The Grand Duke hadn't landed a single shot on the target, while I hit mine on my very first try, which made the atmosphere take a strange turn. I was learning for the first time that the Grand Duke had a surprisingly competitive streak.
"Have you handled an arkebuse before?"
"This is my first time firing one. The powder smoke is so thick I can hardly breathe."
"The court clergy hate it. They call it the very breath of the devil."
It looked like one of the court priests was among his attendants. When I glanced at the man's face, I caught him glaring at the firearms with a look that mixed disgust and outright contempt.
The Church had branded firearms as the devil's weapons and forbidden their use, but as always, that meant nothing to the nobles. The clergy considered gunpowder itself an act of impiety.
