Weapon Enhancement

There was no way a water gun could count as a weapon. Nothing that just squirted water with a "psh psh" sound was going to be useful in a fight.

...What I actually needed was something that could protect me!

"Lady Rozemyne, what is that you're holding? Is it a weapon?"

The first person to react to Hannalore's question about the water gun in my hand was Ruffen. He came over with reaction speed that made me wonder if he'd been eavesdropping the whole time, and fixed his gaze on the water gun.

"It's Lady Rozemyne's new weapon!?"

"No, it isn't! It's nothing so impressive. It's a child's toy."

"Oh, come now—people always say it's just a child's toy when it's actually an incredible weapon... I'd really love to test its power."

Ruffen's loud exclamation drew attention from everyone around us. I wished he'd stop. The looks from onlookers, each practically asking "What are you going to do this time?", stung.

...So many people are looking at me like I'm carrying something dangerous on top of the charm! It's not dangerous at all! It's just a toy!

The whispers being exchanged in hushed tones certainly weren't complimentary. I'd already passed the stave transformation test, so I wanted to flee to the library and hide myself away.

"Come now, Lady Rozemyne! Aim at that target!"

When had they set this up? Ruffen pointed at several cloth-wrapped objects standing in a row. These were the actual test targets for evaluating the transformed weapon's performance. I could see a boy who looked like a knight apprentice slashing at one with a sword.

...And they wanted me to stand next to that cool, handsome, tough-looking boy and go "pew pew" with a water gun? I'd look so uncool!

The image of myself in that ridiculous pose flashed through my mind, and I couldn't help shaking my head vigorously.

"I told you, it's just a toy. It can't be used as a weapon."

"And yet you're trying to hide a new weapon from us? As expected of Lord Ferdinand's protégé."

"There's no need to show it—that's all. I have no intention of hiding anything."

"Then I'd very much like to see it."

Ruffen's eyes sparkled and he clenched his fist triumphantly. One look at his "Yes!" expression and it was painfully obvious he had excessive expectations for my water gun.

Well, if it had come to this, I had no choice but to show them. Show them just how useless this water gun was as a weapon.

...I was going to drench that hopeful face of his in disappointment!

As the students watched from a safe distance, I stepped in front of the cloth-wrapped test targets. The silence was so thick you could hear people gulp, and I could feel the piercing stares aimed at me—or rather, at the water gun.

"Here I go."

I aimed the water gun at the cloth-wrapped target. My form was perfect, at least. Then I placed my finger on the small trigger and pulled.

Psh psh!

The water shot forward with vigor but fell just short of the target, splattering onto the floor with a pitter-patter. The moment it landed, it glimmered faintly and vanished. Despite being a water gun, what it had been filled with wasn't water at all—it was my magic power. And it disappeared so quickly! What a wonderful water gun—no cleanup required.

"...Huh?"

"Eh? Eh?"

I was admiring my water gun, but all around me, faces wore expressions of sheer bewilderment. Ruffen's mouth hung open, and he shook his head as if unable to process what he'd seen.

"Um, Lady Rozemyne, what exactly was that...? It doesn't look like something that could be used as a weapon..."

"I told you, it's a child's toy."

"...Forgive me, but what would you use it for?"

"Hmm. Perhaps to startle someone?"

"I see. I was certainly startled."

Ruffen's shoulders slumped, his expression thoroughly deflated. Watching him sink into a sea of disappointment, I thought it would be nice if this put an end to his ditter invitations, and deactivated my stave's transformation.

"Ryūken."

With the water gun gone from my hand, everyone who had been watching lost interest and returned to their own practice.

Relieved that the attention had dispersed, I made my way back to Hannalore. She had turned somewhat pale and looked thoroughly distressed.

"I'm so sorry, Lady Rozemyne. It was my fault for thinking it might be a new weapon, and then Ruffen-sensei... Even though you said from the very beginning that it was a toy, and yet..."

Wilfried was comforting the flustered Hannalore, saying, "It's not your fault, Lady Hannalore." I joined in to reassure her as well.

"Ruffen-sensei simply jumped to conclusions. You bear no blame whatsoever, Lady Hannalore."

"But..."

"He merely picked up on your words. The timing was just unfortunate."

"Y-Yes, that's right..."

When I desperately insisted it wasn't Hannalore's fault, she gave a faint smile and nodded, yet for some reason she seemed even more dejected.

Soon the sixth bell tolled, and the lesson on stave transformation came to an end.

That evening, after dinner, Wilfried called me and my attendants together to report on everything I had done during the day's practical training.

