"Guns are faster and stronger than any weapon you know. But the moment you let your guard down, the ones who get hurt or lose their lives will not be the enemy, but you."

The knights stood in four ranks of ten, listening intently to Kay's words with their nerves drawn tight. The Squirrels moved nimbly and handed out guns to the knights standing in the very front line. The knights who received the guns stared closely at Kay standing before them, listened to his orders, and copied the stance exactly, while the Squirrels walked up and down between them correcting any wrong posture.

Estella watched the Squirrels playing the part of seasoned assistants with satisfaction and nodded. Thanks to the Squirrels' help, the first line's shooting preparations were quickly finished.

Estella stood beside the long single file of knights and looked at them with a chilly gaze. Their faces were tense from holding a weapon in their hands for the first time. Before shooting, they had heard the explanations several times and learned how to use the firearms, but actually using them was a different matter entirely.

It would have been nice to go through a relaxed preparation period, but there was no time for that now. The expiration of the Centennial Oath was right around the corner, and Aslan was eyeing Wintfall like a starving beast.

"First rank, straighten the front line!"

Kay's voice rang out sharply across the training ground, and the knights took their stances like soldiers and aimed at their targets. Perhaps because they were skilled in swordsmanship and had excellent athletic ability, once you taught them one thing, they understood ten; their movements were quick and disciplined.

"Lock your fingertips, check your shoulder mount!"

At Kay's command, the knights' fingertips, lines of sight, and postures changed bit by bit. Estella slowly scanned the knights' stances. Holding even their breath, the knights glared fiercely at the targets standing proudly like enemies before them.

"Designated targets! Prepare for single shots……. Fire!"

Bang! Bang! Babang! Bangbangbangbang!

At the same time as the gunshots, some of the knights' bodies jerked backward as if pushed. The dirt mounds behind the targets burst up like fireworks under the bullets, and finger-width holes appeared in the wooden boards. Some lost their center of gravity and stepped back about half a step, and others let out a sharp cry as their shoulders suddenly jerked.

"Ugh!"

The power of the guns they had only watched with their eyes and now actually felt was completely different. The knights were struck dumb, mouths hanging open, at the thunder-like power of the bullets that had flown from their own hands.

Several bullets had flown toward the targets at once, but less than half of them had holes punched in them or were knocked over.

The knights who had successfully hit the target clenched their fists in joy, while the ones whose bullets had flown off to the wrong place, or who had failed to fire at all, wrapped one hand around their aching shoulders, hung their heads, and regretted it.

"Get your heads on straight and move quickly!"

Estella shouted harshly, but inside she thought it was a huge relief that there were no injured in the first round of shooting.

"First rank, fall back! Second rank, straighten the front line!"

At Estella's shout, the knights in the first rank quickly withdrew backward, and the knights in the second rank stepped forward and lined up. The way they moved like clockwork was no less than real soldiers. The Squirrels moved nimbly, like part-time workers at an amusement park, and pushed new guns into the knights' hands. Perhaps because they had watched the first rank's shooting, the faces of the knights in the second rank were even more tense. Their breathing trembled faintly as they held the guns and took their stances.

"Check your shoulder mount! Align your sight! Designated targets, prepare for single shots! Fire!"

Bababang! Bangbang! Bababang!

With the gunshots that followed again, it was as if thunder kept crashing down on the training ground. Watching the targets be knocked down in the blink of an eye by bullets so fast they could not even see them, the knights felt both nervous and an enormous exhilaration at the terrifying power of the gun. They had thought Nevrion steel swords and crossbows were already tremendous weapons, but this was on a different level. It felt as if a god had lent its power to humans.

"Ugh!"

This time, too, there were knights who grabbed their shoulders and grimaced, but the number was definitely smaller than in the first rank, and there were more targets knocked over. The knights were learning even from their comrades' mistakes.

Lucius had stepped back for the moment, but he could not hide his astonishment as he watched his subordinates doing live-fire training. When they wore armor made of Nevrion steel and held swords, they already looked invincible, but with guns in their hands now, they looked far more powerful than before. And the one who had created this was none other than Lady Estella.

Lucius's gaze naturally turned to Kay, who was leading the training.

He shouted unreservedly to the knights, hesitated not at all to demonstrate, and had absolutely no qualms about giving orders.

Why did he keep seeing Lady Estella's figure overlap with this man's?

Lucius could not tear his eyes away from Kay, seized by a déjà vu he could not explain even to himself.

The news from Wintfall reached Baramgol Training Ground just as the fourth rank's live-fire training ended. As Lucius listened to the news delivered by a knight who had ridden in urgently on horseback, his expression stiffened rapidly.

