Our family is in decline

"The lady's event is over here!" The little maid seemed to have discovered something and became excited. The two shuttled through the crowd and finally found the venue where the shooting competition was held.

In fact, the various competitions in this kind of celebration are more entertainment in nature, mainly for product promotion by merchants.

For example, this shooting competition is jointly organized by the mercenary guild and some musket businessmen, and the sponsors include businessmen from Totnes.

Although muskets are troublesome to operate, they are cheap to learn and you don’t even need to aim at close range.

And the effect is direct, especially the armor-breaking ability that far exceeds that of a bow and arrow. Even an ordinary person can kill a knight with one shot.

What's more, Bastia has strong folk customs and a lot of mercenaries. As a big city, business is also very prosperous, so there is still a certain market.

The venue is located on the open space at the entrance of the Mercenary Guild, connecting part of the square area, creating a large space.

There are some sponsor booths around the venue, with various types of muskets, as well as supporting parts and pellets and gunpowder for sale.

Some of the muskets locked in the display cabinets look more like works of art than weapons with their exquisite and gorgeous appearance.

The people on the side were preaching hard about which master gunsmith made those muskets, what precious materials were used, what advanced technology, etc.

Of course, the price is not very affordable. Everyone comes here just to watch the excitement. These are not affordable for ordinary people.

But this also attracted a lot of people. Even Margaret stopped and looked at it for a while, with a vague desire in her eyes.

For a musketeer, a good gun is very attractive. It can be said that although the price is expensive, she can still afford it as a member of the nobility.

But for Margaret, who has been very independent since she was a child, she doesn't want to ask her father for money, it's more because of the marriage contract...

She originally had a good pistol, which her father gave to her for self-defense on her birthday when she came of age. Bastia's folk customs are very tough, which is why she fell into the trap of firearms.

Then after the joke was taken back, her father asked her to learn to be a lady.

But how could her character be so honest that she would go out hunting while Baron Lawrence was not around?

It's just that the one she's carrying now is just a relatively ordinary musket. It's made well, but it doesn't have those fancy decorations.

Although she was a little greedy for those exquisite muskets, Margaret had reason to convince herself that those guns were flashy and impractical at first glance, so it was better to use the one she was used to.

Until she discovered that the championship reward of the competition was actually a very good pistol, which aroused her interest even more.

You must get it yourself!

"Miss, it's time to sign up." The little maid brought over a sign with the number to participate in the competition, and she didn't forget to complain, "There are so many people, and they still have to participate in the preliminary round."

Things like queuing up to sign up were left to servants. Margaret took the sign and directly participated in the qualifying round.

The venue is so big that it is impossible to cram so many people into the competition together, so we have to pass the qualifiers to eliminate some of the weak ones. Only by passing can we actually participate in the competition.

In this test, Margaret closed her eyes and hit casually with confidence.

But when she appeared on the field, she immediately caused a lot of reactions.

Because among so many shooters participating in the competition, she was the only one female.

Bastia is a big city after all. Although muskets have not yet become completely popular, there are still many people playing this game.

There are even barbarians playing with guns among them, but there are very few women.

Margaret did not usually hang out with the noble children, and rarely even came to the city. In addition, there were many outsiders at the celebration, so they did not know her identity.

"Shh~"

The loud whistle sounded like a switch was turned on, and those people began to make judgmental and mocking remarks towards Margaret.

"Little sister, this is not a place for you to play."

"Can you hold the gun steady?"

"This is not a place where women should come. The gun you want to take is not here." A mercenary dressed as a ranger looked at Margaret, took a step forward and struck a pose that he thought was handsome.

Those veteran mercenaries all understood what it meant when they heard it, and couldn't help laughing.

Faced with the malicious intent of those people, the answer was a gunshot.

"boom!"

Margaret fired the gun, and the lead bullet instantly crossed the distance between the two, accurately knocking the hat off the mercenary's head.

This sudden shot stunned everyone, and the mercenary froze in fear.

a little! Just a little away from death!

