Chapter 1119

Isaac leaned back in his armchair, propping a leg up and resting his elbow on his knee, eyeing the pair before him with some confusion.

“Are you two really that tired? You look drained. You didn’t even stop to eat when you got back?”

Rafael and Carissa awkwardly averted their gazes, each clearing their throats lightly.

Rafael said, “We’ve eaten already. It’s just that we’re…worn out. Exhausted from the night’s work. I also went to the palace, then came back and bathed. It was all very tiring.”

Isaac furrowed his brows, looking at Carissa questioningly. What was this? Was Rafael actually stammering?

Carissa avoided his gaze and quickly asked, “Have you eaten yet, Isaac?”

Isaac perked up, clearly enjoying the change of subject. “Since last night, I’ve had three meals already. By the way, Lily’s ravioli is fantastic—better than any delicacy from the mountains or sea!”

“Yes, it’s really good,” Carissa agreed, then her gaze fell to the strange object Isaac held. “Is that a matchlock?”

“Yep, something our mentor has been tinkering with. He asked me to bring it over for Rafael to see if the Ministry of Defense could mass-produce it.”

Rafael’s eyes sharpened at the sight of the matchlock—it was different. Longer, with some kind of mechanical latch, and no match cord visible.

“How has this matchlock been improved?” Rafael asked, his curiosity piqued. “Can it fire multiple rounds—two, maybe three in a row?”

“Six,” Isaac replied, grinning. “This one uses gunpowder, so no need for a match cord. You just pull the trigger, and… Here, I’ll show you.”

He disassembled the matchlock, revealing an intricate mechanism.

“It has a firing mechanism. Most matchlocks only fire three times, but this one can shoot six. Sage Adrian finished the three-shot version years ago, but he said three wasn’t enough. Six was better. He’s already working on a ten-shot version, but that’s still in development.”

“Six shots?” Rafael’s weariness vanished instantly.

His interest surged, and he moved closer to inspect the weapon. Though he hadn’t studied matchlocks much—after all, they were unreliable, prone to misfire, and required a match—he couldn’t deny his fascination.

“How far can it shoot?”

Isaac shrugged. “Supposedly pretty far, but Sage Adrian didn’t bother measuring it. He said you could test it after I delivered it.”

“Give it a try,” Rafael said. He wasn’t sure how to reassemble it, but couldn’t hide his excitement.

Isaac swiftly reassembled the matchlock. “I used it once in that little grove over there. Oh, and here’s something called a ‘sight’—supposedly, you can aim and shoot with it. Normally, you’d look through this little hole, and if you spot an enemy’s head, you just pull the trigger.”

As he explained, Isaac held the matchlock up and pointed it directly at Carissa’s head. “If I fired this right now, Carissa’s head would explode like a melon.”

“Don’t point it at her!” Rafael’s hands shook as he quickly covered the muzzle. “Let’s go outside to test it.”

“Definitely can’t aim it at her,” Isaac said with a smile. He turned to Carissa. “Are you scared?”

Carissa met his gaze with a playful smirk. “Scared? Of course. I’m scared Sage Adrian might maim you.”

Isaac’s smile faltered before he straightened, raising his hand in a dramatic gesture. “Alright, let’s take this outside.”

It wasn’t suitable outside, so they needed an open field to set up targets.

Rafael called Dylan, Travis, and Jacob to join them. They went to an empty field on the outskirts of the capital, setting up a target every hundred feet. There were three targets in total, to test the range up to 300 feet.

Rafael doubted it would reach 300 feet. After all, the older model had a range of only about 100 feet, with the usual range being around 50 to 80 feet.

Isaac raised the matchlock, and the group watched as he placed one eye against the sight. He pulled the trigger.

The group waited, but there was no sound. They stared at the target in confusion, until they realized there had been no gunshot.

“Ah, sorry, I forgot to load it. Let me try again.” Isaac chuckled, quickly reloading the matchlock with swift efficiency. He aimed again.

Bang!

A cloud of smoke puffed up from the barrel, quickly dissipating into the air. Dylan took off running, checking the 100-foot target, then the 200-foot, and finally the 300-foot target. Seeing the hole in the 300-foot target, he could hardly believe it.

“My god, that’s 300 feet!”