Ibnel continued speaking without knowing what kind of expression Gerien was making.

“And I’m sorry. It must have been made with great care here, but I accidentally dropped and broke it while dealing with a monster. I tried to treat it preciously since I used it every time I trained after coming to Karies.”

She felt sorry for breaking something that must have been made through the hands of countless people due to her mistake.

When she was about to feel awkward from his lack of response, the count’s voice was heard.

“It fulfilled its role as a weapon, so there’s no need to apologize.”

“Thank you for saying that. It seems I’ll have to rely on you a lot in the future as well.”

Ibnel conveyed what she honestly wanted to say as usual, regardless of how the other person thought of her. That smile rather flustered Gerien.

How many times did she manage to perplex someone in just a few exchanges of conversation?

“Then let’s go in.”

“If it’s alright, may I look around the workshop in the count’s residence while you have a work-related conversation with His Majesty? If it’s inconvenient, I’ll wait in the reception room.”

At Ibnel’s request, Gerien looked at Shuher, who gave a look indicating he should decide for himself.

Gerien hesitated before calling the butler of the count’s residence.

“You called, my lord.”

“This is His Majesty’s guest. Guide her to the workshop.”

“Yes. Please follow me.”

“Thank you for allowing me.”

She expressed her gratitude and followed the butler. As Gerien couldn’t take his eyes off her retreating figure, Shuher spoke up.

“I thought you’d refuse outright.”

“Let’s just say it was a momentary whim.”

“She didn’t seem like someone who would be swayed by flattery.”

“If she had spoken that way, I would have refused without even considering it.”

But what Ibnel had just shown was neither flattery nor adulation, but pure goodwill and gratitude. When he first heard she would be visiting together, he wasn’t particularly pleased, but now that thought had changed a little.

“Meeting her directly like this seems to have made things more confusing.”

Shuher seemed to understand what that emotion was. It was something he felt occasionally whenever he saw her.

“Let’s go in as well.”

He gazed at Ibnel’s retreating figure, now just a dot in the distance, before entering the mansion.

Meanwhile, as Ibnel followed the butler’s guidance away from the mansion, the familiar scent of gunpowder began to waft into her nose. And at the end of that path stood a building with an atmosphere completely different from the antique mansion.

“Here we are.”

“The scale is really impressive.”

As befitting a family with a long history related to firearms, there were various buildings for different purposes. From researching firearms to developing, testing, inspecting, and repairing them.

Just seeing the numerous firearms and busy people there strangely lifted her mood.

“This is the development room used by craftsmen affiliated with the Yunis family.”

“May I go inside?”

“Of course.”

Stepping inside, one wall was densely packed with guns, and the desks were filled with familiar parts along with various blueprints.

“Butler, I think you need to check this.”

When someone called for him, the butler showed a troubled expression, so Ibnel spoke up first.

“I’ll be fine, so please go ahead.”

“Then excuse me for a moment.”

Left alone, she began to explore the space in earnest. That’s when a revolver on the desk caught her attention.

Ibnel picked up the gun as if entranced and examined it. Holding it directly in her hand, she could clearly feel the difference from what she was currently using.

‘Are they making a new one?’

While she was examining it closely as if being drawn in, an unfamiliar voice was heard from behind.

“Who are you?”

Ibnel turned around startled to find a woman standing there. With neatly tied navy blue hair and lighter colored eyes, she was wearing clothes stained with gunpowder.

She soon approached Ibnel and abruptly held out her hand. As Ibnel just stared at that hand without understanding, the woman spoke again.

“That gun is still in the testing phase.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. It was so different from what I’m using now that I couldn’t help myself.”

Ibnel handed over the gun she was holding. The woman then went to her own spot and skillfully handled it from the muzzle to the trigger. Watching this, Ibnel suddenly spoke up.

“Are you perhaps Lady Yunis?”

At her question, the woman’s hands working on the gun suddenly stopped, and the same blunt gaze from earlier was directed at Ibnel. But a glimpse of surprise could be seen behind it.

“I apologize for the late introduction. I’m Ibnel Istella. I hope I haven’t interfered with your work.”

After her greeting, a moment of silence passed before the other party’s flat voice was heard.

“I’m Henea Yunis. I knew His Majesty’s guest was coming today.”

After those words, silence fell again, so Ibnel broke the awkwardness by pointing to the gun Henea was holding and saying:

“It’s definitely good. Lighter than what I used before, and the rotating cylinder is much smoother too.”

“Is that… so.”

Though it was a small voice, undisguised joy could be glimpsed in it. Just seeing that was enough to feel how much affection she had for guns.

“I really love shooting too. You said it was in the testing phase earlier, but if it’s alright, could I try using that gun once? I’m so curious about how it would feel.”

“Would that be okay?”

Unexpectedly, Henea accepted right away as if she had been waiting for it. She had been gathering opinions on how it felt when actually used anyway. She could check various things including the sound as well.

So there was no reason to refuse.

“Of course, if it’s alright with you, my lady.”

“Then please follow me.”

Following Henea, there was a well-equipped shooting range not far away. Ibnel skillfully loaded the bullets into the gun she handed over and took her stance in front of the target.

And she pulled the trigger confidently.

Henea also watched intently with a serious expression from a short distance away.

Ibnel’s skills far exceeded her expectations.

