MTLNOVEL Chapter 93: Cannon
"Fire!"
Another synchronized volley exploded across the grounds, producing a rolling wave of sound and thick smoke that momentarily obscured the field. The smell of burned powder hung heavily in the air, carried by the wind.
Arthur narrowed his eyes as he studied their movements.
The formations were far from perfect—some still flinched slightly at the recoil, others struggled with the rhythm of reloading under pressure. A few misfires popped irregularly, triggering brief moments of hesitation. But compared to where they had started mere days ago, it was progress. Rapid progress.
Klein, standing beside him, watched quietly. "They're adapting quicker than expected, Your Majesty."
Arthur nodded, "The discipline from their previous training helps. Even knights and mages who struggled with sword or spell still understand formation discipline. That's why I chose them."
As Arthur spoke, his gaze shifted slightly.
From the far end of the field, four men were pushing two large wheeled platforms forward. The heavy iron cannons groaned on their reinforced wooden carriages, their thick black barrels glistening faintly under the afternoon sun.
The design was simple but brutal—a crude yet functional weapon born from Arthur's recollections of early cannon technology on Earth. Each cannon sat mounted on a sturdy wooden frame reinforced with thick iron brackets to withstand the violent force of firing. The barrels were smoothbore, roughly a meter and a half long, with wide, circular muzzles large enough to easily fit a man's fist.
Heavy wooden wheels—thick and broad—allowed the platform to be moved slowly across the uneven training ground. Thick ropes were tied around the frame to help control recoil after firing. The iron vent holes near the rear of the barrels had been carefully drilled, where the ignition powder would be placed for firing.
It wasn't elegant.
It wasn't beautiful.
But it was devastating.
Arthur's lips curled slightly as he watched the men carefully maneuver the cannons into position for testing. Even now, seeing the crude but effective weapons fully constructed on this foreign soil stirred a strange mixture of familiarity and awe within him.
Klein, standing beside him, couldn't help but stare at the strange devices. He'd seen many military drills over the years, but this… this was something entirely foreign. After a moment of studying the heavy wooden frame and iron barrel, he turned to Arthur with curiosity in his voice.
"Your Majesty… is that also your design? The thing with the thick wheels and large iron tube?"
Arthur gave a small nod. "It is. I call it a cannon. I designed it based on certain… principles, and handed the blueprint to Master Blackwell for production."
Klein's brows furrowed. "It looks... heavy. It takes at least two men just to move one. And judging by the care they're taking, I assume it's capable of considerable destruction?"
Arthur allowed himself a faint smile. "You're not wrong. In fact, this will change the entire approach to warfare."
He gestured toward the cannon with a slight wave of his hand, as the crew continued preparing for the next shot.
"Right now, in Keldoria—and across most kingdoms—siege weapons dominate large-scale battles. Ballistae, trebuchets, battering rams, catapults—wooden machines that hurl stones or bolts at fortified walls. Effective, yes… but slow to build, cumbersome to transport, and wildly inaccurate in the chaos of the battlefield."
Klein nodded. He had seen countless such weapons in previous campaigns. Dozens of workers assembling massive siege engines for days, sometimes weeks, before they could even begin an assault.
Arthur continued, his voice calm but laced with quiet confidence. "These cannons will render most of those obsolete. A single well-placed shot from one of these can punch through walls that would take dozens of catapult strikes to weaken. And unlike traditional siege equipment, these are far more mobile—faster to load, easier to reposition, and capable of terrifying both infantry and cavalry alike. And as for the destructiveness, you will see."
As if on cue, the cannon crew started preparing for the shot. Klein watched with growing curiosity, observing the strange, foreign process unfold step by step.
First, two men carefully moved forward with long wooden rods—the worm and the sponge. One used the worm—a spiral iron-tipped rod—to reach deep into the barrel, twisting and pulling out any debris or remnants from the previous shot. Even a small spark left behind could cause the entire cannon to prematurely ignite during loading.
Then the second man followed immediately with the sponge—a thick, dampened cloth wrapped around another rod—carefully swabbing the inside of the barrel to cool it and extinguish any lingering embers.
Once the barrel was clean and cooled, another soldier stepped forward carrying a leather pouch filled with pre-measured powder charges. He poured the carefully packed black powder down the muzzle, tapping the wooden rammer lightly to settle it.
A second man followed with the iron cannonball, fitting it into place at the barrel's mouth. The rammer was used again, slowly and firmly pressing both powder and shot deep into firing position.
Then, stepping around to the rear of the cannon, a fourth crewman inserted a small priming charge into the touch hole—the small vent bored at the back of the barrel.
Only after each step was meticulously completed did the commander step forward, raising his hand high and calling out the order.
"Ready to fire!"
Klein watched, his brow furrowed. "So many steps for a single shot…"
Arthur nodded. "Yes, it requires precision and coordination. But once drilled into disciplined crews, they can reload and fire within minutes—far faster than any trebuchet or ballista. And unlike a stationary siege weapon, these can be rolled across battlefields with relative speed."
Finally, the crewman lit a long slow match—a thick rope of burning treated cord—and brought it carefully toward the priming vent. A brief flash of sparks erupted.
BOOM!
The cannon discharged with violent force, its recoil slamming backward as the thick ropes strained against the frame. A massive plume of smoke burst forward, rolling across the ground in heavy clouds. In the distance, the iron ball smashed into another layered target—this time a crude mock-up of a stone wall—cracking it open with a violent crunch that echoed through the field.
Klein instinctively flinched at the sheer force of it, while the surrounding recruits and instructors broke into murmurs of awe.
Arthur, however, simply watched with calm satisfaction.
"This is only the beginning," Arthur said softly, his voice calm but filled with quiet certainty. "Once these men are fully trained… Once production ramps up… these will dominate the battlefield. Other kingdoms can still cling to their knights and their walls. But no wall is unbreakable when faced with this. And with these in place, even defending against an enemy assault becomes far more effective."
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly as the distant cannon fired again with another deafening roar, sending a fresh cloud of smoke rolling across the training ground. The shattered remains of the target structure crumbled like paper beneath the cannonball's sheer force.
Beside him, Klein swallowed hard, fully grasping the magnitude of what he was witnessing. The balance of power in this world was shifting before his very eyes. The age of swords, shields, and stone walls was slowly being challenged by something entirely new—something almost unnatural in this world.
For a brief moment, silence hung between them as the gun crews continued their drills in the background, their movements now more fluid with each volley.
But then, Arthur's attention shifted.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a familiar figure approaching with brisk, purposeful steps—Ken.
Arthur's sharp gaze immediately picked up on the subtle tension in Ken's expression. His pace was fast, his back stiff, his brows slightly furrowed—a clear sign that whatever he carried was important, and urgent.