Chapter 17
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
Chapter 17
In war, there is only one cowardly act. Abandoning your comrades and fleeing.
Everything else is not cowardice but tactics and strategy. The one who falls victim to them is the fool.
Moreover, targeting the groin alone doesn’t even qualify for the cowardice category.
‘In fact, it’s rather merciful. Sending them off with one shot must be quite satisfying.’
The Kanfras, the Luzernes, were extremely cruel. It was routine for them to skin the scalps of Imperial soldiers they captured.
Compared to such acts, I could consider myself an angel of mercy.
“Kwak! Cough!”
The one constantly spilling blood from his armpit, making gasping sounds as he fades away.
The one frothing at the mouth, clutching his bloodied groin, now fallen. They’ll all die soon.
Or maybe they could have died from shock much earlier.
Whatever it was, we didn’t torture like the Kanfras for hours. A cleaner end than my comrades. For those who are not soldiers but terrorists, it’s a merciful treatment.
“S-Sir!”
At Magi’s shout, I immediately dropped to the ground without bothering to fight the Kanfras.
Whether they kill me or not doesn’t matter. It’s better than getting shot by friendly fire in the back of the head.
“Ah!”
Hmm. This one’s worth three points. First shot hit the chest straight away; it must have been a lucky shot. Still, since I grabbed one of his arms, it’s much easier from my perspective.
Due to the cabin layout, they could only engage in one-on-one combat with us against their will. If this were an open field, they would have been trampled by sheer numbers.
Even if you’re a great fighter, there’s no chance against sheer numbers. In that aspect, the cramped space of the train was fortunate for me.
“Uwaaaa!”
The Kanfra was throwing a fit. But judging by his movements, his amateurishness was apparent.
Such big movements in such a narrow space would only harm himself more. Why on earth did they send these guys with such thoughts?
Thunk!
“Ah, agh! Aaaagh!”
I twisted his arm first and then twisted his neck to indicate that he could stop now. It was a merciful death compared to the deaths I remembered from the war.
I thought about giving the Kanfras an even more painful end. But I didn’t. It would only worsen the PTSD, and there were things to do with Magi right now.
“Magi, snap out of it.”
“Uh, uh…”
“Magi, wake up. It’s not over yet.”
“Yes, yes, Sir.”
It seems to be the first time he’s shot someone, judging by how pale his face is.
He said he just became a lieutenant, so he’s been in the army for about a year and a half.
Most rookie officers had participated in the Luzerne War, but he didn’t seem to be one of them. So, it’s understandable that he’s lost his soul just by firing a gun like that.
“Take a deep breath.”
“Huh, huuuh. Haaah.”
“Good. See those Kanfras’ guns over there? Grab as many as you can. It takes a while to reload after one shot. Instead of that, it’s better to have multiple guns, fire one, discard it, fire another, and change. Anyway, those aren’t even Imperial army supplies, so there’s no need to worry about paperwork. Quickly.”
At my words, Magi diligently picked up the elves’ pistols. I thought he might faint at the sight of the corpses, but surprisingly, he remained calm.
Maybe he hasn’t fully grasped the current situation yet.
“They may have realized that something is wrong by now. If they ever hold hostages and demand a standoff, just aim the gun and threaten them. Try to keep their attention as much as possible on you, Lieutenant.”
“Understood. Um, Sir, this.”
Magi handed me one of the pistols the elves were holding.
“Wouldn’t you need one?”
“….”
Damn it. I can’t confess here that I was a terrible marksman. In the end, I reluctantly took it, but I just roughly tucked it into my belt.
Immediately after, Magi and I opened the cabin door and entered.
“Hey! What happened to securing the engine room?!”
“What are you doing, Lieutenant! They’re Kanfras! No hostages! Shoot them!”
“Yes, yes!”
Bang! Once again, it’s a hit. And this time, it went straight into the forehead accurately.
Whether Magi was lucky or secretly a genius marksman, it’s good news for me anyway. A reliable protector is truly a guardian angel.
“Fuck, Karl, are you an ally or an enemy with that knife? You bastard.”
“I had a hard time protecting you as much as I could, but you’re still doing that?!”
“What kind of bastard shot me while I was covering him, but ended up getting a bullet right next to me?”
I forcefully pushed away memories of nearly hitting allies while shooting to protect.
“What, what are you guys doing!”
Well, what can I say. A junior officer and a returning student who happened to be on the train. They’re Kanfras.
Thunk!
If he were a seasoned soldier, he would have quickly hidden behind the seat.
Concealment on the battlefield is not just about saving one’s own life, it’s also a crucial act to draw out the enemy’s futile attacks and find clues for counterattacks.
But he didn’t do that. Like a fool, he turned the gun towards me, without aiming properly and with poor posture, using only one hand.
The longsword had long left my hand.
“Ah!”
As the longsword plunged into his chest, the terrorist Kanfra screamed and writhed in pain. He didn’t even know what pain was, let alone how to counterattack. In a word, he was a fool. I quickly kicked him down, then cut off his breath with the longsword.
“He, hee-hee!”
“Everyone, don’t worry! I-I’m Magi, a Lieutenant of the Imperial Army! Please stay calm and stay in your seats! It’s more dangerous to move!”