No words could describe his feelings. Even the feeling of the bullet passing through his scalp came back only now. Only the slight trembling of his body showed his despair.

However, Margaret was still reloading leisurely. Just by looking at her skillful look, she knew she was definitely a veteran.

Now those people understood that she was not here to play.

"Is your gun as hard as mine?" Margaret, who had finished loading, didn't even aim specifically. She just raised the gun and waved it around the mercenary's forehead, then towards his mouth for a moment, but she didn't seem satisfied yet. , falling directly...

"I quit!"

The black muzzle of the gun instantly made the mercenary tremble, and he quickly turned around and ran away without caring about his face.

This is the survival strategy of most mercenaries, going with the wind and waves and throwing against the wind.

“What a good luck~”

"I can do this distance too."

"A blind cat meets a dead mouse."

The other players couldn't laugh it off, but there were still vague voices of doubt, blaming the shot just now on luck, and still unwilling to admit their strength.

But Margaret didn't care at all. Instead, she raised her hand to call the referee and started the qualifying match directly.

The rules are also very simple. A target is set at a distance of ten yards. If three of the five shots hit the target, the target will pass.

The accuracy of muskets in this period is useless even if they are hand-made by some master. It is just a kind of metaphysics.

Therefore, the target paper used is not divided into ten rings, but a very direct black outer circle with a red dot in the center. As long as it hits the target, it is considered a hit.

The red dot is actually used to assist aiming. Of course, there is a rule that the closer to the red dot, the better the result. However, the rules of the budget competition do not require it.

"boom!"

The lead bullet flew out and directly hit the target ten yards away, because at this distance everyone could clearly see that the red bullseye was torn apart by the bullet.

Margaret sneered with a crooked mouth, and her arrogant attitude showed that she was indeed a noble.

No nonsense, load and shoot…load and shoot…

Five shots in a row, five hits on the bullseye, this kind of result immediately made all those noisy guys shut up, and their faces looked like Sima's.

A strong opponent was not good news for them, but instead a cheer came from the crowd watching.

…………

Laura's tense nerves haven't relaxed since she came out of Hamlet. Along the way, she didn't dare to go near human gathering places, nor did she dare to stay too long in one place.

What we eat and drink along the way depends on our ability to hunt with perfect arrows. If we can't light a fire, we eat wild fruits and drink from mountain springs.

But now he finally came back as quickly as possible.

Looking at the majestic city ahead, the dauntingly thick city wall and the towering castle, one of the main roads can accommodate four carriages at the same time, and there is an endless stream of people passing by.

Bastia, I'm finally back!

Before coming back, Laura rushed on as hard as she could, but when she came back here, she stopped and fell into thinking.

She is a barbarian, but she grew up in Bastia, so her mind is naturally not so single-minded.

You must know that he is not coming back to announce the good news. The entire knights were captured, and how should you say that he was the only one who escaped? Who to talk to?

How would the leader of the eagles treat him?

How will Count Bastia treat himself?

Laura felt confused and even had the urge to turn around and run away.

Just treat yourself as dead, I'm afraid no one will care.

After standing there and struggling for a long time, Laura finally bit the bullet and walked towards Bastia, because she didn't know where else to go after she left...

The bustling business district, the endless flow of people on the streets, the large-scale events held in the square... all of these unceremoniously show the prosperity of Bastia to others.

But these seemed incompatible with her, and she could only walk in confusion with uneasiness, and began to think about how to deal with the interrogation that was waiting for her.

And when she was passing by the square, she suddenly heard several gunshots and woke her up. She was already very nervous. This time, she subconsciously touched the short bow. However, when she reacted, she realized that it was a shooting competition nearby and she relaxed. tone.

The sharp eagle eyes instantly locked onto one of the women in hunting attire. Laura remembered that she was the daughter of Baron Lawrence. Because of that farce, a group of eagles was also dispatched to search for her. She was also in action and knew about this unique noble lady.