The whole saga: how I had transformed my stave into Schutzaria's Shield and Leidenschaft's Spear during the transformation practical, startling everyone; how the High Priest's charm had activated and retaliated against Ruffen during his test; and how I had created the water gun.

"Schutzaria's Shield and Leidenschaft's Spear!?"

"A counterattack during a test... It's a good thing Ruffen-sensei was the examiner. If it had been Frauerlum-sensei, that would have been a disaster."

Everyone's eyes went wide with astonishment, and they all began sharing their impressions. The High Priest's charm activating had been a surprise to me too. I reflected with relief that it was fortunate Frauerlum, who was always picking on me, hadn't been the one there.

"...You try being the one who has to write a report to Ehrenfest—starting with your own attendants, Rozemyne."

Wilfried sighed and shot me a glare. At his words, I remembered how last year the guardians had been at their wits' end over Wilfried's subpar report. I wondered if Wilfried and his squire retainers had improved their report-writing since then.

"Then, shall I write it in your stead, Brother Wilfried?"

"You'd only leave out anything unfavorable to yourself, wouldn't you?"

"That's not true at all. I simply write the facts concisely and accurately. Nothing more."

I looked at Wilfried, thinking how rude, and Brother Cornelius heaved a deep sigh.

"If you write only the facts concisely and accurately, the result would be: 'Today's practical training was also passed.' I truly thank the gods from the bottom of my heart that Brother Wilfried is in the same year as Lady Rozemyne. Her reports are far too concise."

Brother Cornelius said this and then glanced at me. I didn't know what to do with that look. In the stave transformation practical, I had simply transformed my stave into a shield and a weapon. What other report was needed beyond "Today's practical training was also passed"?

Growing up in the Temple, everyone already knew I could only make Schutzaria's Shield, and the water gun was such a useless toy that even Ruffen was disappointed. A report on how the High Priest's charm had reacted would be necessary for research purposes, but beyond that, there was nothing noteworthy.

"If my reports are unsatisfactory, wouldn't it be better for the dissatisfied party to write them themselves? I haven't done anything that would cause trouble to report."

"That's not the point, Rozemyne. I'm asking you not to create situations that require reporting in the first place."

Richarta was the one nodding deeply in agreement with Wilfried's words.

Hartmut, on the other hand, was beaming with excitement, leaning forward as though he wanted to hear more.

"Truly magnificent, Lady Rozemyne. Schutzaria's Shield and Leidenschaft's Spear—they are most befitting for the Saint of Ehrenfest."

"As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, Hartmut, the spear is unwieldy, so it won't be my weapon of choice. I don't even have the strength to throw it at a target."

When I had defeated the Trombe, the High Priest had assisted me—without his help, there was no way I could have thrown it alone. I could state that with complete confidence.

"That's what body-strengthening magic is for, Lady Rozemyne."

"...Hartmut, my body-strengthening is for daily life."

I'd gotten to the point where I could walk at a normal pace without a supporting magical tool, but I was small to begin with, and whenever something happened, I tended to get left behind by everyone else. Body-strengthening was essential for keeping up.

"But you do need a weapon for emergencies. If the spear is difficult to use, then all the more reason to find a different weapon. What would you prefer?"

"I agree that a weapon is necessary. Ideally, I'd like something I could use one-handed from the back of a riding beast, reaching out through its window to attack."

When I laid out my conditions for the ideal weapon, the knight apprentices exchanged looks at a loss for words.

"A weapon Lady Rozemyne can use one-handed?"

"With both hands, she can barely hold anything larger than a short sword, can't she?"

"Doesn't Lord Ferdinand's charm count as a weapon made for Lady Rozemyne?"

The apprentices' points weren't wrong. The High Priest had judged that a charm was necessary precisely because he had zero expectations for my combat ability.

"Enough. Stop thinking about it. You've passed the test, so your weapon will be my charm. End of discussion. I'll write the report myself."

Those were the closing words of the meeting.

I returned to my room, flopped onto my bed, and—despite being told not to think about it—began thinking about weapons. The High Priest's charm was powerful, but being completely unable to fight on my own was a problem. What if there were many enemies, or what if the charm was used up? I needed a weapon that wasn't Leidenschaft's Spear, and wasn't a toy.

"If only the 'water gun' toy had actually been a 'gun,' it might have been useful..."

I muttered this while lost in thought, when something suddenly struck me.

...Wait. But back then, I just said the words "water gun," didn't I? It wasn't a spell, was it?

