Prologue
Translator: Skythewood
Editor: Hiiro
The sound of footsteps on the stone pavement and the ragged breathing of several men quickly passed them.
The girl hid in the dark with bated breath. After who knows how many waves of sound pass them by, she took her little brother’s hand and ran.
【Sis, it hurts...】
The girl put her index finger to her lips and said to her little brother who was tearing up from the pain of his wrist.
【... Bear with it, Huelly. Until we get away from those people.】
She warned softly, then scampered under the roof of a residential house when she sensed a presence behind her. Shortly after, 4 men armed with Wind Guns appeared from the corner one after another.
【...Ugh...】
Clang clang! Doors were being knocked. These men seemed to be searching the residential units in the vicinity. The siblings hiding under the roof watched as they tried to hide quietly.
——If they find us, we will get taken away too.
A chill ran down the girl’s spine at that thought, making her feel very uneasy. A groan welled up to her throat from the pain of her constricting chest.
【——Ughh......!】
She desperately suppressed her urge to moan as she waited for the presence to pass by, mustering her faltering heart through sheer willpower alone. Wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, she gritted her teeth and emerged from her hiding spot.
The girl had a vague idea that this was the doing of the 【Kingdom Revival Faction】.
The Kioka Republic she was residing in was made up of several countries and races, a relatively young Republic. They might all be citizens of the Republic, but they are just a collection of different groups with a myriad of history. Garuma Kingdom, Nitagua Duchy, Mamulan Tribes Federation, Bayushie, Laos and Yaponiku Separatist Nation were known as the 6 nations of the east. About 200 years ago, their ancestors lived separately in these countries that have now ceased to exist.
This was a common history for all citizens, but there was still a small fraction of people who were too caught up in the past. The Garuma’s Kingdom Revival Faction was one example, and an exceptionally terrible one at that. Centuries after the founding of Kioka, they still could not forget the glory of the old days and wanted to restore the Kingdom. They retained a level of influence in the Parliament and would use violence from time to time to achieve their goal.
【Father... Mother...】
The little brother sobbed, and the girl almost cried after hearing that. Their parents had been taken away by the Kingdom Revival Faction.
She could still see that scene when she closed her eyes. When the siblings who went out to play got hungry and went home, she saw her parents arguing with a few strangers at the entrance. Sensing danger, she took her brother’s hand and hid to observe—— before long, their parents were taken away at gunpoint.
Their parents were captured.
The moment the girl understood the situation, she started thinking about what course of action she should take and put them into action.
【They are gone. Let’s go, Huelly!】
She led her brother out of their hiding spot and started running again. She wiped away the dirt, rain, and tears on her cheeks with the back of her hand to suppress her fear.
The girl desperately thought with her still developing brain—— first, she must get her little brother Huelly to safety. Her young brother was the weakest member of the family and would need someone older to take care of him. So, where should they flee to?
When in trouble, ask the neighbours for help. That was what her mother instructed her, but the girl felt it would not work this time. Be it the Aunt Hasa from the vegetable stall, the cobbler Uncle Meddi, or the master carpenter Mabasai who was many times her size, they were all helpless against threatening people with guns.
She should seek help from people equipped with the same weapon. The girl concluded and decided to head to the police post in the neighbourhood. She passed by there when she went shopping with her mother and had a vague idea how to go there. It will take less than 40 minutes by the normal route. However, …
【Hah! Hah... Ah...!】
The problem is the Revival Factionists running all over the place. After moving for more than an hour, the siblings still have not reached the neighbouring zone because of the patrols. And her last stop was unexpected.
【Uwah! This place too...! Just how many of them are there?】
The more stops she had to make, the more the girl realized she was caught up in a major incident. She could not imagine how big this thing was. For the girl who just passed her tenth birthday, the few hundred metres centred around her home was her whole world.
But thanks to the children’s petite size, the siblings kept moving without being detected. A strange scene suddenly appeared before them and the girl frowned as she ducked in the shade of a cart at the road shoulder.
