Magic Academy's Bastard Instructor

Chapter 62: Council of Owls [1]

Chapter 62: Council of Owls [1]

At the stroke of midnight, Vanitas unboxed a sleek, jet-black case.

Inside, nestled in dark velvet lining, was a silver revolver.

"Tempest .707"

A hybrid between modern firearm design from his original world, and alchemical engineering.

The weight was perfect. Heavy enough to feel powerful, but not so much that it hindered movement.

Vanitas spun the cylinder with a soft whirr, watching it rotate smoothly. 

Six chambers. Six loaded with regular bullets. Magic bullets were actually expensive. So, for practice, Vanitas opted to use regular bullets for the meantime.

Raising the Tempest .707, his eyes narrowed, fixed on the line of earth–molded targets.

Vanitas took a steady breath as the memories rose in his mind.

His military service.

Two years of his life. 

The strict routines. The cold nights in barracks. The constant ache in his muscles. The weight of the rifle digging into his shoulder during endless shooting drills. The senior officers' strict orders echoing in his ear.

'Steady your breath. If your hand shakes, your shot misses. If your shot misses, you die. Simple as that.'

His index finger hovered over the trigger.

Bang—!

The first shot rang out. A sharp crack echoed through the training hall.

A hole pierced straight through the head of the first target. The dirt crumbled to the ground.

Bang! Bang! Bang—!

Three more quick shots. Each one hit its mark. A head. A chest. A heart.

"Hoo…."

He let out a slow exhale, lowering the revolver, smoke trailing from the barrel.

"If this were a revolver back from my world, the bullet's trajectory would've been way off the mark…."

He popped open the cylinder, letting the empty shell casings fall to the ground with soft clinks. Pulling out a fresh set of bullets, he loaded them in one by one. 

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.

With a flick of his wrist, he spun the cylinder, then snapped it shut.