Gun Girl from Another World

Chapter 12

Success

*Xuhitana*

The last rumblings die down and I'm grateful for the forethought to have Master Yorin put up a sound barrier around the courtyard. That display would have thrown the whole capitol into a frenzy, thinking we were under attack.

The artificers had said that the artifact was loud, to the point several had to see healers for tinnitus. Their words did not adequately prepare me, though I can't think what they could have said that would. I can only imagine how much worse it must have been in the enclosed laboratories.

Feng, Heavens bless him, had watched the entire thing as enraptured as he had been at his first fireworks display.

The regular shots had been loud enough, and each shot shattered rune-reinforced wood into splinters. The fire bolts were even worse, each one exploding into a sphere of flame with a lifespan of only half an instant, yet the heat set everything on fire that the blast hadn't knocked clear.

The girl didn't move like she had earlier in the day, either. She didn't just dodge the attacks that managed to reach her. She danced around them, spinning and jumping and prancing as if she were a gymnast in a parade instead of a warrior on the battlefield.

I am familiar with the Battle Rhythm art and have even heard its drums in my own ears, but for most, it is only a temporary event. Bards describe it as the Heavens descending to fight alongside you. To the best of my knowledge, only select sects of Martial Artists can learn it as an actual skill.

Obviously, I can't know for certain if she has done so, but either way, she is certainly the youngest and lowest level I've ever seen attune themselves to it, and so easily. Her Agility, though monstrous for her level, isn't as high as the other Heroes, but you couldn't have told it from the way she moved. She never needed to dodge the attacks, because she simply wasn't there in the first place.

Having seen her fight before and now, I can see where there were times she almost did this during the Reviews, and I remember thinking then that she had good instincts. Now, I know that she was incomplete with that crossbow. I was watching a warrior fight with only one arm.

But tonight, this wasn't a life or death struggle at all. It had been a slaughter, and the butcher is still dancing amid the charred and smoldering remains.

I look behind me and up to a dark window. I know Kouga is watching from there, too, but I don't need to get his opinion. It's as irrelevant as my own. I smile as I realize there's only one thing I can do.

And I raise a hand to get the butcher's attention as I call out her name.

*Remmi*

You have found victory where once you failed

and proven you are a true Hero.

+1,000 Points

Well, that's worth celebrating enough all on its own! That's like 3,200 bullets! And speaking of bullets, those fire spell bullets went above and beyond, wow! Every shot was like one of Benarou's fireballs going off!

And finally showing those stupid scarecrows what for after they nearly killed me earlier is so deeply satisfying that I don't have words for it. Heck, I'm not afraid to admit it now, but seeing that unstoppable, red-eyed bastard leaning over me, I think the only reason I wasn't terrified was because my brain didn't have the blood to spare.

But this? This had been fun.

"Hero Remmi Lee!"

I turn at the sound of my name, halfway feeling like I'd forgotten the others were even there. I give an apologetic grin and holster my pistol - my pistol, that feels so good - before jogging over.

"I'd say that went a lot better," I chime by way of greeting. I might be disgusted by myself with how childishly chipper I sound, but those endorphins have me far too high to care. "What do you think, Judge?"

Yorin is beaming like she's been vindicated, but Xuhitana's expression is much more subdued.

The Empress makes a show of looking me over. "You are not covered in your own blood, so yes, I would say it is an improvement. Given that the only change is the presence of the artifact, I must wonder how much of your success is due to it."

"Oh, almost all of it, definitely."

She blinks, surprised by my words. "That is ... very candid of you, Hero. You do realize that you are claiming that you contributed almost nothing to the battle?"

"You said it, yourself, Your Highness," I point out. "The only change is that I have a gun. Without it, it would've just been a repeat of earlier."

I pat the sidearm for emphasis. "Where I come from, guns revolutionized warfare because they negated skill through sheer power and ease of use. One man, one girl, one child could kill a dozen veteran soldiers with just a gun and a little instruction. In fact, I'm certain that's why I'm Level 1."

Yorin finds her words first. "Setting aside for a moment how terrifying the military you just described must be, what do you mean, that's why you're Level 1?"

I open my mouth to answer, but then reconsider. I tap my chin as I think of the right way to explain it.

"Well, I don't know what the other Heroes experienced when summoned, and maybe it's just because I'm from outside the Essence System, so it didn't have anything to go off of, but before I awoke in the temple, I was in the sky."

"The sky?" the Empress asks.

"Far, far up," I confirm. "Further than should be possible. I couldn't even see the planet beneath me, which should have put me deep into space, but somehow, I was still in the atmosphere, surrounded by sky and clouds."

