Simultaneously, hot, empty bullet shells were rapidly ejected from the other side one by one. Several dozen shells fell to the ground in just a second.

This machine gun sounded fiercer than a whole team of riflemen in the Flintlock Squad. No pause could be heard between the gunshots. The prince aimed at the ground in front of him instead of the distant targets and shot continuously into the snow. Before the snow in one place could fall back to the ground, the snow in another place was propelled upward, making the snowy ground look like the surface of boiling water. The hail of bullets formed a web of death and anyone attempting to break through it would be riddled with bullets.

”It’s, it’s amazing,” Chief Knight murmured.

Carter was not the only one who was astonished. Iron Axe glanced around and saw that all the witches were dumbfounded, and only Lady Nightingale, who always stayed beside Roland, seemed quite calm. Ashes, the black-haired witch carrying a giant sword, showed a mixture of shock, confusion, and frustration.

Iron Axe could not help but feel the same way. He had become Chief Bodyguard of the Osha Clan because of his proficiency in knife work and archery, skills he had honed with regular practices since childhood. Like him, the most powerful warriors with outstanding talent were popular among clan leaders in the Southernmost Region. However, even the quickest and strongest fighter in the world could never escape these bullets that moved faster than sight. Astoundingly, the Mark I didn’t even have the flaw of requiring a pause to reload bullets. If the First Army was equipped with 20 heavy machine guns, the enemy’s fighting skills acquired from more than ten years of hard work would become a joke.

A fighter would naturally find it hard to accept the fact.

Fortunately, he found a new path.

*******************

Leaf moved rapidly through the heavy undergrowth of plants to drive the demonic beasts that had intruded into the Misty Forest towards the city wall.

Now, she could control an area almost as large as the town. The trees and foliage in the area were like her eyes and limbs. They could grow according to her will and form a defense line against enemies, but His Highness kept telling her to inform the army whenever she found any demonic beasts or demons instead of directly fighting against them, especially demons. If demons sensed her existence and destroyed the whole forest, it would be a significant loss, as the town now counted on her to provide early warnings, and a forest that could be adjusted on demand was a great asset.

Leaf reclaimed an empty lot near the town and planned to grow ”Golden Ones” wheat on it as soon as the Months of Demons ended. This time, with the Heart of Forest to provide her with magic power, the seeds of the wheat would grow continuously and produce enough seeds for all the farmers in the Western Region.

Suddenly, she sensed a group of demonic wolf hybrids approaching from the edge of the forest.

Leaf immediately turned to look at these invaders and saw eight strong demonic beasts fleeing into the deep forest. As she was about to send out a carrier pigeon to inform the First Army and meanwhile drive them to the city wall, she felt something strange.

They did not look as ferocious as usual. Instead, they seemed to be driven by something. Even her branches and vines could not stop them now.

Could it be demons returning?

Leaf frowned, and as she was about to widen her range of sight, she felt a hint of warmth on her head.

She promptly looked up and saw golden rays of light peep out from several cracks in the cloudy sky, shining down on the snowy white land of the Western Region.

*******************

”How do I deal with this one here?” Tilly pointed at an equation in a book.

”Well... you put in equation four to create a new equation, and then you’ll derive it to get the one in the book.” Anna quickly wrote down the derivation process on a piece of scrap paper. ”That’s it.”

”I see.” Tilly clapped her hands and said, ”If you put this variable in, the result should be close to 1.”

”Impressive! You can calculate the result in your mind,” Anna gasped with admiration.

”That’s just because of my ability. You’re the amazing one. You can learn everything in the prince’s new books so quickly,” said Princess Tilly with a smile.

Anna gave her a soft smile. Only the mention of Roland Wimbledon could bring a smile like that to her face.

Every time Tilly saw that smile, she could not help but think that it was impossible for a simple, honest girl like Anna to like a wicked man. ”Roland must be different now,” she presumed, regardless of whether he was the real Prince Roland or not. Actually, Tilly herself felt that the new Roland was totally different from all the nobles in this world as if he were from another world. However, at the same time, she felt comfortable around him and liked his unique charm more and more as time went by. Looking up at the cloudy sky, Tilly even hoped for the Months of Demons to continue like this so she could learn all his knowledge. That way, she might be able to truly understand the new Roland, even if he never wanted to talk about himself.

She shook her head to dismiss these thoughts. Tilly pointed to the next question. To her astonishment, the book was suddenly lit up.

The two witches looked out the window simultaneously. Traces of light had mysteriously appeared in the snowy sky, and the long lost sunshine now rimmed the clouds with golden light. The locals bustling about in the town sensed the change, too. Soon, a growing number of people poured into streets, cheering.

Tilly looked at the sky in a daze, all sorts of emotions welling up inside her.

*******************

When the gunfire stopped, empty bullet shells were piled up beside the prince’s feet. A dull, light tint of red could be seen on the muzzle of the gun, and white smoke was coming out of the barrel.

Even the drop of a pin could be heard now as nobody aired their opinions. Words were unnecessary since the fixed look on their faces told the shock brought by this new weapon.

Iron Axe could not control his excitement any longer and knelt down in the manner of the Sand Nation.

”The world is yours, Your Highness.”

He firmly believed that his new path was to lead the First Army which was equipped with brand new firearms to expand the territory for His Highness Roland.

A hand reached in front of Iron Axe.

The prince pulled him up and did not look as content as Iron Axe had expected. Instead, he looked at the Impassable Mountain Range and said in a deep voice, ”Our real enemy is demons.”

”Even so, I’ll still fight for you until I die.” Before Iron Axe could speak his thoughts, a dazzling ray of light pierced the cloudy sky, illuminating the world below. The witches behind exclaimed in amazement, and Roland looked up and smiled. More and more rays of light came down from above and became brighter and brighter. Soon, it was hard for them to stare at the light. Meanwhile, dark clouds silently melted away as the ice did with fire. The sun appeared again in the sky.

The Months of Demons ended.