【They are playing ‘you shall not pass’...】
The girl commented on what she saw. Like what she said, a large group of soldiers were blocking the road, and a barricade made from wood was made on the other side.
【...】
An unexpected obstacle appeared, but the girl didn’t despair. Since they put so much effort into stopping people from passing through, things would be different once she passed through—— she was optimistic. Leaving the gravity of the situation aside, this was a talent.
【Sis, now what...?】
The brother tugged on the sleeve of his sister who was in deep thought. The girl looked around quietly.
The bothersome barricade was just erected and had several obvious gaps. It would be easy for two small children to squeeze through.
However, they were too far away from the gaps, and there were too many people watching the middle. It was more than 30 m away, and they couldn’t run that far without getting detected. Even if they tried to run for it, they would probably be caught by the faster pace of an adult.
After agonizing over it for a long time, the girl glared at the cart before her determinedly. A yoke was placed on the horse, but the wheels were carelessly left unlocked, showing how disorderly the revival factionists were── the girl didn’t think too much about that and came up with a simple idea after seeing the cart as a means of transportation.
「Get on.」
She just needed to untie the rope on the cart, pull the tail of the horse, and the horse should run. The girl recalled her vague memories and groped around the seat.
「Hurry up! The republic army is coming!」
A middle-aged man from the Kingdom Revival Faction supervising the construction of the barricade shouted. His tone in giving orders and concise instructions made it clear he was a veteran commander. That was a given, since he was a retired soldier of the Kioka Army wearing the insignia of a Sergeant.
「The work is progressing smoothly, commander.」
「Hmm, carry on. Whether we can block this road will have a big effect for the future.」
The man replied to his subordinate who reported to him and crossed his arms with a stern expression.
「We have to carry out the plan no matter what. Those Senators are weak and unsightly… reviving our nation will just be a pipe dream if we depend on them.」
His subordinate nodded silently. The man then raised his voice and continued:
「It has come to this, so we shall start things rolling. We will turn this corner of Capital Norandot into a residential zone exclusive for Garuma citizens. We will deport people of other races and gather our people and unite our race. Garuma people should live as Garuma citizens── The basic education about one common identity for all races is blasphemy!」
His words were filled with rage and passion as he spoke at a quicker pace.
「Can you believe this, Kuyadi? My son is studying in the same class as a Nitagua idiot and a Mamulan savage. I protest about this, and the school accused me of discrimination instead… Incorrigible!」
Thump! The man stomped his boot onto the ground violently, then clicked his tongue with a slightly softer voice.
「As a compromise, I can accept all the races coexisting together… But this should be done with we, the Garuma people in the forefront. Isn’t that obvious? Before the founding of Kioka, we are the ones who held the most power. Be it Nitagua, Mamulan, Yaponiku, Bayoshie or Laos── they were all beneath us. How dare they think of themselves as our equal!」
His subordinate nodded in agreement. The man patted his shoulder and announced firmly.
「We will right that misunderstanding. You got that Kuyadi!?」
「Yes, Commander!」
At that moment when the two of them reaffirmed each other’s goal to revive their fallen nation ──
「──Hey, what’s going on? That cart there, halt!」
The confused shouts of their comrades reached their ears, and they turned back in surprise. They saw a horse dragging a cart that was parked at the roadside running towards them.
「Halt! I say halt──」「Hey, it’s coming this way!」「Woooaaahh?」
The rampaging horse jogged in place right before the barricade, and the cart crashed into the half-erected barricade because of the momentum── And the most surprising thing was, a young pair of siblings alighted quickly from the cart.
「Phew...! Run, Huelly!」
With her eyes locked on the other end of the barricade, the girl took her brother’s hand and ran with no regards for her bleeding forehead. The sight of them made the revival factionist shout with pale faces:
「There’re kids! The kids are escaping!」「What? Seize them!」
The group chased after the two children squeezing through the gaps and closed the distance in no time. They were caught off guard, but they could outrun the children easily── Just when they were scoffing at the children, an unexpected impact shook their bodies.
