Chapter 16
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – ChiSync]
Chapter 16
At the brink of falling into a deep sleep, suddenly a loud noise rang out.
The train shook violently, and screams of passengers echoed from behind.
Unless there was a hidden camera taking pictures, it was sure to be a serious accident.
“Ah, ah, agh!”
Hearing Lieutenant Magi’s screams, I quickly assessed the current situation.
First, the possibility of a train accident.
It’s not entirely unlikely, but the Empire’s trains are not simple steam engines. They’re a fusion of science and magic. Even if a problem arises, magical devices would usually prevent any major accidents.
But right now? Things didn’t look good. It definitely didn’t seem like an ordinary occurrence. Not only was there the noise, but there were also no crew members in sight to communicate the situation. So, we move on to the next possibility, a very, very shitty scenario.
‘Terrorism.’
At present, this is the most probable scenario. Then, who could be behind this terrorism? There are three possibilities. Two are neighbouring kingdoms to the Empire, Lascar and Abilesthi.
‘But their motives are too weak.’
Despite tensions with the Empire, these two nations are not typically involved in such antics.
Lascar has been famous for its knights since ancient times, and Abilesthi is a place where magic has flourished.
This means they’re not so devoid of pride as to resort to terrorism.
Therefore, the most reasonable conclusion in the current situation is this.
“Fucking Kanfra bastards.”
The Empire, which had been at war until recently and ultimately suffered a major retreat, is in a dismal situation, even facing disdain from the Hyzens, their kin.
Amidst all this, they somehow need a pretext to divide the Empire and the Elves. Wherever you look, it’s the Empire’s fault. The Elves, those Luzerne bastards are undoubtedly behind this.
And as if confirming my suspicions, another scream is heard from the compartment.
“Aaaah!”
“Shut your mouth, you inferior humans!”
“Elves! Elves!”
“I told you to shut your mouth! Everyone shut up! I can kill you all!”
These bastards bothering innocent civilians. Anyway, these Elves have a thing for science.
Looking at them, even the truth would probably say, ‘F*ck this sh*t.’
“Lieutenant Magi.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Do you have a pistol? Get ready.”
“A-Are we… are we going to fight?”
“Of course. What do you think Empire soldiers are for? They’re here to protect Empire citizens in situations like this. That’s the reason for our existence. Whether you like it or not, whether it’s scary or not, it’s what we must do.”
It’s a bit unfair. Not on any other day, but on a weekend, of all times. And not even on duty anymore. But now I have to deal with these damn Elves.
Ironically, my heart feels lighter than when I was going to escort the four protagonists.
Damn these Elves. These bastards who have devoured the lives of countless members of our battalion. Because of them, those who shouldn’t have died have died. Those who shouldn’t have been hurt are hurt.
It could have been resolved through dialogue. The Pigeon Faction, Hyzens, were proof of that. Even the Empire sought negotiation rather than shedding meaningless blood.
But the Luzerne Elves rejected that. They rejected everything and resorted to violence.
“Lieutenant Magi, do you have any real combat experience?”
“I-I, I’m sorry. I-I, I don’t have… I don’t have any.”
“Then just cover me. I’ll take care of the Elves coming towards us.”
“Ah, ah…”
“No need to aim for headshots. Forget about aiming for the head. Just focus on the body. Preferably the chest. Or even the stomach.”
Even in my previous life, headshots were a kind of fantasy reserved for games. In reality, hitting the torso accurately was considered impressive. Let alone hitting the head with these guns. That’s something only a skilled sniper can do.
“Can I really do well? I-I don’t have experience…”
“You’ve had shooting training, right? It’s the same thing. Just think of them as targets and shoot. Moving targets. But now they make noise.”
“A-ah…”
Seeing Lieutenant Magi on the verge of losing it, I feel more pity than frustration.
I was probably like that too at first. No, I’m sure I was. Even though I lived a soldier’s life in my past life, I’ve never personally killed anyone with a gun. No one has ever fallen with blood splattering from the bullets I fired.
“Lieutenant Magi.”
“Ugh, ugh…”
“Lieutenant Magi.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Pull yourself together. Do you want to die? If you don’t kill, you’ll die. Do you have a family?”
As the lieutenant nodded, I smiled.