She knew she did shooting, but she didn’t know she had such excellent skills. Henea had seen many people while making guns, but it would be no exaggeration to say she was the best among those she had seen.

As proof, she was piercing only the center of the target.

Ibnel, who had finished shooting by now, approached Henea and said excitedly:

“It’s much better than what I used before! Higher accuracy and less recoil too.”

“Was there anything uncomfortable?”

“No, I don’t think there were any particular problems.”

She handed the gun back to her and they left the training ground together. The two conversed naturally with less awkwardness than before.

“Did you make that gun, Lady Henea?”

“Yes, I participated in leading it from the development stage.”

“That’s amazing. It must not have been easy. Have you been interested in making firearms since you were young?”

“I naturally became interested as I learned over my father’s shoulder from a young age.”

“Lady Henea, you really do love making firearms.”

At those words, Henea looked at Ibnel with a somewhat surprised face. Seeing that expression, Ibnel worried if she had said something wrong.

“Did I say something offensive?”

“No, it’s not that… It’s just that people usually think I’m just following family tradition.”

“I can see that. But to say that when your face looked so happy while handling the gun… If you were just following family tradition, you wouldn’t have made such an expression.”

Perhaps it was more noticeable to Ibnel because she liked something similar. How much affection she had behind that blunt exterior.

At that answer, Henea hesitated before asking something she couldn’t earlier.

“How did you know?”

“Pardon? Know what exactly?”

“That I was Lady Yunis. When I’m dressed like this, no one thinks I’m a noble lady.”

Henea was just curious how Ibnel recognized her at a glance even in her comfortable work clothes stained with gunpowder here and there. Usually, she was seen as just one of the people working for the family.

‘No, they were too busy mocking.’

While they acknowledged the family’s reputation, the perception around her directly doing this work as a noble lady wasn’t very good. Even if they didn’t say it to her face, she wasn’t unaware of what they whispered behind her back.

Of course, Henea didn’t particularly care. She could just ignore it.

So she couldn’t help but be curious about Ibnel who recognized her without any prejudice. Moreover, she was still naturally accepting it and conversing with her now.

Looking at Henea waiting for an answer, Ibnel spoke as if it were only natural. The reason she could recognize her at first sight.

“That’s precisely why I could tell.”

“Pardon?”

“Your handling of the gun was too precise and delicate. And the atmosphere resembling the count also played a part. Above all, there’s no law stating noble ladies can’t do this kind of work, right?”

“Ah…”

Henea couldn’t give any answer for a moment as it was something she had never heard from anyone. From that reaction, Ibnel seemed to sense the hardships she must have gone through.

“Actually, the most surprising part about seeing you was something else.”

“Yes?”

“You acted normally even knowing who I was. When people find out I’m from Aodin, their eyes change from the start.”

But she couldn’t feel anything like that from Henea at all. Even after learning who Ibnel was, the look in her eyes remained unchanged.

Henea also immediately understood what Ibnel was saying. There was quite a commotion for a while when rumors about her spread. That she had gained abilities but could never be accepted because she was from Aodin.

As a person of the Karies Empire, she couldn’t say she didn’t have such feelings at all, but Ibnel whom she met and conversed with directly was completely different from what she thought.

“Seeing how preciously you handle guns, I thought you couldn’t be a bad person.”

From the perspective of someone who makes guns, that cherishing and loving appearance was much more trustworthy than those noisy rumors.

Moreover, Henea had received countless misunderstanding gazes just based on her appearance, so she knew well how foolish it was to judge someone based on that alone.

“I’m more grateful that you say it like that.”

Ibnel was sufficiently thankful just for being seen as she was.

“Somehow I feel like Lady Henea and I have a lot in common. Ah, if I offended you,”

“No, it’s not that. Actually, I felt the same.”

Henea had just been thinking the same thing. Despite meeting for the first time, conversing wasn’t uncomfortable at all. At some point, she had become someone who preferred guns to meeting people.

‘She might be an even better person.’

As they talked, they reached the front of the mansion where they had first gotten off the carriage, and Shuher and Gerien were there.

Shuher also noticed Ibnel with Henea.

“Have you finished your conversation?”

“Yes. I see you were with Lady Henea.”

“We met by chance while looking around the workshop.”

“I greet Your Majesty the Emperor. I apologize for greeting you in this attire.”

He didn’t seem to mind Henea’s outfit at all.

“Let’s be on our way then.”

Before getting into the carriage, Ibnel exchanged farewells with Henea with a regretful heart.

“It was really nice meeting you today, my lady. It certainly refreshed my mood.”

“Me too. If… you ever need my help with anything, please feel free to come find me.”

She nodded readily at Henea’s hesitantly spoken words.

As the carriage carrying the two drove away, Gerien saw Henea unable to take her eyes off it and asked her:

“You look happy.”

“Do I?”

Henea recalled what she felt while conversing with Ibnel today and continued speaking.

“Father, Lady Ibnel seems… like a good person.”

“How unexpected. For you to speak that way about someone. Especially someone you just met today.”

“She may be from Aodin, but at some point I completely forgot that fact.”

Outwardly, Gerien didn’t show it, but inwardly he was quite surprised. Henea didn’t easily open up to strangers, yet someone she met for the first time today made her say such things.

“What do you think, Father?”

“Well. Perhaps I feel similar to you.”

Though they had only exchanged a few words of conversation, Gerien could somewhat understand why his daughter was saying such things.