Seeing Lucius's grave expression, Estella realized that something had happened in Wintfall.

"What has happened?"

Estella, forgetting that she currently wore Kay's appearance, went up to Lucius and asked with a face full of worry. Lucius stared silently at Kay for a moment, then went straight to Ciel.

Even though Kay possessed tremendous skill and had been put in charge of the knights' shooting training on Lady Estella's orders, that did not mean he was someone to be trusted.

"It seems we have to return to the castle at once."

"What has happened?"

At Ciel's question, Lucius fell silent for a moment, then answered with a heavy expression.

"Barend has been invaded."

Upon hearing that a courier had arrived from Barend, Leonora rushed straight to the Marquis's office. Normally, if something happened, they would send someone to deliver the news or send a carrier pigeon, but a courier, all of a sudden?

Even as she walked, Leonora could not feel her legs from the anxiety that surged up to the tip of her chin. When Leonora arrived in front of the office, the knights standing guard at the door opened it at once.

The knights kept their mouths tightly shut, but the ominous feeling that could be sensed without a word made Leonora's heart drop. Even so, she steadied her breathing and calmly stepped into the office.

The atmosphere of the office was sunk in gloom, yet somehow unsettled. Leonora passed by the various retainers inside and walked straight up to the Marquis.

"I heard a courier has arrived from Barend. What has happened?"

As Leonora asked, she simultaneously found herself not wanting to hear the answer.

"Leonora. You must steel yourself."

She had not even heard anything yet, but it felt as if all the blood in her body were draining down into her toes. The Marquis looked at Leonora, who had gone pale, with pity, then came closer, wrapped both arms around her shoulders, and spoke slowly.

"Count Darca launched a surprise attack on the Barend territory. In the process……."

Count Darca was one of the Emperor's closest associates and among Wintfall's enemies. However, he had never once laid a hand on the Barend domain, which enjoyed Wintfall's powerful protection.

Leonora clenched her teeth and held her breath, trying to keep her wits about her. But she could not stop her whole body from shaking uncontrollably. The Marquis's hands tightened where they gripped her shoulders. It was because Leonora looked as if she might collapse at any moment.

"……Baron Martinus and his wife were killed."

"Ah……."

At the sudden news of her parents' deaths, Leonora's vision spun. The Marquis hurriedly caught her as she lost her center of gravity for a moment and staggered.

Although among the nobles her parents had been pointed at as vulgar people who cared only about money, to Leonora they were more precious than anyone else as her father and mother. They were also the ones who doted on frail Luka, anxious that there was nothing they could give him that was enough.

"I…… what about Irein."

Barely managing to stand straight, Leonora finally came to her senses enough to ask.

Irein was Leonora's younger brother, two years apart. Their parents had spoiled him, and he had grown up selfish and willful, but she had never once hated him.

"According to the report, he is imprisoned in the dungeon beneath Barend Castle. Seeing that they have left Irein, the heir, alive……."

"Darca must want something."

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"Fifty completed Ghosts and the blueprints."

Ghost was the automatic-retrieval crossbow Estella had developed using the Silverhunt's scales. It was puzzling how they even knew about a weapon that had never been revealed to the outside, but this was no time to fuss over that. Leonora squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them and looked straight at her husband as she asked.

"What will you do?"

Leonora's voice trembled as she asked. Knowing better than anyone the meaning and value held by the automatic-retrieval crossbows and blueprints, she could not lightly ask him to hand them over. Moreover, once they handed over the crossbows, there was no knowing when they might one day be aimed at Luka, so Leonora, trapped between what she could not do and what she could not ignore, could only stare at the Marquis with anguished eyes.

"I have no intention of handing over Ghost."

At the Marquis's answer, Leonora's head dropped forward. She struggled not to cry, but it was no use. Not wanting to show herself breaking down, Leonora held her breath and squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

"But I also will not leave Irein as he is."

At the Marquis's next words, Leonora snapped her head up. At the same time, tears streamed down her cheeks.

As soon as Estella, Ciel, and the Squirrels arrived from Baramgol Training Ground, the Marquis convened a meeting without delay. Lucius joined them immediately. However, among those gathered here, Lucius could not hide his discomfort at the fact that this person called Kay was present with them.

"He is someone we can trust. So don't worry."

Reading Lucius's concern, the Marquis spoke as if to reassure him, but his expression remained stiff, and the wariness in his eyes as he looked at Kay did not disappear. Regardless, Estella, maintaining Kay's appearance, could only worry about Leonora and Luka.