Yorin stops me this time. "I'm sorry, Remmi, but you are saying strange things again. Planet? Space? Please remember that the Essence is translating for you, so even if these are common words to both of us, as I feel they might be, however you are using them is describing concepts we don't possess."

I close my eyes and scold myself for getting carried away like that. "I'm sorry. It doesn't matter. I'm just saying that I was in an impossible place. When I was there, I was asked questions by a dialogue box resembling the status screens. One of the things that it asked me was to define what power meant to me. I believe this was meant to determine my class."

"I see," the empress replied thoughtfully. "And because your people define power relative to your guns, it tied the majority of your heroic power to your artifact instead of increasing your stats?"

"Exactly," I nod. "In fact, in the description of my Hero trait, the stat increase is crossed out and instead, the listed benefit is a unique class and my gun as a boon."

She rubs her chin as she considers that for a moment, but then sighs. "I understand why it happened, but I fear you may have simply made things more difficult on yourself. Growing within the System is a pursuit of personal growth through exertion. Relying on tools can only stunt that growth. As a Hero, your innate ability to spend points directly can mitigate a great deal of that, but at the very least, you are on a path contrary to everyone around you."

I'm silent for a moment as I take her words in, but ultimately shake my head. "It doesn't really matter. I couldn't change it now if I wanted to, and I don't think I'd want to if I could. It's the way of my people, and the only one I know."

Xuhitana nods in understanding and gives a small smile. "Then a word of advice on how to proceed. A lot of people assume that the way to increase your martial power is through raising raw strength, and it's not without good cause. Higher strength lets you swing a sword harder or draw a heavier bow. But that's not always the only way. Many classes, usually Martial Artists, can increase their power by raising their Agility because of how they fight."

She reaches down and puts her hand over where I now know there to be a concealed sword. "If your arts are truly related to my own, then you should also follow that path. As a class with a focus on Quick Draw arts, I see more gains from increasing my speed than through raw power."

I get a hopeful gleam in my eye. "Does that mean you're recognizing me as a Hero?"

She smiles, but instead of answering, she pulls a gold coin from within her robes and hands it to me. I turn it over in my hand as I realize it's one of the coins just like the other Heroes got. On one side is a crest I assume is for the empire.

... And on the other is a gun?!

Xuhitana chuckles at my face. "Coins are crafted uniquely for each Hero, with the back side pressed with an emblem to represent their distinct abilities. I had the forger use a silhouette of the heavenly artifact."

I'm still marveling at the coin when another thought strikes me. "Wait, do I still get the land? I don't mean to sound greedy; I still don't have anywhere else to go."

"I was hoping you would ask," the empress replies, one arm crossed over her abdomen and the other hand raised up beside her face. "I chose that land deliberately. Even if you couldn't keep up with the other Heroes yet, I saw your growth as pre-ordained.

"The region is considered an area of relatively low risk, and offers mostly redundant resources. That is to say, it is not of strategic importance, so our generals would not direct the Heroes toward it over other, more critical regions. It is, however, of great personal importance to me."

I stare at her flatly, dumbfounded a bit at the intended manipulation. "So a Not-Hero was actually a pretty great boon for you, then. Rather than a disappointment, you had a Hero you could deploy off the books."

She's not bothered in the least. "Miss Lee, the future of humanity, and perhaps all civilization, rests on the shoulders of the Heroes. Even those that may require more investment than the others. I will not deny nor apologize for the fact that a rejected Hero can be moved more freely than one embraced by the imperial nobles, and I have been open about my self-interest in the matter."

The raised hand comes down to point at me. "Even if I had no interest in the region at all, such a place remains ideal for forming the foundation of your growth, which you still require even now. Your power may not be lacking, but in terms of development, you still lag leagues behind the other Heroes. A plot of land is a small price to see that gap closed, if you'll go along with it. I will send Master Yorin with you to act as your advisor and my intermediary."

The priestess smiles knowingly. If they planned this ahead of time, then it's no wonder she was planning tomorrow's schedule like I'd already been assigned to her. That was exactly what had happened.

I furrow my brow, though. "Why tell me your intent at all, then? Why not just say yes and send me on my way like you intended in the first place?"

"Because before tonight, you were just a promising adventurer that might one day stand alongside the other Heroes. Now, you are one, and deserve to know the sort of mission you are being sent on."

"Which is?"

"Go there, make a home for yourself, get to know the locals. Help them with their problems and grow stronger." Her gaze turns deathly serious. "And if the darkness finds that dear, precious land, I want you to put a bullet in its head."