But Baron Laurence is still waiting for ransom in Hamlet's prison...

This coincidence made her subconsciously stop and watch the game.

Fixed target, moving target, rapid fire... different projects.

Fifteen yards, thirty yards, fifty yards...the distance is getting farther and farther.

Laura stood aside and watched Margaret's musket roar, the bullets accurately penetrated each target, and then received cheers and praises from the onlookers.

She was the only woman among the gunmen, but she was not inferior to the other gunmen at all. On the contrary, she overpowered most of them, and only a few could fight against her.

At this level, Laura is confident that she can also do it with a bow and arrow. The bow and arrow can even shoot faster and feel more stable, giving her the confidence to achieve more perfect results.

But what about the facts?

Not to mention enjoying the cheers from others, he was caught every now and then, and only when the other party took the initiative to let him go did he escape back in despair.

A group of knights and a group of eagles went out, but she was the only one who came back. What should she say? No matter how you explain yourself...

The strong contrast made Laura see the gap even more, and the pressure in her heart became more and more depressed with the cheers of others.

But in the bustling scene, no one noticed the heavier breathing wrapped under the hood of the green robe...

Suddenly the cheers died down and everyone held their breath.

Because after many rounds of elimination, only two people can stand in the finals.

The final event to determine the championship also returned to the most basic fixed target, but this time the distance was changed from the previous limit of fifty yards, but directly to one hundred yards.

This distance directly makes many shooters feel desperate. The most difficult thing to accurately hit a hundred yards is whether the goddess of luck is favoring you.

To put it simply, it all depends on God's will. Just take the shot and leave the rest to luck.

But for the two people on the stage now, they are not desperate and can still operate.

In the previous duel, the opponent seemed to feel that his skills might not be able to suppress Margaret, so he simply reloaded, then took aim and completed the shot.

The bullet whizzed past, and under everyone's gaze, it didn't even hit the target. It just hit the corner of the human-shaped target stand.

If he hits the target, the gunman can still give himself some hope, but the current situation makes him no longer want to compete, because as long as his opponent hits the target, he can beat him no matter how many rings he takes.

Seeing this result, everyone couldn't help feeling sorry, but they were also looking forward to Margaret's action, and their eyes couldn't help but focus on her.

At this distance, no matter how confident Margaret was, she still felt the pressure and couldn't help but restrain the casualness on her face.

After finishing loading, he raised his hand and raised the long gun, his cheek gently close to the butt of the gun. As his breathing gradually slowed down, his index finger slowly touched the trigger.

His sharp eyes focused all his attention on the target paper. As long as he hits the red dot, he will be the champion...

No one noticed that Laura was the first to be ignited by the high-pressure environment around her. She suddenly raised her head, revealing her blood-red eyes with a hint of madness under her hood, staring at Margaret in front of her.

No one can escape Hamlet's curse...even if they have left Hamlet...

While Margaret was concentrating, suddenly the red dot on the target paper suddenly opened and turned into a weird eyeball. Just looking into the weird vertical pupil, a feeling of despair enveloped her. Her brain took away control of her body.

But that's not the most terrifying thing. In her sight, with the eyeball as the center, blood and flesh began to spread like a web, spreading to the entire world, squeezing everything else out of sight.

The feeling was as if something was hitting her, it seemed to be magnifying rapidly in front of her eyes, and it completely occupied her sight in an instant, and unprecedented fear swallowed her heart.

At that moment she seemed to feel that her blood had stopped.

"ah!"

With an exclamation, this strong sensory stimulation prompted her body to respond instinctively. Her steps were so panicked that she didn't even have time to retreat. Her body subconsciously leaned back. In panic, she raised the gun to the sky and pulled the trigger. The range of movements So big that it even made the hat loosen.

The strangeness in front of her eyes subsided after a gunshot, but Margaret still couldn't shake off the feeling of terror and despair. She stood there in a daze with a frightened expression, her body was still shaking, and she was muttering strange things in her mouth. Discourse.

"No...we are the prey..."