chapter 35: Cannon
The next day, Ethan woke up to the sunlight streaming in. Because of their journey up the mountain the previous evening, both Ethan and Aleria were tired, so they immediately returned to the cabin to rest. Ethan found Aleria already lying on the couch in the living room. The two of them hadn't had the chance to discuss the kiss they shared the previous evening.
A pleasant smell coming from the kitchen interrupted Ethan's thoughts. Upon entering, he saw Aleria preparing food. Ethan smiled upon seeing Aleria in the kitchen and approached to offer his help. "Can I help you?" he asked gently. Aleria looked up and thanked Ethan before they continued preparing the meal together. During the meal preparation, Ethan turned to Aleria and began to speak. "I want to talk about what happened last night. Especially about that kiss." Ethan paused for a moment before continuing, "It was unexpected, but... it was beautiful. I felt our connection deepening." Ethan wore a sincere expression, and a slight smile appeared on Aleria's face. Aleria, leaving her cooking momentarily, approached Ethan and took his hand. "I felt the same way, Ethan. Every moment with you is special and meaningful to me," she whispered. They looked deeply into each other's eyes, feeling their bond growing stronger.
When the meal was ready, Ethan and Aleria sat down at the table and ate together.
"I won't lie to you anymore, Ethan, and to prove it, I'll tell you about my past. Just know that this is difficult for me, and I think you're the only one I'll tell," she said. Ethan nodded understandingly and waited for her to continue. Soon enough, Aleria began to speak about her painful past. With each passing moment, Ethan's expression changed. He had no idea that Aleria had experienced such things. After listening to Aleria's emotional story, Ethan fell into a deep silence. He was struggling internally, unsure of what to say or how to react. Finally, he got up and sat next to Aleria, quietly squeezing her hand. "Thank you for sharing this with me, Aleria. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for you to go through that. I want to be with you and support you, if you'll allow me," he said.
A sense of relief spread across Aleria's face at Ethan's sincere response. With his words, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. Feeling his support was crucial to Aleria. Leaning towards him, she looked into his eyes and spoke, "Thank you, Ethan. It was important for me to share this with you. I want to be with you and feel your support." They hugged each other, feeling ready to leave their pasts behind and move forward together. Aleria's gaze revealed intense love and commitment toward Ethan.
Although Ethan invited Aleria to his mansion again, she politely declined, promising to visit often. Ethan didn't want to rush their relationship, but he was aware of his feelings for her. With these thoughts in mind, he reached his mansion. Upon entering, Ethan saw the girls in the garden again, but this time, Aphrodite was among them. The trio stopped talking upon seeing Ethan's arrival. After greeting them, Ethan headed upstairs to his study.
As he entered his study, he sat down at his desk and reviewed his work. Then he took out the paper containing information about the enemy fortress from Jeheria's corpse and examined it. Suddenly, the idea of making cannons came to Ethan's mind. Technology in this world was significantly behind, and cannon technology was no exception. Ethan had researched why technology was slow to develop in this world, but he still didn't fully understand the reason. He had a few theories in mind, with magic being the most realistic one. In a world where magic existed, there was less need for technology. For example, the reason cannons hadn't advanced was because of magic. If someone wanted to conquer a fortress, they wouldn't invent a cannon but rather increase their own and their soldiers' magical power.
In daily life, the presence of magic was utilized in various aspects, making people somewhat dependent on its existence. After all, theoretically, increasing one's magical power was limitless. There was no known boundary to magic, and thus, people had become somewhat obsessed with it.
Your magical power somewhat defined your identity. However, in this world, magical power was an inherited trait. If your parents were weak, your chances of being strong were considerably low. It was somewhat predetermined by the household you were born into. However, there were exceptions where individuals born to weak parents were strong themselves, and vice versa.
All these truths had given Ethan an opportunity. After all, in his previous world, he was the only one who knew the power of technology. Ethan had a keen interest in weapons in his previous life, especially in tanks and cannons. He was aware of the power he could wield if he could construct these weapons here. Cannons, in particular, had become a potent weapon in warfare. For instance, in Ethan's previous life, there was a city that had been besieged numerous times but had never fallen. That city was Constantinople. One of the major reasons for its fall was the largest cannons ever made up to that time. The cannons used during the siege of Constantinople were so powerful that the Ottoman Empire had used them for nearly a century afterward. They had even used these cannons in field battles.
All these realities made Ethan's mouth water. He could wield weapons that this world had never seen before. But there was a problem; Ethan didn't have a system. Although Ethan admired these weapons, he didn't remember them well enough to design them, and he didn't have a system or cheat to help him with that. The things he had frequently seen in reincarnation novels in his previous life were not available to him. Therefore, Ethan had no choice but to rely on himself and his memory to make this cannon. Perhaps making the cannon he wanted would take a long time, but Ethan was determined about it.
Ethan started to design a prototype for the cannon. Straining his old memories, he tried to recall the tank and cannon designs he had seen in his previous life. Although mentally visualizing the details of these weapons was challenging, he persevered with determination. In the library of his mansion, he sifted through books containing information about warfare tactics and weapon technologies.
When he found the information he sought, he began sketching designs on paper at his desk. He carefully focused on dimensions, materials, and craftsmanship details. Over time, as he shaped the design, new ideas and improvements came to mind.
However, completing the prototype and making it functional might require more than just his efforts. It might need additional resources and expertise. Therefore, he decided to take some steps to set his plan in motion.
First, he decided to organize the workshop in his mansion and procure the necessary equipment. Then, he planned to communicate with talented individuals around him to collaborate with experts and seek technical advice.
Ethan meticulously planned all the steps necessary for the creation of a new weapon and began to focus on this exciting project. With determination, he continued to progress towards turning the powerful cannon he envisioned into reality.