Elsprinc 14^th, 799 – Morning

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You decide to tell Sir Ezron.

“Jenn gave me one of those guns if that's what you mean. And she asked me to give it to you, when you are well, or to my father."

Sir Ezron nods. It seems that he has already thought of that. “I'm going back to Ettarin, so you'd better give it to your father. Let him decide what to do."

"What do you think my father will do?"

Sir Ezron is silent for a moment, then says, “I don't know. Maybe he'll just keep it, or maybe he'll take advantage of it."

"Take advantage?"

“That thing can determine our destiny in the future. With that weapon in our hands, we have the advantage. But that's not enough. If we want to survive, we must react first than anyone else. We have to learn how to use it, and how to make it.” He looks at you, then says again to make his point clear. "We have to reproduce those weapons, to strengthen our troops."

“You mean our troops of the County of Ellandhar, the Duchy of Arrondhein, or the Kingdom of Merovia?”

“Our troops of County of Ellandhar, of course.”

"So, we can't trust anyone outside of us?"

“We can, but we have to rely on ourselves first. We don't know what kind of danger will threaten us in the future, and from where, so we have to be prepared.”

"Okay. How do we reproduce this weapon?”

"We have to understand how it works first, and know the materials needed to make it. Maybe we should ask Adnan Rashir."

“Master Rashir? Makes sense. He's the smartest person in this land, though not many know. He must know something about this.”

"That's right. But we still have to wait for your father. Like I said, maybe he'll just keep the gun in the end. Your father is a brave man, but also very careful and didn't want to cause trouble with the duke or the king. If we are going to reproduce these weapons, this must be done in secret.”

"I understand."

“Your father would probably hesitate. If that's the case, and I'm not here to talk, then it's you who must talk to him. Give him your suggestion."

"My father rarely listens to what I say."

"That’s not true. Your father listens to you, even though he doesn't always show that to you. But he talked to me. He just wants you to really know what you say, and take responsibility for what you do.”

“I see. Speaking of that, should I continue my exam?” You grin. “You and Jenn aren't at the training ground anymore, so…”

"What do you think?" Sir Ezron retorts.

You laugh. “Yeah, as you said, it's the practice that matters, not the exam. So I'll keep practicing this morning and tomorrow."

"Good."

“Oh, one more thing, Sir Ezron. Last night, while I was dining with my friends in town, suddenly there was a gunshot in the middle of town, just like the sound Jenn made yesterday.”

Sir Ezron's face returns to the seriousness and his brow furrows, and you feel a little regretful. Maybe you shouldn't have told him this so that his mind wouldn't be burdened again.

"Sorry, Sir Ezron, maybe I shouldn't have told you."

"That's okay, I'm alright," he says. "Did you know what happened?"

"Still not clear. Sir Barton will investigate, so I asked him to come this morning to the training ground to report. I also told him, if he found anything suspicious, he should keep it a secret from anyone. Only to me can he tell about this."

"Good." Sir Ezron nodded. “You are quick to judge the situation and act correctly. We don't know who the spies are around us. If something dangerous does happen in our country, then we should be the first to know and not those outside us. But, if that's really the case, I don't think Sir Barton's investigation will suffice. You should tell Jenn right away. She knows what to do.”

“Should I be the one who tells her? Not you?"

"You. You must handle this matter. Write to Jenn after Sir Barton talks to you. And you don't have to wait for your father to come home, just do it. Don't let Jenn get the news through the official channels. It’s too long. If problems arise and your father asks you questions, I will help you explain.”

"I understand. Thank you, Sir Ezron, for all the advice, and for trusting me.”

"It's about time you gain more trust."

"When are you going back to Ettarin?"

"Soon, after everyone has had breakfast."

“Then, see you later, Sir Ezron.”

“If you want to ask more about anything, come to Ettarin. I'm always happy when you come."

"I will, sir. There is so much I want to know, especially about the current political situation. I never really thought about it, and I think it was a total mistake.”

“A mistake that can be fixed easily. Don't worry about it."

You leave Sir Ezron and have breakfast with your guests in the dining room.

“Lady Winda, is there a healer in Ettarin who can treat Sir Ezron?” you ask the woman sitting to your right. "If it's not there, I'll have Master Harazi come there every two or three days."

“That is not necessary, Young Master. We have a healer who can treat him.”

"That's good, my lady." You turn to the beautiful girl sitting on your left. “Hanna, when do you plan on coming here again?”

"I don't have any plans yet. All I want to do now is to accompany my father, now that he is more at home. Besides that, there are some things I want to learn.”

"Oh, do you finally want to continue learning to cook from your mother?"

"Yes. Cooking, sewing, and others."

"That's great. I'm sure soon you'll be as great as your mother, or even better."

“Uh, why are you suddenly praising me like this? I'm usually more comfortable when you make fun of me because you're usually more honest.”

You laugh. "I'm telling the truth. Besides, I don't know what to make fun of you now. You’re perfect in everything."

"Mother, did you hear that? Is he trying to propose to me?" Hanna asks her mother.

Lady Winda replies to the jokes, “It seems so. We'll just have to wait."

You all laugh.

After breakfast and greeting all your guests, you go to the training ground.

There you train with Tucker, Dallin, and dozens of your soldiers. They were happy when you tell them that Sir Ezron has recovered this morning.