「Kyaa...?」「Ughh!」
The men who were just a step away from the siblings fell one after another. Seeing them clutching their shoulders and chests in pain, the commander on site shouted with his eyes wide:
「What? What happened!」
「Gunfire, commander! We are being attacked!」
「Gunfire? Stop kidding around! There’s no signs of the enemy ──」
Another comrade before them fell to a bullet. This made the commander realize his mistake. He shifted his eyes sweeping the ground above him ── and stared with his eyes wide open.
The roofs on either side of the road entered his field of vision. Large groups of Wind Gunners laid prone on the roof in firing positions.
「──They deployed the advance party on the roof? Damn it, a parlour trick...!」
The commander glared at the enemy forces through gritted teeth. His subordinate besides him who notice another danger shouted:
「Enemy units sighted ahead! They are approaching fast── a cavalry company!」
The commander hid behind covers and shifted his gaze from the roof to the other side of the barricade. He could see the cavalry kicking up a storm of dust, which made his heart waver again.
「This is the main event! Don’t be afraid of the gunfire from above, everyone, get ready to engage! The barricade will hold! Hold for the right timing and attack!」
The men who received clear instructions propped up their weapons and aimed at the cavalry kicking up dust on the other side of the barricade ── as they waited for the right moment to squeeze their triggers, some of the men noticed something was wrong.
「Hey── that’s...」「Yes... They aren’t slowing down.」
They were close enough to make out their uniform, but the enemy showed no signs of slowing down, as if they couldn’t see the barricade.
「...Are they going to crash right in?」
The cavalry that wasn’t slowing down advanced towards their inevitable demise before the barricade. The Revival Factionists could only imagine the cavalry self-destructing after crashing into the barricade, however ── The next moment, they saw at close distance the heavy horses jumping into the air. 「What──!」
Performing way above the standards of normal cavalry, the way they jump clear of the barricade was on the level of a circus performance. The wooden structure that should be protecting the soldiers got rendered useless.
「Hieee──!」「Uwaahhh!」
Realizing their mistakes, the soldiers’ screams turned into a chorus. The barricade they erected was not an effective road block at all ── the moment they misjudged that, their resistance was already over.
「Mum*... This method of setting up roadblocks is so last generation. Instead of wasting time building it with wood, using barbed wires would be much faster.」
A prominent white-haired officer started checking the area after the suppression was complete. He was exceptionally young for an officer, with an energetic spring to his actions and authority in every step he took.
「It can’t be helped, Jean. The commander is probably a retired soldier, while barbed wires are only used on the grounds recently... Soldiers who have been away from the frontlines for a while won’t have experience with that.」
His black-haired adjutant, Major Miara Gin replied. Her facial features and shape of the knife on her waist made it clear she was from Yaponiku that had ceased to exist.
「A generation gap, huh... If only this gulf can stop the spread of useless ideologues like Kingdom Revivals ──」 Jean said with a sigh. After combing through the zone that had been suppressed, the two of them walked towards the two children who were the key for breaking through into enemy grounds.
「──Sorry for frightening you. You escaped from inside, right?」
Jean bent down to the siblings’ eye level and asked. The sister looked back with probing eyes, while her brother stuck closely to her back.
「Did you get separated from your mother and father?」
Jean continued asking, and the girl nodded slowly.
「Are you the police?」
「It’s a little different, but very similar. But rest assured, we are here to rescue you.」
Jean promised with a smile, and the girl told him calmly.
「Father and Mother got taken away by the people from the Kingdom Revival Faction.」
The girl pushed her little brother towards the stiff faced Miara.
「Please take my little brother somewhere safe, I will pick him up later.」
She said as she looked around her and added as she stared at the soldiers busying around.
「And── Please give me a weapon. A gun like that will be fine.」
「Weapon? ...Why would you need one?」
The girl turned away from Miara who asked her that question and said without any hesitation:
「It’s obvious. I’m going to get my parents back.」
The girl concluded firmly with no room for negotiations. The white-haired officer standing beside his dumbstruck adjutant smiled.
