Creating a sphere of divine power was relatively simple for Holy Knights like me.

However, shaping it into anything beyond a sphere was considerably more challenging.

Knights as skilled as cardinals could sculpt divine power into forms like a unicorn, but that required intense focus, years of experience, and a significant amount of divine power.

After a brief moment of concentration, a misty, glowing sphere was loaded onto the upper barrel of the gun. It was a divine power bullet.

Never in my life did I imagine I’d be making bullets out of divine power.

I never thought I’d be using divine power in this way.

“Huh? So, what do I do now? Can I shoot it here?”

“Wait! Don’t pull the trigger here. I don’t want my entire fortune destroyed! Follow me.”

“Okay.”

With the gun in hand, I followed Cyrillote.

He opened the back door and stepped through. To my surprise, it led to an outdoor garden. Apparently, the underground setting was only for appearances.

“Alright, try pulling the trigger here. But don’t aim at the trees, sculptures, benches, or grass. I worked tirelessly to decorate this place, and it would hurt me if anything got damaged.”

“…Got it. I’ll aim at the sky.”

So he brought me to a garden and told me not to touch a single part of it. Typical.

As I raised the gun toward the sky, Cyrillote hurriedly approached me.

“Wait! Don’t shoot just yet. This gun allows you to precisely aim at your target. Use this sight here to align your shot.”

Cyrillote placed a hand on my shoulder and adjusted the barrel with his other hand, correcting my posture to help me aim accurately.

Even though he came close for a moment, he quickly stepped back.

“Am I good to go now?” I asked.

“Yes. Pick a cloud you want to hit and pull the trigger, Your Ladyship. But how far the divine power bullet travels will depend on your abilities.”

“Got it.”

Finally, I get to shoot!

I glanced at Cyrillote to see if there was anything else I needed to be cautious about. Then I picked a suitable cloud and aimed.

I’d never fired a gun before.

However, thinking of it as releasing divine power made it feel less unfamiliar.

“I’m pulling the trigger now!”

With that declaration, a small bang echoed.

The divine power sphere I created streaked through the air faster than an arrow. It was an extraordinary sight.

“Wow!”

Clap, clap, clap!

Cyrillote let out an exclamation and clapped enthusiastically.

I was also amazed. It actually worked!

“Wow! It was a success!”

Excitedly, I turned to Meteor and asked, “Do they have weapons like this in the Holy Palace? It’s incredibly fast.”

“No. There’s nothing like this that uses divine power in such a way.”

As I suspected, a weapon that fired divine power like a gun didn’t exist.

The misty, glowing bullet streaked across the sky. Soon, the cloud it struck scattered violently.

I was thoroughly amazed.

It worked this well?

Indeed, a bullet made of divine power was truly something else.

“Bullseye!” I shouted triumphantly.

“Your Ladyship, that was incredible!”

Clap, clap, clap!

Cyrillote clapped again with great enthusiasm.

Perhaps because he’d invented the gun, he seemed deeply satisfied.

“This is amazing! To think you’d handle my invention so perfectly. I knew showing it to you first was the right decision.”

“Huh? You showed this to me first?”

“I only made one, so I didn’t want to show it to just anyone.”

“Why only one?”

I spun the gun around my finger with ease. It was light and easy to handle.

Cyrillote answered with a smile.

“Even if I mass-produced it, I doubt many esteemed Holy Knights would buy it. They’re more accustomed to swords. Besides, I prefer my prized inventions to be one-of-a-kind. Doesn’t that make them more special?”

“I see.”

He seemed unexpectedly proud of his invention.

It was surprising to see Cyrillote so earnest about his creations, given how casual and indifferent he had seemed at the orphanage.

Out of curiosity, I asked Meteor, “Meteor, what do you think? Is this gun any good?”

He glanced at the gun in my hand for a moment before responding.

“It seems useful for long-range combat. But in close quarters, it would be at a disadvantage. Since it doesn’t have a blade or point for direct physical attacks, its offensive capability is lower. It might be more powerful if you could create metal bullets imbued with divine power to fire instead.”

“!”

Cyrillote and I both widened our eyes.

Now that he mentioned it, he had a point.

Attacking with just divine power had its limits without a solid medium like a sword.

More rigorous training would be necessary.

Knights at the pinnacle of skill could shape their divine power into sword-like forms and wield them as if they were real swords.

But achieving that level of mastery was like chasing a legend—even Meteor likely hadn’t set such a goal for himself.

Cyrillote, still surprised, spoke up.

“As expected of Lord Meteor. You’ve pointed out something important. Of course, it’s possible to create and load metal bullets. But I designed this gun to be solely for divine power. I wanted to offer my invention to knights capable of destructive attacks using only divine power.”

“Fair enough.”

Meteor didn’t seem particularly invested in the matter and gave a casual reply.

After a brief pause, he added, “That might indeed be the way to become stronger.”

“True. It’s like creating a weapon purely out of divine power.”

Though it required the gun’s pressure to release, it was akin to the mythical feats of Swordmasters who fought using only their divine power.

The idea alone was thrilling.

I looked down at the silver gun in my hand again, feeling a wave of emotion.

“…I’ll buy this. I’ve saved up a lot of allowance. I like it too much.”

“It’s an honor. To think the first princess in 150 years would admire my invention this much.”

“So how much is it?”

My eyes sparkled.

Knowing it was a one-of-a-kind invention only made me want it more.

Just as I worried he might not sell it, Cyrillote’s lips curled into a soft smile.

“It’s a gift. A token of my appreciation for an old friend.”

“Huh?”

I nearly dropped the gun.

A gift? For free?

“No way. I can’t just take this. I have plenty of money.”

Even though we were old acquaintances from the orphanage, accepting such a valuable weapon for free felt wrong.

Above all, receiving a gift without offering anything in return made me uneasy. We hadn’t even kept in touch over the years.

But Cyrillote’s smile didn’t waver as he replied.

“Don’t worry about that. Just having Your Ladyship use my invention is enough to promote my precious ‘Ciel Armory.’ You’re currently the most prominent celebrity in the North, after all.”

“Even so… I’d feel bad.”

I didn’t want to take it for free, but it didn’t seem like Cyrillote was going to back down easily.

Just as I was pondering what to do, Meteor interrupted.

“Then let’s do this.”

“?”

Without warning, he pulled something from his pocket. A handful of gold coins.

I recognized them immediately.

These were official coins issued by the Pluto Ducal House. Similar coins existed for other prominent houses as well.

They were primarily used among the upper class and bore the insignia of each respective house.

Each coin was worth the equivalent of an entire gold bar.

Before I could figure out what he intended, Meteor handed a few coins to Cyrillote.

“Consider this a sponsorship from the Pluto House. You’ve given Crescent a valuable gift, after all.”

“!”

Both Cyrillote and I were stunned.

Cyrillote alternated his gaze between Meteor and the coins before exclaiming.

“Wow! Are you really giving me this?”

Nod.

At Meteor’s affirmation, Cyrillote, despite his towering height, leaped into the air with joy.

“Incredible! Does this mean I’m officially sponsored by the Pluto House? Can I use this in my advertisements?”

“…Go ahead.”

A wide grin spread across Cyrillote’s face.

Without hesitation, he accepted the coins, clutching them tightly and shaking them in his hands like a rattle.

“Thank you so much! I must’ve made an amazing friend!”

Clink, clink!

Cyrillote looked as if he’d just inherited the world.

Meteor, on the other hand, only furrowed his brow slightly in response.