Gunpowder Plate Armor and the Magic Revolution

"I'm not afraid."

Nozer's tone was firm.

Besides the high-sounding official rhetoric of saving lives, he naturally had his own ideas.

Currently, his mana reserves, output, and combat skills are all too weak. Apart from his ability to control them precisely, he is hardly any stronger than an ordinary person.

But this was clearly not his fault. The Federation's magic education was still too superficial. In addition, what kind of strong combat power could a group of junior officers who had never even been on the battlefield have?

At best, it can only serve as a portable lighter or megaphone, the kind that doesn't consume fuel or bread.

He's still a long way from reaching the level of the legendary magician who can summon wind and rain and boil the sky and sea.

If he learns healing magic now, even if he doesn't reach the level of a super mage in the future and can't make a living based on his combat talent, he will still have the means to survive on the battlefield with this skill that doesn't require too much magic.

At least I don't have to be a common soldier anymore, right?

Moreover, after completing their studies, they can add a record to their graduation file, which will obviously increase their chances of returning to the province of Storm.

"Okay, starting tomorrow, come here every afternoon after class and I'll teach you."

He picked up a thick notebook with a worn-out cover from the table and handed it to Nozer. "These are my own notes. The first part is about the structure of the human body, bones, muscles, and blood vessels. Memorize these first. If you don't even know what a normal human body looks like, how can you talk about healing?"

Noze took the notebook with both hands. It was heavy in his hands. The pages inside were yellowed and filled with dense handwriting, as well as many hand-drawn anatomical diagrams, which were surprisingly detailed.

"Thank you, Father Cisse...teacher!"

"Don't thank me yet."

Father Cisse said calmly, "If you can't memorize it, I'll still kick you out. Also, don't think that having talent means you can be lazy. In healing magic, a slight difference can lead to a huge error."

Cisse then used an ancient phrase from Seris.

"I understand! I will definitely study hard!"

Noze stood at attention and gave him a serious military salute.

Father Cisse glanced at his slightly awkward salute, his lips twitched, and he said nothing more. He turned back to continue tending to the herbs on the table. "Alright, go back now. It's almost curfew. Don't wander around outside."

"By the way, if you have time, read the words on the title page. It's a speech by General Parnil, which is very suitable for you to strengthen your beliefs."

Noze thanked him again before carefully carrying the notebook out of the small room and pushing open the wooden door of the church.

It was completely dark outside; the sunset had faded away, and sparse stars could be seen against the deep blue night sky.

The dormitory buildings in the distance were still lit up, and noisy voices came from the direction of the canteen, along with the commands for the end of evening training, drifting over on the wind.

He looked down at the notebook in his arms, then touched his ribs, where the soreness had lessened considerably.

The frustration I felt during the afternoon's swordsmanship class was dispelled at this moment by a new sense of anticipation.

He walked back to the dormitory building along the same route. When he passed the training ground, he could still see many students practicing extra. The crisp sound of wooden swords clashing echoed one after another.

As soon as I got to the dormitory building, I bumped into Lucas, who was carrying two loaves of bread back from the cafeteria.

"Oh, you're back?"

Lucas's eyes lit up, and he took a few steps closer, looking him up and down. "How was it? Did you confess your sins in church?"

"No, I went to learn healing magic from a master."

Noze smiled and nodded, shaking the notebook in his arms. "Father Cisse took me in and gave me this, telling me to memorize human anatomy first."

"Sure, if you learn healing magic, wouldn't you be a hot commodity that everyone loves?"

Lucas had a lot of things in his hands, so he nudged Nozer's side with his elbow, then quickly withdrew his grip, and suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Hey, wait a minute, why aren't you grimacing anymore? It's only been a short while, and you're already all better?"

"I just saw the priest, and he used his magic to ease the pain a bit. It's not completely healed, but it doesn't hurt as much anymore."

Lucas's eyes widened, and he quickly leaned closer to Nozer and whispered, "Wow, that's amazing! If I get injured during training in the future, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Let me learn it first."

Noze laughed and pushed him away, "Right now I can only barely alleviate my own injuries, I don't want to cause you to die young from my treatment."

The two chatted and laughed as they walked upstairs. As soon as they entered the dormitory building, they heard several students huddled together, whispering something, their voices tinged with nervousness.

"Really? Another incident at the border?"

"Why are they fighting again?"

"Who knows? The Empire has been restless lately. I've heard the royal sorcerers are becoming increasingly active..."

Nozer paused for a moment.

He had always thought that wars in this world were history in textbooks, the past as told by Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman and Captain Lyman, but now, it seemed to have suddenly come to life before his eyes.

Lucas also stopped smiling, patted his arm, and lowered his voice, "Don't listen to their rumors. There have always been minor skirmishes on the border. If it were really going to be a war, we would have been on full alert long ago."

Nozer nodded without saying anything more.

But he knew in his heart that, whether from the perspective of the history of this world or the history he was familiar with, too much friction would eventually lead to an accidental clash. The enmity between the Empire and the Federation could not be summarized by a mere thirty-year war.

This is not simply a war over resources and land, but a tug-of-war between two social systems. The deep-seated hatred between them could not have been formed in just one or two hundred years, and it will not be resolved with time, nor will they lead to cooperation.

Although there have always been so many internal divisions within the Federation that even counting all the stars in the sky wouldn't be enough, the attitudes of the various provinces, or rather, the former member states, towards confronting the Empire have always been remarkably consistent.

No one wants to be a slave, or rather, no one wants to be such a blatant slave.

Being invisibly bound by guilds and the Federation is much better than being actually locked in a cage with a collar by slave owners. At least when the free people of the Federation walk down the street, they all look the same.

Getting back to the point, Norze felt he had to get stronger quickly.

Whether it's magic, swordsmanship, or the healing spells he's learning.

Otherwise, when the war breaks out, he will be like those cannon fodder soldiers who die without knowing why, unable to even save his own life.

Back in the dormitory, Lucas shared half of the black bread he had brought back with him. While munching on the bread, Nozer opened Father Cisse's notebook.

The handwriting inside was neat and crisp, and the hand-drawn anatomical diagrams were incredibly detailed. Every blood vessel and every muscle was clearly marked, and there were also many notes next to them, indicating which parts were fatal, which parts required extra caution when casting spells, and which injuries needed to be treated first.