「...How wonderful. Alright, I will lend you one.」
「Jean? What are you──」
Ignoring the surprised Miara, Jean looked at the girl with his silver eyes and said in a serious tone:
「Brave lady, may I have your name?」
「... Kasha Masukusu. My brother is Huelly.」
「Thank you, Ms Kasha. Don’t worry, I will ensure your brother is sent to a safe place.」
He signalled with his gaze, and a mild-mannered female soldier came over to get the girl’s brother. The boy didn’t want to leave his sister, but he steeled his resolve and followed the female soldier sullenly.
After seeing them off alongside Kasha, the white-haired general pointed to himself with his thumb and said.
「Let me introduce myself too. I’m Jean, Kioka Army Major General Jean Arkinex.」
The youth renown throughout the republic stated his name with pride and confidence. There seemed to be light illuminating him from behind, which made the girl stared with her eyes wide.
「Remember the name. That’s the name of the strongest weapon on loan to you.」
Chapter 1
「... The reports are in. We are right, the former Garuma extremist faction has captured the 6th eastern zone in the Capital Norandot.」 The clerk was the bearer of decisively bad news.
In the centre of the Capital was the Parliament House, and there was a tense atmosphere in its Committee Chambers. Most of the Senators there were sternly interrogating a man in a dark blue suit standing by the window with his back towards them.
「──The situation is getting serious, Prime Minister.」
There was obvious hostility and glee in that voice. This was followed immediately by another voice with a similar tone.
「Just counting the major ones, this is the fifth civil unrest that happened during your term in office… The military campaign against the Empire has been put on a long hiatus because of that. We can’t defend you this time.」
「That’s right. It’s all because of your major reforms with no regards for the opposition. How do you plan to resolve this?」
「When the Imperial army was divided two years ago because of a coup, we could have launched a major invasion if we were prepared, but that plan fizzled away ── because there had been too many underlying turmoils in the country.」
「One civil unrest after another disrupted our grand strategy. The Empire did fan the flames from the dark, but that’s not good enough of an excuse. Don’t you think someone should take responsibility for this?」
Despite the relentless interrogation, the back they were glaring at remained unwavering. There was only the sound of metallic pipes brushing against each other coming irregularly from that man.
「Please give us an acceptable answer! You can’t dodge the question by staying silent!」
One of the Senators became agitated because of the lack of reaction and raised his voice to levy accusation against that man. As if that man just realized that his answer was being sought, the sound of metal suddenly stopped.
「── Even if you accuse me of staying silent, I can’t fathom your worries.」
The man’s answer was so calm that it was infuriating. Staring at the average sized back standing stoically at the deepest part of the room, the Senators hoped to destroy this base camp.
「There’s a limit to your stubbornness! Or do you not understand the situation? Extremists from the former Garuma nation had seized a part of the Norandot residential zone with a stranglehold on it! It’s obvious that this incident will involve a large number of citizens. No matter what the goal of the extremist might be, they will definitely use the citizens as hostages...!」
「If there are many casualties because of this incident, then support for your hold on power will plummet. The results will be the same if you expose your weakness by giving in to the extremists. You are finished, Prime Minister. Your days looking down at the streets from this window are numbered ──」
After hearing a series of optimistic predictions, the man in a dark blue suit shook slowly, and it was obvious that he was laughing.
「Gentlemen, I’m honoured. Instead of the safety of the captured citizens, you are more worried about my future.」
After that sarcastic comment, the man in the dark blue suit added before the Senators lashed out at him: 「Don’t worry, your worries are unfounded.」
Overwhelmed by that man’s aura, the Senators were momentarily silenced. The sound of metallic pipes rubbing started again 「I already took the necessary measures and just waiting for the good news.」
「......」
Inside the tent erected in the middle of the sealed road. Time stopped for the brave girl Kasha as she looked at the table before her. More accurately speaking, she was looking at the sliced bread, fruit palate and milk in a copper cup. 「What’s wrong? Eat up. Aren’t you hungry?」
Jean, who was seated opposite the girl, urged her to eat with a smile. He was biting into an apple with a crunch. 「Don’t worry about your brother, he’s having the same thing as you. Fresh fruits and vegetables are provided three meals a day, that’s one good point about fighting inside the city.」
「... Aren’t you going to take care of those guys?」
The girl asked while clutching her spoon, Jean suddenly asked with a serious face.
