The Strongest Gun Magus: I Cast Bullet!-Chapter 74: Civil War, Start

Reynard was walking toward the Snow Trade Emissary, about to shop for ingredients and pick up tasks for the next day. The gold was necessary after all his recent spending, and the gears of capitalism required oil.

He was a street away from the building when he heard an explosion, followed by shouts of panic. A column of purple smoke rose from behind the rooftops.

Auras of several magi flared out, and more shots followed. After a moment of hesitation, Reynard turned around and joined all the passersby who were already running away from whatever magical conflict was happening.

Unlike them, another street away, he climbed up a nearby rooftop. From there, he could see the Snow Trade Emissary building well.

It was burning with yellow, blue, and green fires. Several magi were casting ice spells outside, trying to extinguish the flame, but it stubbornly refused. More people were standing, sitting, or lying near the building, many of them wounded.

From the flame and smoke’s colors, Reynard was sure that fire caught onto alchemical goods that were stored in the Snow Trade Emissary. Now the fire was fueled by magic and eagerly consuming the building’s ceiling beams, threatening to collapse it all.

An ordinary fire wouldn’t have spread so quickly or started with an explosion.

As Reynard watched, another person—a magus protected by an ice shield—jumped out of the second-floor window, carrying a bag of something. Soon after, he was followed by the Head of the Trade Emissary himself, who was carrying a pile of papers.

Surprisingly, there was no fighting. For now.

’I guess it’s back to trading on the open market for me...’ Reynard thought, leaving the crime scene before any investigators arrived. He was sure they would arrive.

***

By noon, news of the fire had spread over the entire Darland. The more times the tale was shared, the larger the initial explosion became, the more people died in it, and the angrier the Order of the Snow became about it.

Everybody was talking about this, even the traders who haggled with Reynard for the price of ingredients.

"And of course, it’s all the Order of Winter’s fault!" an ore merchant said, slamming the counter of his shop. "Now people like myself will have no choice but to go to their trade emissary and deal with their awful prices! And you, young man—are you going to start robbing me first?"

Reynard flailed his arms in exasperation.

"It’s just copper and zinc, but from your prices, they are gold and silver, mister! So there wasn’t any confirmation that the Order of Winter did it?"

"I sell quality ores for quality prices. If you want ore cheaper, go and mine it yourself! Of course it’s Winter. I’m sure the Order of Snow will investigate, but they know it already, and so does everybody else. They must’ve gotten their hands on some powerful spell to level a building with the ground in one fell swoop! No wonder they are so sure that they can pick a fight and win it."

Reynard nodded sagely.

"The orders hated each other for as long as I’ve seen them, but they always ended with civil skirmishes. If an open war starts, you know who will suffer the most? Little people like us, mister. Show me some solidarity, please—don’t raise prices so much!" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The merchant snorted.

"You aren’t very little—you think I don’t know you are a magus? But fine, fine. You aren’t too bad for a foreigner, and you are right—a war will screw us all over. In fact, I should probably sell my stock and move shop elsewhere. I’d do the same if I were you, but I’m not a magus!"

***

Reynard didn’t move out of the city, but he decided to change address. Without delaying even for a day.

By this point, he had enough of a good reputation with the citizens to rent a building on the very edge of the city, in the regions as far away from both orders as possible. He had to pay extra for the rush, but it was worth it.

He moved all his things there as quickly as he could, somehow managing to finish it by evening. The new workshop was more cramped than the previous one, and the ventilation was worse. But it had a tall wooden fence, a separate pig pen building, and a yard, both of which were perfect for Chili.

The Forge-Boar happily rolled in mood and burned grass with its flaming breath.

Thanks to the fence and privacy it gave, the yard was also a good place to practice magic. For gun shooting, Reynard always went out of the city, anyway.

At this point, Reynard also sent Marien a note, arranging a meeting in the morning.

They met outside the city, in the grove of trees that rapidly grew greener with the onset of spring.

To Reynard’s relief, Marien looked well. Even her burns have healed already, and she hasn’t seemed to have gotten into any more fights since then. Unless she won them without a single scratch.

"My dear! I already heard that you have moved from your old workshop!" she said instead of greeting. "What for?"

"Didn’t you hear already? About the explosion?" Reynard frowned. "Things are going to become much more volatile in the city. Too bad I couldn’t find a pair of Repeating Birds for us."

"Oh, that!" Marien grinned. "It’s so exciting—just when I was getting bored with this city! The Order of Winter has already declared that they will pay for the head of every Snow soldier and magus, and that foreign magi are invited to join the organized military force. As mercenaries, of course."

"Did you?"

"Of course! I never fought in an organized military force before. I have to try it, at least! I will leave when I have enough." Marien waved her hand dismissively.

Reynard sighed, then let his feelings show and gave her a tight hug. Marien let out a shocked squeak, then hugged him back.

"Oh!" Marien added when they separated again. "But after this explosion, they stopped investigating you and me anymore."

And this was when the realization dawned on Reynard...