Creating a sword or a spear should have required a spell. Shaping the stave to look like something was one thing—that was possible when I first transformed it. But to give it the actual function of a sword or a spear, a spell should have been necessary.

Tilting my head, I held my stave and murmured "water gun" again. But the stave didn't transform.

"Why not? Ah, because I'm not visualizing it?"

I closed my eyes briefly, pictured a water gun clearly in my mind, and spoke again. This time, it became the same water gun as before. In other words, as long as I had a clear image, I could probably say "sword" in Japanese and have it become a sword.

To test this hypothesis immediately, I held my stave, pictured a sword, and said "sword" in Japanese. But the stave didn't change at all.

"Huh? This doesn't work?"

Sword, spear, shield—normally I could transform the stave by imagining the divine instrument and reciting the incantation. But speaking in Japanese produced no transformation. The pattern wasn't clear. I tried a few words: "printing press," "photocopier," "scissors"—and the conclusion was that the only thing I could produce with a Japanese incantation was this cheap toy water gun. There might be other possibilities, but I couldn't figure them out.

Holding the translucent water gun that had been my final result, I rolled around on my futon firing it several times. But the liquid wasn't real water. It vanished the instant it hit anything. Shooting at the futon didn't wet the fabric at all. And what concerned me even more was that no matter how many times I fired, the liquid inside never decreased. It would keep working as long as my magic power lasted.

"...Can I somehow enhance this 'water gun'?"

It was light enough to hold in one hand, and all I had to do was pull the trigger—so even while gripping a Lesser Beast's handle, I could attack. That part passed muster. The liquid inside was magic power rather than ordinary water, so no reloading was necessary. If only I could improve its range and power, it might actually become a weapon.

"If we're talking about water as a weapon, what about a water cutter? But how much water pressure would it take to be lethal? Hmm, it's hard to visualize. Should I try blasting with a massive volume of water like a fire hose? No, no—if I were going to do that, I wouldn't need to modify the water gun at all. I could just use a Vashen."

I kept catching myself with my own objections as ideas popped up, shaking the water gun in my hand. The liquid that looked like water—actually magic power—swished around inside the translucent body.

"Since what's inside is magic power, not water, what if I could make it work like the arrows the High Priest used? Like when he defeated the Trombe—if I went 'psh' and it fired arrows..."

Psh! Dzz-ba-ba-ba-bang!

I fired while thinking it would be cool if it turned into arrows that flew away, and it actually did become arrows. Moreover, because I'd been imagining the High Priest during the Trombe extermination, the arrows split apart and pierced the canopy surrounding my bed. The arrows, made of magic power, vanished smoothly after embedding themselves—but the holes in the canopy did not.

...It turned into arrows.

I was staring up at the canopy in shock when Richarta burst in, lifting the canopy flap with a sharp motion.

"My Lady, what happened!?"

"Huh? Um..."

With me still holding the water gun and the canopy full of holes—even though the arrows had disappeared—it didn't take Richarta long to figure out what had happened.

Immediately, her eyebrows shot upward, her eyes went wide, and her gaze sharpened. The very next instant, Richarta's thunder struck.

"My Lady! To use your stave on your bed—what were you thinking!? Put away this dangerous weapon that's riddled the canopy with holes, and go to sleep this instant!"

"I'm sorry! I'll go to sleep right now! Ryūken."

I deactivated the transformation and immediately dove under my covers.

...I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I really didn't think it would actually become arrows!

The next morning, on the way to the dining hall for breakfast, the moment my attendants had assembled, Richarta sighed and spoke up.

"Last night, Lady Rozemyne tested a stave transformation on her bed and created a weapon called a water gun that riddled the canopy with holes. Hartmut, please add this to the report to Ehrenfest as well."

"...Lady Rozemyne, wasn't it dangerous to handle a weapon on your bed?"

Philine stared at me blankly and said this, and I quietly averted my gaze. Yesterday's practical training was one thing, but using a weapon on my bed was sure to earn me a lecture.

"Lady Rozemyne, didn't you say the water gun was just a toy and couldn't be used as a weapon?"

Brother Cornelius sighed without bothering to hide his exasperated expression.

"It really was just a toy to begin with. But since the contents were magic power, I started wondering—what if it fired arrows the instant it was launched, like Lord Ferdinand's bow? Or what if the arrows split apart and became a more powerful weapon? And as I was thinking these things and firing it, well... the canopy became a sacrifice."

"Lady Rozemyne, please allow me to see this weapon called a water gun."

When Hartmut said this, Judith's violet eyes lit up as well.

