After a week(2)

Captain Siegfried reached the place where other guards were shooting, and Ethan and Lena were with him. Gunshots reverberated almost every moment. It was too loud for kids, and they wanted to cover their ears.

"You two need to get used to gunshots and how to aim right in such an environment."

Said Siegfried, loud enough for kids to hear.

"Watch how others do it and try to repeat after them."

"Okay!" "Yes!"

Ethan and Lena responded loudly.

"Hoho, no need to be so loud; I can hear you."

"But there's too loud!"

"You get used to it soon, so show how you aim. Let's start with the young lady."

Lena nodded and stepped forward. And aimed with her dummy rifle. Every time gunshots from practicing other guards resounded, she was flinching and her head involuntarily turned towards them.

"Young lady, you need to place your feet firmly on the ground, shoulder-width apart. And try to ignore the gunshot sounds."

Lena did as she was told.

"Yes, that's right. And lean your body forward slightly. Tighten your grip."

Although she did as she was told, her attention was more on ignoring gunshots than aiming properly.

"When aiming, the front post of the rifle should be placed in the middle of the peep hole in the back."

Captain Siegfried came closer to her and watched how she aimed.

"Not bad for the first time. Keep repeating."

With these words, he left Lena's side and came to Ethan.

"Now, let's see how you aim, Ethan."

Ethan nodded in response and moved forward to Lena's side. He placed both of his feet firmly on the ground, shoulder-width apart, and leaned his body slightly forward. Simultaneously, he tightened his grip on the dummy rifle and aimed at the target, which was in range of about twenty five meters.

He saw how Lena was flinching every time gunshots resounded, but he wasn't sure why. Although he wasn't used to gunshots, after he got a rifle from Captain Siegfried, even if it was a dummy, his mind became strangely calm, and repeating gunshots felt like music, which helped him become more focused on his task.

"Hoho, perfect! Are you really never used a gun before?"

Ethan returned the dummy to its default position in his hands.

"Um, it's my first time using it."

"Then show me how you shoot."

"Um, but this rifle can't shoot."

"Just show me how you pull the trigger."

"Um, okay."

Ethan again aimed; he took off the safety, breathed in, and pulled the trigger slowly.

Click.

Ethan breathed out and returned the safety.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

It was Captain Siegfried.

"Again, you executed everything perfectly. It was as if I were watching a seasoned veteran. Are you really sure that it was your first time shooting?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Hoho, then you must be exceptionally talented. It can be said that your talent is a godsend."

"Um, thank you."

Ethan was too focused to see that Lena stopped practicing, and other guards stopped shooting and started to gather near him.

"I can understand why the young lady stopped her practice, but why have you, lot, stopped yours?"

Captain Siegfried turned around and looked menacingly at the guards.

"We're sorry, Capt. But we became slightly curious after you started to praise the young master."

Said one of the guards, and others nodded in response.

"Hoho, then if you're so curious, bring a low-powered rifle to this kid. Let's see how he shoots for real."

"Yes, sir!"

Said one of the guards and ran away to the building, where Ethan and Lena received their dummy guns.

And Captain Siegfried turned around to Ethan.

"Is this alright with you, young master?"

"Um, yes. I too want to see how I shoot."

"Hoho, good."

Afterward, the guard returned with the rifle and cylindrical magazines for it. He gave them to Ethan and took the dummy rifle from his hands.

Ethan looked at the magazine and saw little sphere projectiles, around five millimeters across.

"You can begin when you are ready, young master."

"Um, okay."

Ethan loaded a rifle and took aim. After some moments, a soft gunshot resounded.

"Huh, he missed."

But Ethan didn't hear them; he was too focused on aiming. Although he missed his first shot, he wasn't dispirited. He knew that it was just because he wasn't used to shooting with this rifle. So he aimed again and pulled the trigger.

Pang.

He managed to hit the target, but it was too far from the center, so he aimed again, pulled the trigger, and aimed again. He did it repeatedly.

"Wow, the young master is surely talented."

"He became better and better with every shot."

Ethan didn't pay a mind to what the guards were saying. He changed the magazine and started to shoot again. Each magazine had twenty projectiles, and seven shots from ten hit around the target's bullseye.

Ethan kept shooting, but eventually his aim started to waver. So he stopped shooting.

"Fuhh, my hands are tired."

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Ethan turned around and saw the guards, along with Captain Siegfried and Lena, clapping. And the eyes of the guards, which were curious, were now full of admiration. One of the guards came to Ethan and took the rifle from his hands. And Ethan readily gave it to him.

"Hoho, it was a good show."

Captain Siegfried turned to the guards.

"You've seen his ability to shoot. If he keeps practicing, I'm sure that he will eventually become a master in shooting, and there wouldn't be any need for guards with rifles in this household. So, you lot, do you want to leave your duties to the young master?"

"No, sir!"

"Hoho, good answer. Then what do you need to do?"

"Keep getting better!"

"That's right. To everyone who can beat the young masters result today at your usual range, I'll treat you to some beer on your day off. So go and keep practicing!"

"Yes, sir!"

The guards turned around and left for their practice. And one of them returned the dummy rifle to Captain Siegfried.

"I guess your practice is over for today. You can come whenever you want to practice again. I'll see you out."

"Um, Captain Siegfried, I want to ask one question. Can I?"

"Hoho, of course you can ask, Ethan."

"Um, where's your weapon? I saw that every guard had weapons with them. Even Captain Muller."

"Oh, but I have my weapon with me."

With these words, he clapped his belt pouch with the Anselm family emblem on it, which was on his left side.

"It's the storage artifact."

Ethan furrowed his brows, and after some time, his eyes started to widen.

"Are you able to use mana?"

"Aura, I'm a knight after all."

As if to prove it, he took out a rifle. But it's made Ethan even more confused.

"Are you wondering why I use a rifle?"

"Um, yes. I thought you could only use aura to strengthen close combat weapons."

"Hoho, but rifles too can be used as close combat weapons."

But Ethan was still doubting; after all, it was more convincing to use swords, spears, and axes at short range. And seeing it, Captain Siegfried decided to clear up his misunderstanding.

"Of course, using a rifle in close combat is a bad choice. But bullets too can be strengthened with aura; the principle is the same as using aura to strengthen arrows when using a bow. Look."

Captain Siegfried aimed and started to move his aura. After a short time, the winds started to form around the barrel of the rifle.

"You should cover your ears and open your mouth'."

Even though Ethan and Lena don't understand the reason behind it, they do as they are told. After all, they saw how some other guards started to cover their ears and open their mouths.

And seeing it, Captain Siegfried focused on his aim and pulled the trigger slowly.

BANG.

The sound was too loud, incomparably loud to the shots from standard rifles, and the bullet blew the target apart, which was a hundred meters away, after hitting it straight in the center.

Hearing how loud the sound of the gunshot was and seeing how powerful the shot was, even though other guards removed their hands from their ears and closed their mouths', Ethan and Lena were in the same position as before the gunshot, but with wide open eyes.

"You can remove your hands from your ears and close your mouth'."

Captain Siegfried has already put the rifle back in storage. And hearing Captain Siegfried, kids snapped from their shock.

"So what do you think?"

"It's too loud."

"And powerful."

"Um, but you didn't cover your ears, Captain Siegfried."

"I used aura for it. So are you ready to leave the shooting range?"

Both Ethan and Lena nodded, and Captain Siegfried accompanied them. They returned the dummy rifles on their way out from the shooting range, and after waving goodbye to Captain Siegfried, they left and returned to the mansion.