Barend was Luka's maternal family and Leonora's hometown. On top of that, her parents were now both dead, and even the younger brother who had barely survived was being held as a hostage; when she thought about how anxious Leonora's heart must be, there was not a moment to waste. If Luka were being held by someone the way Irein was, Estella felt as if her eyes would turn over.

"We must strike back immediately. Now is the time to show the power of Black Wintfall."

Looking down at the map of Barend spread out on the table, Lucius spoke with a grim face. Now that the Black Lily Knights were stronger than ever, he was confident they would win no matter what enemy they fought. On the other hand, he also wanted to test the new weapons, like the Nevrion steel swords and crossbows.

It would be perfect if they could use the guns they had trained with today, but it was still too early for the knights.

"If we strike back at once, Darca will kill Irein."

But Estella's objection immediately followed. In Lucius's eyes, it felt like some rootless fellow who did not know his place was butting in recklessly.

"Even so, we cannot meet their demands. How dare they demand that we hand over Lady Estella's weapon. It is absolutely impossible. Do you know what kind of weapon she created! We cannot give them so much as a single scrap of iron, much less the blueprints."

To Lucius, the weapons Estella had left behind were Estella herself, so he could not even imagine handing them over to the enemy. If the Marquis decided to do that in order to save Irein, he intended to stop it no matter what it took.

"My thoughts are the same. We will give those scoundrels nothing. But we also cannot leave Irein as he is. I intend to rescue Irein first, then take back Barend."

"I will go."

When Estella suddenly stepped forward and spoke, the Marquis's expression immediately turned harsh. Misunderstanding the reason for the Marquis's opposition, Lucius also flushed and scolded Kay.

"A gun is certainly a powerful weapon, but if you attack with such a noisy weapon, it is no ambush. On top of that, Darca has two outstanding mages."

"Wintfall has mages as well."

"There is no need for you to step forward."

When Estella was about to argue with Lucius, the Marquis stepped in at once to block her. But Estella had no intention of backing down easily. She could not let Luka, who had lost his maternal grandfather and grandmother, also lose his maternal uncle. She really did not want to see Luka cry.

"Irein is Luka's maternal uncle."

"Do you think I would drive you back into the jaws of death again to save Irein? You are not allowed to take a single step outside Wintfall Castle!"

"But!"

"Estella! Enough! I do not want to repeat the experience of losing you, even as a lie. So say no more. This is an order."

At the Marquis's angry words, Lucius's eyes widened. Kay's gaze toward the Marquis was also far too confident for a mere vagabond mercenary.

"Your Excellency, what are you saying? Why are you calling that person Lady Estella?"

For a brief moment, Lucius even wondered if the Marquis had finally lost his mind. He shot Prince Ciel a look, as if to ask him to do something, but Ciel showed the same reaction as the Marquis.

"This time I agree with the Marquis. You stay here. We'll be the ones to bring Irein back."

Ciel even put a hand on Kay's shoulder as he tried to persuade him.

"That's right. Don't worry. We'll go and snatch Young Master Irein away so quietly that not even a mouse or a bird will know."

Lily chimed in as if to show she agreed with Ciel.

Lucius began to think everyone had gone mad. Then suddenly, one scene flashed through his mind: Kay's familiar way of talking and acting while training the knights.

Lucius stared at Kay with eyes that could not believe it. Surely not; it could not be, and yet he had the strange conviction that it was.

"Are you perhaps Lady Estella?"

Estella looked at the Marquis with a resentful expression, let out a long sigh, and took off the necklace she had been wearing. Then the dark man vanished, and the Estella whom Lucius had so desperately wanted to see was standing there in his place.

"I am sorry, Commander. To deceive Aslan, I had no choice……."

But Estella could not finish her sentence. It was because Lucius burst into tears like a child and suddenly pulled Estella into a tight embrace.

"It's a relief, it really is a relief. Oh, God. Thank you so much. Now I can die without any regrets. Thank you so much."

After sobbing for quite some time with Estella held tightly in his arms, Lucius looked at her with a face smeared with tears and asked with an expression half laughter, half tears.

"This isn't a dream, is it? This old man isn't seeing things, is he?"

Held in Lucius's arms like a child, Estella shook her head, her face full of guilt. She had said there had been no choice, but she had felt sorry all along that she had not told Lucius the truth.

"No. I am alive."

"That's enough. Then it's enough. You can deceive me ten times, a hundred times, and I won't mind at all."

Lucius hastily wiped away his tears with the palm of his hand, then looked at the Marquis and spoke in a voice full of confidence.

"All of you remain here. We of the Black Lily Knights will bring back Sir Irein."

Lucius's expression after he finished speaking was brighter than ever.

Chapter 254

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