"I'd like to see it too. It's a weapon that can be used one-handed and fires magic power as arrows, correct? Could I use it as well?"

When Judith asked excitedly, Brother Cornelius expressed interest too. Even though they were exasperated by my behavior, they were curious about the new weapon.

"After breakfast, how about we go to the gathering area before the morning lectures? It would be too dangerous inside the dormitory."

Leonore added that if someone else were the one showing off the new weapon, they could handle weapons in the snow, but she was concerned about my health being affected by the cold. Everyone agreed, so the plan was to unveil the improved water gun for my attendants at Ehrenfest's gathering area.

After breakfast, we immediately headed to the gathering area on our riding beasts. The others asked what was going on while studying in the multipurpose hall, but Hartmut gently deflected their questions.

We rode our beasts to the gathering area. Soon, a spot glowing yellow came into view. It was always strange to see a patch completely free of snow in the midst of everything. However, the gathering area attracted many magic beasts, and once inside, the knights had their hands full.

"I'm going to charge in and attack anything in my path, regardless of whether magic beasts are present. My guard knights, please stay at my sides. Do not enter the area in front of me under any circumstances. Here I go. 'Water gun'!"

I focused and transformed my stave into the water gun. Then, gripping the handle with only my left hand, I extended my right arm—which held the water gun—as far as I could, and charged into the gathering area.

"Whoa!"

It was like passing through the barrier of a magic mirror—the scenery changed in an instant. The moment I entered, I spotted several magic beasts ahead.

I fixed my gaze on them, recalled the High Priest's Trombe extermination, and pulled the trigger hard. The liquid that shot from the water gun with a "psh" took the shape of a glowing arrow, split apart, and flew forward. Several of the arrows pierced the magic beasts.

"I did it!"

"Ooh!"

However, while the arrows did strike home, they could only wound the beasts—a single hit wasn't enough to bring them down. The magic beasts flinched for a moment at the barrage of arrows, but quickly launched a counterattack toward me.

"Here they come!"

Brother Cornelius accelerated, his riding beast charging straight at the magic beasts. He already had his sword in hand and dispatched them in the blink of an eye.

"Lady Rozemyne's weapon power has been confirmed. Let's leave immediately."

Leonore's voice rang out, and we made an almost immediate retreat back to the dormitory. If more magic beasts accumulated, three knight apprentices wouldn't be able to handle them.

"...So even with a weapon, I couldn't defeat the magic beasts."

I'd hoped to look cool and take out several in one strike, but reality was not so kind.

"No, it was sufficient. I was surprised that the magic beasts happened to be weak."

Brother Cornelius shook his head, saying, "If the beasts had been weaker, you could have defeated them." Apparently today's beasts were on the stronger side.

"It's an impressive weapon. But I wouldn't be able to use it myself—I don't have enough magic power to fire that many arrows at once."

Judith shrugged with a regretful expression. Though it was small, light, and usable with one hand, the water gun's ability to fire multiple arrows at once made it extremely magic-power-hungry. It was truly a weapon made just for me.

...Once the arrows started flying, it wasn't really a water gun anymore.

The water gun turned out to have surprisingly high power and seemed quite practical, so I decided to adopt it as my personal weapon and gradually improve it from here on out.

...If I was going to do that, I'd rather make it not a water gun but a cool black gun instead. Something with a hard-boiled vibe!

Watching everyone studying in the multipurpose hall after returning to the dormitory, I fought alone to change the water gun's appearance. I didn't want the cheap, flimsy water gun—I wanted a cool black firearm.

"Another failure..."

Unfortunately, I had never even touched a cool black gun—real or toy—and couldn't form a clear mental image. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't visualize it clearly enough to make it take shape.

The only change I could manage at this point was making the water gun black. The faint transluceness ruined the effect.

...Nooo! At this rate, I'd never become a hard-boiled egg! I'd end up a soft, runny onsen egg!

"Come, come, my Lady. Stop making such a difficult face and head to the lecture hall. Today is an important day—will everyone pass on the first try? Focus on your written studies, not your stave."

Urged by Richarta, I deactivated my stave's transformation. The written portion was scheduled to end today. After this, I could take my time improving the water gun. First things first—everyone had to pass the written exams.

...Someday, I will definitely be holding a cool gun, and I will become hard-boiled!

The water gun let Ruffen-sensei down.

And then, having let him down, I secretly enhanced it into a weapon.

As expected of the High Priest's disciple—dirty tricks. Ruffen would be overjoyed if he knew.

Next time: everyone passes the written exams!