That’s perfect. That lingering attachment is what makes you fight better. You need a reason to live to truly survive.
The first ones to fall on the battlefield aren’t the ones whining. It’s those who forget their fear and recklessly charge ahead who receive the first baptism of bullets.
Fear isn’t something you forget. It’s something you overcome. That’s how you survive. And the reason to overcome it.
For Lieutenant Magi, it’s his family.
“You have to see your family. You have to live. To live, you have to shoot. Shoot and hit. Every time you hit, you take one step closer to your family. That’s all you need to think about. That’s enough.”
Even though he’s an officer, explaining it like that seems to have brought him back to his senses to some extent.
After nodding my head, I grasped the greatsword I always carried with me. It was a gift from the platoon leader, but does it really need to be stained with Kanfra blood? Damn it.
“Let’s go. It’s time to work.”
* * *
“The only remaining way to maintain the sanctity of the temple is one. To reignite the extinguished flames. This time, even bigger, so that no one can extinguish them.”
“You are martyrs, martyrs for the faith. Do not fear, proceed. The forest will nurture you!”
Listening to the words of the commander, the young elves struggled to hold back their bursting chests filled with tension.
The Empire. The detestable Empire. The ones who brought shame to our forest tribe. Instead of fighting against those invaders, our foolish kin are shouting for peace.
It was all detestable. Why should we bow our heads? Why?
The children of the great forest. We elves, far superior to those inferior humans. Should we acknowledge their superiority just because their numbers are a bit smaller?
The old ones easily manipulated the youths who were soaked in defeatism. They whispered that they were the hope, that they could change things.
And then, they handed them guns, swords, and magic bombs.
“Don’t look back! Sit! Sit down!”
Right now, among the passengers on the Imperial train, Emvhd was one of them screaming.
“The target is the Imperial train. There is something heading towards the academy nearby. Steal it and when you reach the academy station, detonate it. Let not only them but also their children know the terror of our forest children. Make them pay with more blood, more screams!”
“If that happens, the Empire will shed its mask. Foolish kin will realize their true nature and repent for the past, and join us again. For the glorious temple!”
In truth, I didn’t care about such things. Convincing my kin, or the temple. I just hated the Empire. With all the Empire’s bashing from all sides, it was natural to hate them. Why I hated them, I didn’t know anymore. Whenever I heard ‘Empire’, only the word ‘evil’ came to mind.
So, I volunteered. Despite the fear of dying, I forcefully raised my head. Even when I killed a human steward a while ago, I suppressed the guilt that briefly arose with all my might. Everything was just for the sake of my kin, as the commander said.
Without even considering whether our kin wanted war or peace.
“We have to take the front carriage! Where the engine is!”
“Move! Keep moving!”
Among the twenty or so elves, half remained in each cabin, guarding two people each.
And the rest continued to advance, subduing the stewards and heading towards the engine room.
There were a few Imperial soldiers along the way, but they couldn’t do anything against the numbers.
“The engine room! Where is the engine room?”
“Eek! B-Beyond the first-class cabins! P-Please spare me! Spare me!”
“If you want to live, shut up and get down on the floor! Let’s go! Brothers and sisters!”
At the leader’s command, I hurriedly followed my comrades. And just as I opened the door to the first-class cabin―
Bang!―
There was a burst of flames and a gunshot, and the leader fell without even screaming. In front of him was an Imperial soldier holding a gun, tense.
“Ugh, ugh!”
Desperately trying to reload, but is it as easy as it sounds? As the elves, who were initially frozen, rushed forward in anger—
Thunk!
Suddenly, a man fell from the ceiling of the cabin, landing on one of the elves. Another elf reflexively attacked him, but the man effortlessly dodged, grabbed his arm, and stabbed deeply with a sword held under his armpit.
“Ahh!”
Blood spurted out. Even though he was stabbed just once, the elf couldn’t control his body properly.
“Hose!”
He was quite close to Emvhd. He fell, bleeding.
My eyes rolled back, only harboured thoughts of killing that man. Shooting was difficult in such a confined space. Then, like that man, with a knife—
Thud!—
The man lifted his leg forcefully without a moment’s hesitation.
“Gah!”
With a sensation of my whole body being torn apart, I fell, holding my groin.
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – ChiSync]
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