The Demon Saint is Missing, so I Ran to Another World

Life Inside the Conclave (Part 1)

***The Red Goblin Clan's Castle, in the city of Goblinhom...***

Several loud explosions could be heard coming from the courtyard of the Red Goblin Clan's castle. If one was not familiar in the area, they would immediately think that a battle was in progress around those parts, for it was the sounds of multiple black powder shots. However, as for the people who frequented the place, they do not need to be alarmed; for it was only the patriarch of the Red Goblin Clan, the Lord Tenguri, testing out his latest design in gunpowder weaponry.

"Alright, the matchlocks have been set in place," the master engineer called out to his wife, who was the one operating the experimental weapon. "Are you ready, my darling?"

Lady Baraquiel just gave him a nod, for she could barely hear his voice through the ear muffs on her ears. The orc noble lady planted her feet firmly on the ground, took aim with her arms, and pulled the trigger.

"!!!"

There was an irregular succession of explosions, and shots went flying out from the multiple barrels that were put together by the Lord Tenguri. It shredded the target, placed about 100 yards away from where Lady Baraquiel stood.

"Whew!" the orc lady put down her weapon. "That was a real blast!"

Despite that, the Lord Tenguri was visibly displeased, looking through his notes as if there's a mistake in his design. "No, it won't do," he quipped. "The firing time is too slow and not synchronized. In a real battle, it can cause accidents to its wielder and the ones around him."

Lady Baraquiel went beside him to help her husband review his notes, "Hmm...and if I must say, only my people, the orcs, can use it effectively. It's too heavy, and the recoil is too strong for a goblin soldier."

The Lord Tenguri was silent. Deep in his mind, he was thinking of how the designers of that weapon the Usarveds gave him before was made. They claimed that the 'Knights' wielded it, and in battle, those crack horns shot bullets in rapid succession, without reloading until the last round was fired from its canister.

He sought to reverse-engineer and imitate it. However, his attempts to replicate its mechanism failed. So he tried a new, but similar, design...

"..."

And what he built was a 'crack horn' with multiple barrels. While he did manage to make it fire rapidly, the 'demon powder' generated too much smoke, and accumulated residues when burned, thus blocking the exit of the weapon. Not to mention, the reload time became even slower than a single-barreled 'crack horn'. The combination of cleaning the blockage and manual reloading made his design impractical.

There were also the issues of weight, and recoil, which was too cumbersome for a one-person operation.

"Darling," it was Lady Baraquiel, "I guess you should stop for a while, and take a rest. Your weapon designs won't go away, so there's no need to rush, see? How about we get something to eat in the kitchen? I'm sure the chef has already cooked some food for us."

"Hmm...you're right," the goblin engineer nodded. "I'll just get back to this after eating. By the way, won't Srexe join us?"

"Ah...our daughter shut herself in her room," the orc lady chuckled. "She told the servants never to bother her until she calls for them."

"What's she's doing in there? Will she be alright?"

"You worry too much; Srexe is at the age where she would like to connect with someone."

"You're right; that kid's a beauty, only if she would watch her tongue."

The Lady Baraquiel laughed and took hold of her husband's hand, "Hoh...I'm sure she'll be alright, milord. After all, that girl is going through her phase."