I left the passengers to Magi. He’d be better in the army officer’s uniform than me.
Now, to the next cabin. As I was about to open the door, instinct grabbed my hand. The senses that saved me so many times on the battlefield. They were shouting at me to think again.
‘There’s no guarantee that luck will continue.’
The Kanfras here so far were just inexperienced rookies.
Then, will all the remaining ones be the same? The answer, of course, is ‘I don’t know.’ And in our world, ‘I don’t know’ was just another word for ‘no.’
I hoisted up the Kanfra corpse sprawled on the floor with all my strength. Damn, it’s disgustingly heavy.
Afterward, when I opened the cabin door and pushed out his corpse, gunshots rang out immediately.
Bang! Bang!
Well, there are some who know what they’re doing from now on. Of course, they seem to have forgotten that firing like that takes a long time to reload.
“Eek!”
I swiftly cleaved the chest of the one who was about to reload.
If he hadn’t worn armor, a few ribs would have been easy to break with the combat boots I was wearing.
Unfortunately, they were just ordinary shoes, so they only made it hard to breathe for a moment.
“Cough!”
As expected, I finished with the longsword. And instead of shooting, I threw away the gun I had.
By the way, throwing guns is a tactic that’s originally in the Imperial Army textbook, not just an improvisation. The gun is quite heavy, so once you hit it, you can temporarily block the opponent’s movements.
Look at that. He’s staggering because he took some shots from the gun. It seems like throwing the gun is new to him.
“Y-You damn human!”
Shoot, reload, attack when the opportunity arises, dodge when needed, and press on when they falter.
That’s the basic rule of the battlefield. No veteran soldier or master strategist would disobey it. In that sense, he should have backed off, instead of stubbornly reloading.
Whizz!
Blood, saliva, and a few corn kernels scatter.
Normally, I would have confirmed the kill, but not this time. I just turned his body around and pushed it into the next cabin.
Bang! Bang!
“Oops!”
As expected. Those who do wrong have no distinction between friend or foe.
“D-Damn it! Kusshu!”
When you realize you’ve shot an ally, your brain shuts down momentarily. I’ve been there a few times in the past, so I understand it a hundred times over. Thankfully, I didn’t kill them, but these guys did.
“Gah!”
“Ugh!”
The clothes I wore were stained crimson with the Kanfras’ blood. The screaming passengers were left to Magi as I continued moving.
I can’t stop. If I give them time, they’ll figure out the situation. Full throttle. I have to keep pushing forward until the end. And finish it.
They were trying to take over the engine room. There was a big shock earlier. If they fail, these terrorists will wreak havoc from the back of the train.
Now, this next cabin is the last. If I tidy up here, the situation will be over.
Clack!
I step aside and cautiously open the door. No bullets flying. Maybe they’re holding hostages. This makes things a lot more complicated.
“Over there? I know you’re hiding. Will you come out?”
A clear female voice. Anyway, these Kanfras, regardless of gender, are a nuisance. I hide the gun as much as possible and approach with my arms raised.
If there really are hostages, I need to induce as much relaxation as possible. Then…
“Huh?”
“Oh my. What’s this? A human? Nice to meet you.”
In sight was a perverted elf wearing something that could be called clothes. And behind her were two Kanfra corpses lying cold and lifeless.
…Oh. One of them doesn’t seem dead. It’s wriggling like half a corpse, but it seems alive.
* * *
Luck was on my side. I quickly seized the opportunity.
With the terrorists of Luzens out of the way, Eloise entered the mission.
‘Uh, what’s going on with this human?’
From the looks of it, he seems to have handled this situation alone. Bloodied clothes, a sharp broadsword, and a grim demeanor.
“Anyway, listen. Don’t misunderstand. I’m…”
“Are you an Elven agent from Hyzenes?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah?”
Fortunately, there’s no need to explain now.
“Are you Imperial?”
“I was Imperial. Now I’m a student at the academy.”
“A student? Do students these days carry stuff like that?”
When I pointed to the broadsword, the student coughed awkwardly.
“It’s a gift from a friend.”
“Weird friend you’ve got. Anyway, this will make things quicker. I’m from the Extermination Division…”
Suddenly, the student drew a pistol from his waist. Even though I was caught off guard, I couldn’t react in time.
Could it be a trick? Or perhaps a prank by the Kanfras. How foolish I was to let my guard down just because he looked handsome…
Bang! Bang!―
‘…Wait. Two gunshots?’
Only after throwing myself to the side did I grasp the situation.
The corpse I had kept alive to gather information had drawn a gun and aimed at me. And just before firing, the student had shot him.
The bullet that should have been lodged in my body was now rolling on the cabin floor, crushed by another bullet in mid-air.
“What the….”
It was an incredible feat of marksmanship. A bullet blocked by a bullet. I’ve never seen anything like that before. I’d never even heard of it.
Staring blankly at the self-proclaimed student, I thought.
That man must be a sharpshooter in the Imperial Army.
There’s no other explanation for this situation.
‘Perhaps he’s the man who stole from my plate…’
I licked my lips with a seductive smile.
Meanwhile…
“Wow. This is something else. How did I do that?’
Karl was doubting his own marksmanship.
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
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