Chapter 84: Lilia’s Claim and the Divine King Weapon

Lilia had firmly pulled Gern out of the classroom, leaving them alone, face to face, with no one else around.

“Gern, are you and Sina very close?”

“Ahem, not… not exactly close.”

Gern scratched his head, a faint blush of guilt creeping up his neck. If assessed from a male perspective, his relationship with Sina was indeed not particularly intimate. Thus, he reasoned, he wasn’t lying; he was merely stating the truth.

Lilia edged closer to Gern, her gaze intently scrutinizing his face. She detected no unusual flicker of emotion, no tell-tale signs of deceit.

Yet, Lilia had no intention of letting Gern off so easily. Her watery blue eyes glinted mischievously before a sly smile played upon her lips.

“Gern, if your relationship with her isn’t even that close, yet you’d lend her something just because she asked, then what if I were to ask to borrow something from you?”

“Ahem, of… of course, that’s no problem.”

A fine sheen of cold sweat beaded on Gern’s forehead. He was assailed by a persistent, unsettling premonition. It was as if the Lilia standing before him was not a typical young girl at all, but rather a fearsome, impending flood.

“That’s wonderful then!”

Lilia clapped her hands together, a joyous smile blossoming across her face.

“Then, Mr. Gern, would you mind lending yourself to me for a few days?”

“Huh? How… how exactly does one ‘lend’ oneself?”

“Oh, it’s quite simple.”

Lilia blinked her eyes playfully, then raised both hands to cup Gern’s cheeks before speaking.

“From this moment until tonight, you are not permitted to speak with anyone else, nor are you allowed to have any contact with others.”

“Ahem, that might be a bit…”

Gern was on the verge of refusing, but then he caught a fleeting glimpse of coldness in Lilia’s eyes. He instinctively recoiled, his neck retracting, and hastily pivoted his words.

“Yes, yes, I agree to that.”

“See? That’s much better. Later, I’ll retrieve your notebook for you, and from then on, you are absolutely not to lend it to Miss Sina again.”

“Yes, yes, absolutely.”

A brief silence settled between them, and the charged atmosphere around them immediately cooled.

Gern cautiously observed Lilia’s expression, and only when he saw her cheerful demeanor return did he venture to speak.

“So, Miss Lilia, what shall we do now?”

“Hmm… let me ponder for a moment.”

Lilia furrowed her brow in contemplation, when suddenly, a thought sparked within her mind.

“Gern, I’ll take you to practice magic. It’ll be a perfect opportunity to put the knowledge we’ve learned in class into practical application.”

“Ahem… very well.”

Since there were no other classes scheduled for the morning, he conceded that practicing magic with Lilia would not be a bad way to spend their time. Gern consoled himself inwardly as the two of them soon arrived at the academy’s extensive training grounds.

Many senior students were already engaged in their practice routines, though few junior students were present. They were likely still in class, or perhaps, being newly enrolled, they hadn’t yet developed a keen interest in the training facilities.

After explaining their intentions to the instructor on duty, they were granted access to the training grounds. The training regimens here were incredibly diverse, encompassing every conceivable discipline. Each castle dedicated to training was meticulously outfitted with a comprehensive array of equipment.

The grand hall on the first floor was typically reserved for training knightly prowess, while the second floor was dedicated to the practice of magic and Holy Light arts.

As they toured the facilities, Gern noticed some particularly unusual training areas tucked away at the rear of the grounds. It resembled a shooting range, with an assortment of dark, metallic contraptions neatly arranged on several racks, available for trainees to select as they pleased.

Beside these racks, several instructors stood vigil, clad in distinctive, specialized attire. Their uniforms were entirely black. From Gern’s understanding, the devices displayed were weapons known as firearms.

Gern himself possessed one such weapon, having acquired it previously from Leon.

“What is this place?”

Lilia, too, found herself captivated by the peculiar arrangement of the area. Unfamiliar with firearms, she had no idea what purpose this particular section served.

Upon noticing the arrival of two new faces, the instructor’s stern features softened into a genial smile as he addressed them.

“This is a shooting range, exclusively for training with Divine King Weapons.”

“Divine King Weapons?”

Lilia tilted her head, clearly perplexed by the instructor’s words. It was Gern, however, who, from his pendant, produced a sleek, black weapon.

“Instructor, this is what you’re talking about, right?”

The instructor’s brow furrowed slightly upon seeing the firearm in Gern’s grasp, and a flicker of concern entered his eyes as he looked at Gern.

“That’s a heavy sniper rifle. Its power is immense. Under no circumstances are you to use this weapon within the academy premises.”

“Academy regulations explicitly state that anyone who injures another with a Divine King Weapon within these grounds shall be expelled. Furthermore, they and all their descendants will be permanently barred from ever enrolling in this institution.”

“I see.”

Gern nodded, unsurprised. He had already gained a considerable understanding of the weapon’s formidable power.

Lilia, who had been listening intently beside Gern, found her curiosity piqued by the instructor’s stern warning.

“This contraption lacks any magical engravings, and it doesn’t seem particularly convenient to wield. Can it truly be that potent?”

Seeing Lilia’s skeptical expression, the instructor chuckled warmly.

“Ah, little one, you simply don’t grasp its true nature. Allow me to demonstrate shortly; then you shall witness its immense power firsthand.”

The instructor patted both their shoulders, then turned and led the way. Seeing this, the two followed closely behind him, arriving at a dedicated firing range.

“Young man, might I trouble you to lend me your rifle for a moment?”

Gern hesitated, a subconscious wave of wariness washing over him. To entrust his weapon to another felt akin to placing his very life in their hands. This was an instinctive reaction honed by years of arduous training and survival. Yet, a moment’s reflection reminded him that they were within the academy’s secure confines, where no one would pose a lethal threat.

Assured, he nodded and carefully passed the weapon into the instructor’s waiting hands.

The instructor gently caressed the heavy sniper rifle in his hands, an undeniable flicker of envy crossing his features.

“A magnificent piece, this. Alas, its cost is prohibitive, else I too would procure one.”

He murmured to himself, even as he raised the dark heavy sniper rifle, settling its stock firmly against his shoulder.

“First, we must disengage the safety, precisely as I am doing now.”

As he spoke, the instructor’s hand moved deftly, disengaging a mechanism on the rifle’s body. With a sharp click, a pale golden bullet was smoothly chambered.

“Next, one simply pulls the trigger. Remember, it is imperative to brace your shoulder firmly. Fail to do so, and you might as well bid your shoulder farewell.”

As his index finger gently squeezed, a thunderous boom erupted, and an incredibly swift projectile hurtled forth, striking the very center of the target with unerring precision.

A colossal cloud of dust and debris billowed skyward, and the deafening explosion swallowed the entire area, leaving behind nothing but utter devastation.

Gern’s eyes widened in stunned disbelief at the sight. The sheer destructive power seemed far greater than anything he had witnessed on a projector screen. Such a force, if unleashed upon a person, would utterly obliterate even a third-tier knight, scattering their remains far and wide.

Lilia, utterly unacquainted with firearms, was left even more profoundly astonished. She simply could not fathom how a mere metallic object, seemingly no different from common iron, could unleash such terrifying devastation.

In that instant, a spark of genuine interest ignited within her regarding this formidable device.