Chapter 19: 15.4

Testing the Lion-Dog Cannon 

While we were at Kishun’s mansion on reconnaissance... 

Feeling a little tired from the constant work, we decided to take a little break to enjoy a spot of tea with biscuits. The tea in question was a bit like roasted green tea, and it brought back memories for me. It would have been great to drink it on the veranda in summer, but sadly it was winter now, so we enjoyed it while looking out into the garden from a room with a brazier. 

During that break, we got talking about the lion-dog cannon—which consisted of a small, iron cannon modeled on a crouching animal that looked kind of like a wolf on top of a slanted platform—that Tomoe and her friends had found. 

“That lion-dog cannon is fascinating. Are they commonly used in the archipelago?” I asked Kishun, who groaned as he thought about it. 

“If you are asking whether every island has them, that might be the case. However, if we consider their range and power, they do not have an advantage over magical attacks, so they are not our primary weapons of war. I suppose they see sporadic use at sea, where it is difficult to use magic.” 

“Hrm... I’d think they’d be pretty powerful if you fired a bunch of them in a synchronized volley.” 

I had considered in the past that the wealth of options for magical attacks and the ability to reinforce armor with enchantment magic had made the development of the gun largely irrelevant in this world. However, cannons, which could fire much greater mass, saw use even on land. This lion-dog cannon was a little under halfway between the two, so I thought maybe an attack in unison would be powerful, but Kishun shook his head. 

“It would be cheaper and more powerful to gather a number of mages to attack instead.” 

“But at sea? Magic is weaker there, right?” 

“It is a matter of how many you can load on a ship. One large cannon is more likely to sink an enemy vessel than even ten lion-dog cannons. 

“Is that so...” 

It didn’t change the fact that there had to be certain circumstances at play before they could be used, but... on the other hand, if those circumstances could be arranged, it seemed like they could be a viable weapon. 

“...Kishun, why not fire it for them?” Shabon, who had been listening to us, suggested while I was staring intently at the lion-dog cannon. “Sir Souma seems quite interested in it,” she added with a chuckle. 

Was I that obvious? 

“They’re going to fire the iron wolf? I want to see it, too, Big Brother!” 

“I’d be interested as well.” 

Tomoe and Yuriga, who had also been listening, leaned in enthusiastically. Behind them, Ichiha was watching apologetically, but seemed just as intrigued. If the kids’ eyes were sparkling like that, I wasn’t about to disappoint them. 

“Kishun, would you mind giving us a demonstration? Just one shot is fine.” 

 

“Of course. It will be done.” 

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Kishun stepped out into the yard and set to work. He placed straw training dummies in front of a white wall, then planted the lion-dog cannon across from them. 

“The cannon is placed at an angle to extend its range, but I worry that a stray shot might leave the mansion’s grounds, so I will put rocks under it for support instead, and fire it horizontally. The aim can be quite erratic.” 

“Hmm...” 

“I should mention, sometimes it fires a projectile a little smaller than a child’s fist, while other times we load it with small marbles that scatter over a wider range.” 

“I see.” 

Armor-piercing rounds or grapeshot, huh? In the case of the latter, if the enemy was wearing enchanted armor, it seemed unlikely to cause a fatal wound, but might be useful to intimidate them. As I was considering the possibilities, Kishun loaded gunpowder into the lion-dog cannon, put in a bead the size of Tomoe’s fist, and prepared a fuse. 

“Okay... Here goes.” 

With that declaration, he placed the fuse in the back of the lion-dog cannon, and...

Pom! 

...It made a kind of silly noise, followed by a much louder crash. Looking over, the projectile had torn through a straw doll and buried itself in the wall behind it. The louder noise must have been the impact. The children were staring, wide-eyed. 

“That surprised me! It seems pretty strong.” 

“The sound when it fired was goofy, though.” 

Once Tomoe and Yuriga each gave their opinions, Kishun smiled wryly. 

“It gets its other name, the Pom-Pom, from that sound.” 

“Huh?! The Pom-Pom?!” I cried out in surprise, and Shabon cocked her head at me in confusion. 

“Is something the matter?” 

“Uh...! Um, nah... Forget it.” 

The Pom-Pom. I know there was a British autocannon that was called that, but as a Japanese person, the Pom-Pom I immediately thought of the 24 Twin Rocket Car from Godzilla Raids Again. 

“Do you think this weapon could be useful in the battle against Ooyamizuchi?” 

“...I did until I heard its nickname.” 

The 24 Twin Rocket Car in Toho’s kaiju movies was a combat vehicle that shot fireworks at the kaiju to minimal effect. If this thing had the same name... I couldn’t help but feel uneasy about using it. 

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