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Chapter 8
After that, Shio began to think.
The gun was good—but not enough. It was still an ordinary weapon, without true magic. Not enough.
He wanted to make something greater. A weapon that could merge with magic itself—something born from both his science and his soul.
He sat quietly in his workshop, surrounded by scattered metals, gears, and small mana stones that glimmered under the dying light.
He wasn't trying to create a deadly weapon or a royal masterpiece—just something simple.
A weapon anyone could use.
A balance between logic, craft, and magic.
He held the polished wooden frame in his hands, assembling each piece with the precision of a craftsman and the patience of a mage.
Every spring had its purpose; every hollow inside the barrel was shaped carefully to channel a current of mana instead of gunpowder.
At the weapon's core, he placed a small Eirith stone—one that absorbed energy from the air and released it on command, turning each shot into a flash of pure light, alive and clean.
Shio smiled faintly to himself and whispered,
> "Magic isn't only for the powerful… but for those who know how to use it."
When he finally lifted the finished weapon, it looked simple—almost ordinary—yet the faint glow running along the engraved runes told another story.
This creation carried both the mind of a genius and the soul of a magician.
He examined it closely. The gun he made before had been a normal one—gunpowder, metal, and logic.
But this… this was a magical one.
He wasn't sure if it would even work.
Standing still, he took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.
Boom!
The explosion shook the entire workshop. The sound echoed through the castle halls, strong—far too strong for the kind of weapon Shio had imagined.
The blast sent sparks across the floor, and people began to shout and run—some rushing toward him, others fleeing outside.
Kyle, Max, and several followers burst in.
"Shio! Are you okay?" Kyle shouted, panic flashing in his eyes.
Shio turned to them, his hand trembling. His face was pale.
He had made something too powerful—something that could take more souls than it could protect.
"I… I'm all right," he said quietly, though his voice shook.
Then, from behind Kyle, a woman entered.
She was small and graceful, wearing a deep purple dress—tight around her figure, then loosening softly below her knees as she walked. Her short brown hair framed her face in gentle waves, and her violet eyes glimmered under the light—eyes that looked exactly like Kyle's.
"Oh my," she said, her voice calm yet sharp. "An explosion… in my dear castle?"
"Mom—" Kyle started quickly, his tone filled with worry.
But Elizabeth didn't look at him. Her gaze stayed fixed on Shio, silent, steady.
No words—yet everyone in the room knew who she meant.
Then, after a moment of quiet, she smiled softly.
"May we talk?"
The workshop fell silent once more.
And in that stillness, Shio understood—this wasn't just about the explosion.
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end of ch 8