37 Firearms
As he gazed down at Jesse's lifeless, fallen body, Vicente momentarily stood in silence, observing the wisps of smoke that were coming out from the barrel of his gun.
"That is the fate of those who threaten my family, Jesse. If it is in my power, I will not spare even old friends and allies!" Vice muttered to himself as he stood up on top of that silo, looking down.
He then shifted his gaze at his rifle, something he had constructed before departing with his family for Saltstar City.
Vicente had an extensive knowledge of weapon construction, which was honed during his time on Earth. In fact, he could make one even with his eyes closed. He was well versed in the step-by-step process that was required for crafting weapons, including every material needed and the meticulous craftsmanship that was required.
After he had managed to scrape together a few coins from the allowance his father gave him, Vicente had gone to a blacksmith in Martell Village and commissioned that person to fabricate the components he needed.
He harbored no fear of 'his idea' being stolen, as he was the only individual in the world who was capable of assembling these weapons. Hence, he had been doing business regarding weapon parts over the past two years.
In this period, he had managed to assemble a long-range rifle, two shotguns, and a revolver, all of which he had concealed in his room.
Unfortunately, during a hunting expedition in which he had participated alongside his father a year and a half ago, Vicente realized his weapons were not very useful against powerful beings, and even their effect would be greatly limited.
Against someone at the 2nd stage of the magic rank, the bullets from these weapons would not have effects.
During a daunting encounter with a beast of that stage during his hunt, he tested it and realized how his gun almost had no effect against the beast's massive body and proved to be futile when it attacked him.
After that experience, Vicente stopped developing his weapons and put them aside before traveling to Saltstar City.
During that time, he only planned to focus on gathering resources and one day Awakening his powers, which could really make a difference.
Nevertheless, the events of this night had led Vicente to return to his plans and reconsider the use of his weapons.
"Boss, this thing is incredible! Its power is really otherworldly!" One of the two men wielding a shotgun marveled, casting admiring gazes at the weapon in his hand, his eyes shining like stars.
The other also looked at the weapon in his hand with satisfaction. This weapon had offered him much more power than he actually held.
"This firearm is amazing! I even feel like I can conduct my mana into it and strengthen its attacks!" The other exclaimed loudly, piquing Vicente's attention.
Vice had not revealed these weapons to anyone but Rory before today. That was because, to other people, he knew he would have difficulty explaining its origins and how he stumbled upon the idea to make it.
Therefore, he did not know how awakened magicians might react to these weapons.
Upon hearing that, he immediately inquired. "Are you sure?"
"Hmm, actually, I think I subconsciously ended up infusing some of my mana to strengthen that bullet." The man responded.
Vicente immediately rushed over to the side of Jesse's lifeless body and checked to see if this man was really dead before inspecting the gunshot wounds on his body.
Jesse had indeed succumbed, but not because of Vicente's shot!
'My bullet didn't go that deep into his brain... Maybe he could have been able to live after that. But these two perforations...' Vicente examined the size of the holes that were caused by the shots fired by those two men.
Each one of the shots was wide enough that Vicente's hands could loosely fit inside the cavities that had been formed after the bullets hit Jesse.
The projectiles had obliterated the nearby organs and bones!
Vicente's eyes sparkled with realization while seeing this.
'I was wrong! These weapons can be affected by the mana of the user! I hadn't considered this before, as I can use a minimal amount of mana. But people with awakened powers can do much more!'
Vicente nearly leaped for joy upon discovering the potential of his weapons.
While he probably didn't have an excellent magical talent himself, if weapons like this could be used to strengthen him and his people, everything could change for them!
Thinking about this, Vicente soon began considering the idea of developing more weapons and forming an armed group.
"Alright, I want you two to dispose of this body in the Crow Woods," he instructed the two after a moment of thought.
The Crow Woods referred to a nearby forest that was in the vicinity of Martell Village.
"And what do we do with these?" One of the two queried, brandishing the weapon in his hands.
"Give them to me. I will lend you this revolver to protect yourselves. We'll discuss these weapons later, but for now, don't talk about it with anyone else," Vicente urged, using a serious tone as he intently looked at the two.
Both readily accepted Vicente's directives and renounced their shotguns to him before he gave a revolver to one of them in exchange.
As much as they were older and stronger than Vicente, they both had their families to worry about, and more importantly, as poor people, they couldn't be stupid.
Stupidity would bring harm not just to themselves but also to their families.
That made them pragmatically accept Vicente's lead.
After learning the potential of these firearms, they immediately grasped the advantage of being on Vicente's side.
If they continued with him, they anticipated there would probably be more guns in the future and also more people in their group, which could undoubtedly improve their prospects compared to them rebelling against him now.
As people of limited magical talent, they knew their potential was limited when they operated alone. However, everything could be different if they were alongside someone with exceptional knowledge and connections, which could open a realm of possibilities for them.
So they quickly departed and headed toward the Crow Woods.
Seeing them leaving with Jesse's body, Vicente secured his firearms in a box and left, returning to his home.
...
"Rory, it's me. Open the door," Vice whispered after three knocks on the door of his house.
While they were carrying out the operation, Rory returned to Vicente's house with Nina and Peter.
Peter remained unconscious, while Nina knew that she had to be obedient to Rory in her brother's absence.
Hence, Rory faced no trouble while taking care of these two children.
Upon hearing Vicente's voice, he started unlocking the several locks Vice had placed over the past few weeks and opened the door for him.
"Well? How did it go?" Rory inquired as he thoughtfully looked at his friend.
"It's all taken care of. Our problems with Jesse have been resolved," Vicente replied as he walked towards his enemy's unconscious son.
"What do we do now?" Rory was not bothered by Jesse's murder since he was well aware of what kind of group he was now a part of.
"I am going to release this boy in the center of the village, and eventually, someone will bring him back to his mother," Vice said in a low voice before picking the boy up and hoisting him on one of his shoulders.
