Chapter 96
“Reaally? You’re seriously not going to go? Why not? This is such an amazing opportunity!”
“An amazing opportunity?”
“Yes! It’s a chance to show everyone just how incredible Instructor Rita is and what real marksmanship looks like!”
Lavinia’s eyes sparkled as she chattered excitedly.
“No one has ever won the shooting competition with a gun before! If you win the shooting competition and earn the Black Dragon’s Eye, then… you can completely shut the mouths of those people who have been underestimating guns!”
“Hmm… people like the old you, Rabi?”
“…Ugh.”
At Rita’s teasing remark, Lavinia instantly pouted, wriggling her hands and muttering.
“I-I said I was wrong… I apologized, and even accepted your apology gift… I’m reflecting, but… if you scold me again…”
“I’m not scolding you.”
Rita chuckled lightly and added,
“Rabi, you do it.”
“Huh?”
“Make the people who used to underestimate guns eat their words. You’ll do it yourself.”
“R-Really? Me? How could I? That’s impossible!”
Her green eyes widened. Rita propped her chin on her hand and continued leisurely.
“You want to do it, right?”
“W-What?”
“Win the shooting competition.”
“…Of course I want to. If only I could… but it’s impossible for me. I’ve practiced every day exactly as you taught me, but my best is only five hits out of six, not six in a row.”
Lavinia avoided Rita’s gaze as she muttered. Rita responded, surprised.
“You’ve already hit five in a row? That’s amazing, Rabi!”
“No, it’s not in a row… it’s just… in total, five out of six shots.”
“Even that is incredible. You haven’t been practicing shooting for very long, right? You’ve worked hard, haven’t you? Excellent.”
“Ah… ugh…”
When Rita praised her sincerely, Lavinia’s face turned bright red, and she grabbed her hair, twisted it, and buried her head in shame.
It was an utterly adorable sight.
Suddenly, Lilieta wondered if Gide also found this side of Lavinia endearing. In Pascal’s historical account of heroes, Emperor Gideon was said to have a good relationship with his empress.
“Maybe someone as innocent and transparent as her suits Gide. She can be herself without worrying about appearances, even in front of her husband…”
A small weight pressed on her heart. The good mood from moments ago sank slightly.
“Maybe it’s because Gide didn’t tell me this.”
The friend she thought was closest didn’t share the hardships he faced, nor did he introduce the person he would eventually marry. That felt a bit disappointing.
“Why would he hide this from me? Back then, he told me everything.”
Feeling a surge of frustration, she reminded herself of how great Emperor Gideon had been in history to calm down.
“…It’s fine. I’ll hear it eventually.”
Rita decided to focus on her cute student’s diligence and talent.
“With talent like hers, she might not be ready for the combat division where knights and mages compete, but in the general division for ordinary nobles, she has a real shot.”
She recalled what she had learned about the three main festival competitions while studying with Linzy. Unlike the combat division, which required overcoming numerous obstacles with advanced techniques, the general division simply involved shooting ten targets for score.
“Since it’s a cultural event for nobles… hitting all ten shots in the center should guarantee a win. Distance might be an issue, though.”
Revolvers have a shorter range than bows, and accuracy decreases over longer distances. Considering the revolvers of this time were more primitive than those in the ashes-era 200 years later, it could be a problem.
“But I can fix that.”
For a marksman, gun maintenance and adjustment are basic skills. Just as Rita had customized Silvergrace, she could adjust Lavinia’s revolver to fit her perfectly.
After asking Lavinia a few questions about the competition format and target distances, Rita observed her basic shooting stance.
They were at the garden house where they had met previously. Lavinia’s shots quickly marked the target set up in the nearby clearing.
It was impressive how serious the otherwise clumsy girl looked when holding a gun.
“She really has practiced hard… feels like she’s done nothing else all day…”
Maybe she had practiced all day. Linzy’s social reports mentioned that Princess Dewirebourg had not been attending parties or balls recently.
Confidently, Rita said,
“If you’re serious about aiming to win, I’ll help. You have potential.”
“R-Really? I… have potential to win?”
Lavinia asked in disbelief. Rita smiled and nodded.
“Of course. You have talent and diligence.”
“D-Diligence? Me? I’ve never heard anyone say that…”
“Even your shooting stance shows how hard you’ve worked.”
“I only did it because it’s fun… shooting is so much fun…”
“If practice is fun for you too, even better. You have what it takes to be an excellent marksman.”
“Ah… ugh…”
Lavinia’s eyes welled with tears. She muttered shakily, her face bright red.
“Teacher… is that really true? Can I believe you? I’ve never been told I’m good at something… never been told I have talent… never… even being praised for working hard… it’s… all my first time…”
Tears fell freely, and she finally burst into loud sobs.
Rita, a little flustered, clicked her tongue and embraced the young princess. Lavinia flinched at first, then clung tightly to Lilieta’s arms, crying loudly.
Rita patted her and thought,
“How on earth did the Dewirebourg Duke raise a child who’s so easily moved by praise? Never been praised for working hard before?”
Her prejudice against the Duke she had never met solidified. No wonder Annemarie followed the prickly princess around so attentively.
“I wanted to ask Rabi about Sister Anne today…”
That would have to wait.
After calming down, Lavinia clasped her hands and said with passion,
“Rita, I’ll do anything you tell me to! Even if you say don’t rest and practice all night, I’ll do it! Even if you say to practice until my hands bleed, I’ll do it!”
“…You still need enough sleep, and you can’t hurt your hands. I’m not going to make you overdo it.”
Rita sighed and began teaching Lavinia the training method.
“Keep your usual practice, but gradually increase the distance, and add this new exercise.”
The training: keeping the unloaded gun’s barrel pressed against an empty wall and pulling the trigger while keeping the barrel steady. Once accustomed, progress to placing a coin behind the sight and pulling the trigger.
“If the coin doesn’t fall, you succeed. This greatly improves shooting accuracy.”
“Yes! I’ll practice every day starting today!”
“Good. Now, give me your revolver. I’ll tame it.”
“Tame it? The gun?”
“Think of it as adjusting it to fit your hands perfectly. A tamed gun is much easier and more precise to handle.”
“Wow… that sounds so cool! A tamed gun…”
Lavinia eagerly handed over her revolver. Rita took it and began to adjust it, just like the revolver she had once received as a gift.
“While I adjust it, practice against that empty wall. I’ll check on you soon.”
“Yes, Instructor Rita!”
Excited, Lavinia went to the low garden wall, aiming her revolver at the empty wall.
Lilieta watched her, then examined Lavinia’s revolver, recalling her earlier shooting and estimating adjustments.
“Hmm… the barrel’s rough inside. Probably the technological limit of this era. I’ll smooth it, tweak the hammer spring… her trigger pull looked heavy. I’ll reduce the pressure and adjust the grip to balance it.”
Fortunately, all adjustments were feasible. Rita quickly disassembled the revolver and began refinements using oil.
Suddenly, she sensed movement and looked up to see Hannah entering the garden.