One hour later, you get a message from the castle that Sir Ezron, Lady Winda, Hanna, and Eamon have left for Ettarin in two carriages. Ruy, Elene, and Issa had come to see Sir Ezron. The three of them have gone home too.

You continue your training. Two hours later Sir Barton comes to visit you.

You invite the big knight up to Sir Ezron's room on the second floor. There you sit in the chair where Sir Ezron used to sit. Sir Barton sits across from you.

“Sir Ezron has recovered,” you explain before he wonders. "But he can't work yet, and he allowed me to use this room."

Sir Barton nods in understanding. "I'll see him later at Ettarin."

"What did you get?" you ask, not wanting to waste time. "Is it true that there was a riot last night?"

“No, Young Master. It was an ordinary robbery attempt. A group of people tries to rob a carriage. They failed. One of them was injured. We caught him, but his friends managed to escape.”

“I don't want robbery to become a normal thing in our country. Ellanor was always quiet before, but now things like this are happening.”

"True. That was the reason Count Hubert assigned me there. To eradicate them. Hopefully, from here we can trace where the robbers went and catch them all. We already know the people."

“Did you find anything from the robber? What weapon did he use?”

“Ordinary weapons. He only carried machetes and daggers, but it seemed his friends were carrying spears and bows too.”

“Are you sure? No other weapons?”

"That's all I know," Sir Barton answers. He remains confident but now seems cautious. "Everything will be clearer when we catch all the robbers."

“How did that one robber get hurt? What happened?"

"He tried to get on the moving carriage and open the door, but the passenger on the carriage hurt his stomach, so he fell."

“Hurt him with what? Stab him with a knife or sword?”

“That… I'm not sure yet.” This time Sir Barton looks doubtful. "His stomach was torn open and he lost a lot of blood. He died not long after we caught him.”

You fall silent, before asking again, “Have you checked his body? Did you find anything inside his body?”

Sir Barton looks hesitated, before nods. "Yes. I found this.” He takes something out of his pocket and places it on the table. A small black ball-shaped bullet, like the one you saw yesterday in this room.

You pick it up and look at it, without showing that you've seen anything similar, then look at the man in front of you. "Who is the passenger on the carriage?"

Sir Barton doesn't answer right away. He probably still hesitates to answer.

"He's the victim, not the perpetrator,” you say, “but your troops must have stopped the carriage and asked him for information, right?"

"Yes. My troops stopped the carriage. But then they let him go.”

"Why?"

"Because he's not an ordinary person."

"Who is he?"

“Arland Marzan, the Duke of Arrondhein.”

You're stunned, before asking. “Duke Arland was in Ellanor last night without us knowing? What was he doing here?"

"He met someone."

"Who?"

“Tilda Harner. The wife of the mayor of Ellanor, Timo Harner."

Your mouth gapes. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve checked the room they rented and did some investigation. Yes, I’m sure.”

“Do you think they have an affair? Does Mayor Timo know about this?”

"Yes, and of course not. No one else knows. We wouldn't have known either, had it not been for last night's incident. And I'm sure, after this, Duke Arland will contact me, asking me to keep this a secret. If he really does that, I would comply with his request. I don't want to get into trouble later. After all, this is a personal matter, and not something important that I should think about. As long as it doesn't get me into trouble, I'm fine with it. And now that I'm telling you, Young Master, I hope you can also keep this matter a secret.”

"I will try to keep it a secret," you reply. You have a lot on your mind, but at the moment your short answer to him is enough.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" you ask.

"Are you going to tell your father all about this?" Sir Barton replies.

“I was planning on doing that, of course. Do you think he won't know if we're hiding something from him?”

Sir Barton nods. “Yeah, you're right, he'll know for sure. I just hope we all won't get into trouble with the duke. Let’s hope your father knows what to do, and not to do."

“Thank you for coming, Sir Barton. Keep me posted on the situation, especially after you catch the robbers.”

“Of course, Young Master."

Sir Barton walks away from the room.

You sit pensive, contemplating whether you should pass this new information on to Jenn or save it for yourself.

You can tell her that the Duke of Arrondhein has a gun, too, and from there Jenn can investigate where the duke got it. Jenn will keep track of all that, and will also find out about the affair between the duke and the mayor's wife. After that Jenn will report all her findings to the king. King Altarrik probably wouldn't care about the duke's affair, but he certainly would be suspicious if he found out the duke has a dangerous new weapon.

You can’t imagine the bad possibilities that could happen after that. In the past, the feud between King and duke could have various consequences. The king is dead, the duke is dead, or both are dead. Counties such as Ellandhar might get involved, either by siding with the king or the duke. Whatever the choice is not pleasant for people who just want peace.

You have other options, of course, if you think you can prevent the feud. Though it gonna be really difficult. You don't have to tell Jenn that the Duke of Arrondhein has a gun. Jenn doesn't need to know, the King doesn't need to know, and the duke can live comfortably and continue his affair with the mayor's wife, and keep his weapon unnoticed.

You probably won't be able to hide this matter forever. One day all the secrets will be revealed. But at least you’re not the one who leak it. You, your father, and the people of Ellandhar will have no problem with the duke. The duke can still see you as allies. The downside is that you might get in trouble with Jenn for not reporting this to her if she find out that you know about this, even though you really don't have any obligations to that girl.

Your choices right now will greatly affect the survival of your life, your family, and those around you.