The Abandoned Prince Heals an Enemy Soldier on the Frontlines, Only to Discover She’s the Seventh Imperial Princess - Chapter 53: Side - Rosemary ②

Chapter 53: Side – Rosemary ②

“Sister Yelona… what is this…?”

“Oh, well, the enemy’s weapon was something I’d never seen before, you see. I got a little too inspired and ended up building this.”

In front of Rosemary stood a giant metal cannon, even larger than a wyvern.

It looked like a massively oversized version of the guns captured from the enemy—and it gave off an overwhelming, almost absurd presence.

“That weapon the enemy uses… the prisoners called it a ‘gun,’ right? Well, when I saw it, I thought to myself…”

“W-What did you think?”

“What if I just made it bigger? Wouldn’t it be way stronger?”

And so, Yelona gathered a huge amount of iron and built a massive gun.

If someone from Earth had seen it, they would’ve called it a cannon.

With a barrel the size of a battleship’s main gun, anyone with a bit of technical knowledge would instantly recognize that this thing had insane destructive power.

In fact, during its first test, it shattered a target built to match the strength of the imperial capital’s walls—with just one shot.

Depending on the type of shell used, it might even be able to break through magical defenses.

However… there was a problem.

“It’s too heavy to move, you see. Even with me and dozens of dwarves, we couldn’t get it to budge. The ammo alone takes several dwarves just to carry. But—I guarantee the firepower!”

“…Hmm. Then it might be best to install it in the capital and use it for defense.”

Rosemary quickly began thinking of how to best use the cannon, planning to incorporate it into the capital’s defense.

Since it couldn’t be moved, fixing it in place made perfect sense.

But then Yelona chimed in.

“Which is why—I’ve also made a version that can move freely!”

“You have!?”

“I never said I didn’t, now did I? Come on, Rosemary, let’s get to the station—quickly, now!”

“Station…?”

Still confused, Rosemary let herself be dragged by Yelona all the way to the central station in the capital.

What she saw there made her eyes go wide.

“W-What is that…?”

“I call it the Magic Rail Cannon—Don-chan Mark II!“

“…That name aside, it’s incredible.”

Before her stood a massive train—easily fifty meters long.

Mounted on top of it was the very same enormous cannon: Don-chan Mark II, now attached to a specially-designed magical rail vehicle.

“I even made the turret rotate so it’s easier to aim. But, uh—don’t ever, ever fire it sideways. If you shoot perpendicular to the train, it’ll derail instantly and flip over. Only fire it in the same direction as the tracks, got it?”

“I-I see… Is there anything else I should be careful about?”

“Hmm… well, it’s not exactly a ‘warning,’ but this thing was built to wipe out enemy bases, strongholds, and critical facilities in one shot. So, uh… please try not to aim it at people.”

“…Got it.”

Rosemary felt a little guilty toward Yelona.

To Yelona, even if it was a weapon, a magic tool like this was practically her child.

And no parent wants their child to be used to kill people.

So Rosemary quietly made a vow in her heart—

She would never use Don-chan Mark II to take more lives than absolutely necessary.

“Oh, and by the way—the power is guaranteed. It even managed to scratch Mother’s scales when she was in her true dragon form.”

“!? R-Really!? That’s… incredible.”

“She said, ‘If I got hit by ten thousand of these, even I’d be in trouble.’ Though honestly, instead of gathering the stupid amount of iron needed for ten thousand shots, it’d probably be more efficient to mass-produce regular guns for war. Ah—but before I forget, there’s something else I want to show you, Rosemary!”

With that, Yelona dragged Rosemary along again—this time to the wyvern runway.

And once again, Rosemary was left speechless.

“Is that… equipment for wyverns?”

“Exactly! I heard flamethrowers were risky because they require getting too close to the enemy. So I made this with light but sturdy materials like magic ore and the like!”

“Yet another incredible creation…”

What stood before her… was wyvern armor.

Once equipped, the wyvern would probably look like a mechanical beast.

But what really caught Rosemary’s attention was the design of its wings.

“Oh? Looks like you noticed right away.”

“Small guns on the wings… and a large one mounted under the belly?”

“Exactly! I modified the saddle itself and added a feeding mechanism. Now the dragoon can fire just by pulling the trigger!”

According to Yelona, the armor even had a built-in function that drew on the wyvern’s mana to activate a defensive barrier over the wing membranes.

The small machine guns on the wings could easily tear through human targets.

But since the wyvern’s wings were always flapping mid-flight, their aim wouldn’t be very reliable.

In contrast, the large gun mounted on the belly was far more stable, highly accurate, and packed a ton of firepower.

Rosemary let out a thoughtful hum.

“…I see. Looks like we’ll need to completely rethink our dragoon tactics.”

This would change everything.

It was proof that firearms were evolving rapidly—and that future strategies would likely revolve around guns, not magic.

She remembered Reyshel once saying that in a world where magic already existed as a powerful weapon, there wasn’t much room for guns to grow.

But he had been very wrong.

Sure, old-fashioned guns like matchlocks or muskets were no match for magic.

But machine guns—fast, powerful, and efficient—were a different story.

All it took was one well-placed lead bullet to kill a person.

No chanting, no spell prep—just pull the trigger and your enemy falls.

And unlike magic, which required both mana and a deep understanding, a gun could be used by anyone with just a bit of training.

A chill ran down Rosemary’s spine.

She had a very bad feeling about this.

“…Once this war is over, we need to seize every enemy firearm and destroy them all.”

Guns were dangerous weapons.

If their development continued, it wasn’t hard to imagine a future filled with tragedy.

After they repelled the invaders threatening Agardramoon, Rosemary decided—

She would see to it that every last gun was disposed of.

“Rosemary. Yelona.”

Right then, Alcarion appeared out of nowhere.

Rosemary flinched in surprise at her sudden arrival.

“M-Mother!?”

“Mother…?”

“Yelona.”

“As I’ve already told you many times—no.”

“…I see.”

Alcarion, still as expressionless as ever, looked visibly sulky before turning around and walking away without another word.

Rosemary blinked in confusion, having no idea what just happened.

She turned to Yelona.

“What was that all about?”

“Mother saw the new wyvern gear and said she wanted something like it for herself.”

“…For herself? Wait—you don’t mean…”

“Yep. She asked me to make weapons that could be used in her true dragon form. She even said she wants to carry something like Don-chan Mark II on her back.”

Just imagining it sent chills down Rosemary’s spine.

If something like that really happened…

It would mean a massive weapon—capable of destroying enemy strongholds in a single shot—without the movement limitations of a rail-based magic cannon.

Rosemary’s expression twisted in horror.

“I-Is Mother trying to conquer the world again?”

“No, she just thought it looked cool and wanted one. I told her no, since it’d be a waste of iron.”

Wanting a superweapon just because it looked cool…

Yep. That was so like Alcarion.

Rosemary could only sigh, resigned to her mother’s chaos.

Meanwhile—on the other side of the continent…

Reyshel, who had been sold to the succubi by Ailynn—

“Raa… raa… raa…”

He stood there, panting.

All around him… countless succubi lay unconscious and collapsed.

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[Afterword]

A Random Tidbit

Author: “I really love stuff like rail cannons and mechanical dragons.”

R: “It’s a guy thing. Totally a guy thing.”

If you found yourself thinking, “Rail cannon hype!!” “Sulking Alcarion is adorable,” or “I feel the author’s passion in the afterword…” —then please leave a comment, bookmark, ★ rating, or review!