「Ms Kasha, is your goal taking care of those people from the Kingdom Revival Faction?」
The surprised Kasha was quiet for a moment before she shook her head with a pout.
「...No. Like I said at the beginning, I want to get my father and mother back.」
「Great, then we have the similar goals.」
The white-haired officer smiled in relief and tapped the table with the tip of his finger.
「It’s easy to take out the enemy. I just need to send in my men in an all-out attack, and it will be over in an hour ── but that will result in an intense battle. And your parents might get hurt from that. Do you understand?」
Hmmmm～ Kasha frowned. After an adequate pause, Jean continued.
「The goal is to rescue the people who got taken away, and fighting is just the means of achieving that. Don’t get that wrong, Ms Kasha.」 「... Then Jean, how do you plan to rescue my father and mother?」 Instead of answering this question, the white-haired officer gazed towards the tent’s entrance. Soon, adjutant Miara pulled the curtain aside and stuck her head in.
「Jean, the messenger from the infiltration unit just returned.」
「Yah*. Report.」
「Yes── First, the enemy is about a battalion in size, 600 people. Most of them are militia who have not gone through basic training, but a third of them are retired or active soldiers.」
「As I expected. And the citizens rounded up by them?」
「The bulk of them are imprisoned about 300 m to the east ── The Cultural Centre in the middle of the 6th eastern zone. They weren’t being treated too badly now. They bandaged those injured in the first round of attacks and provided water for everyone. Aside from a few cases, most of the citizens are just mentally distraught.」
「What about the few cases?」
Jean didn’t miss those words and asked about them. Miara bit her lips hard and answered:
「... Some of the militia used violence on citizens with non-Garuma heritage. For now, it’s just kicking their backs and cursing them out… But if this drags on, their violence might intensify.」
「── Stupid.」
After giving an agitated comment, Jean sighed deeply.
「I understand the scale of the enemy forces, the situation of the hostages, and why we need to act fast── Next, tell me the details about their deployment.」
「Yes Sir── the enemy is concentrated in the centre of the 6th zone that has been captured, and the borders. The forces garrisoned in the middle ── in the Cultural Centre, is over one hundred, most of them are poorly trained militia. The bulk of them, 500 men, are guarding the borders, concentrated on the west side── our current position.」
「They leave the supervision of the hostages to amateurs and use their main forces to keep us at bay? An adequate arrangement.」
The white-haired officer noted from the enemy’s deployment of forces.
「But that works out fine for us. Since the enemy base is filled with amateurs, the infiltration team will have an easier time.」 「That appears to be true, Second Lieutenant Rakkei who infiltrated the base reported 『Most of the militia are no different from strawman』.」
「Hah*! This cheeky remark is just like him. Compared to his last job, this is a walk in the park.」
Happy about how reliable his subordinate is, Jean surmise the strategy.
「I got the gist of the situation. We will cause a diversion outside while the infiltration team takes them out from the inside. This will increase their burden though ── Any objections, Miara?」
「None. We can showcase our prowess easily.」
Miara said confidently. She then spent several minutes to tie down the details with Jean, and another messenger approached when they were almost done.
「──What did you say?」
Miara frowned when she heard that report.
「──My apologies, Jean. There’s another thing I need to report to you.」
「Bad news?」
「Correct. A new name has been added to the VIP hostage list.」
Miara said that name with half tension and half confusion.
「Anarai Khan. The weird man who fled from the Empire to this place and calls himself a 『Scientist』.」
On the other hand, the subject in question── along with his poor assistant were in a dark place with a suffocating mouldy smell.
「Hmm. How troubling.」
In the space illuminated by a Lantern set to low power, the old sage stared at the low ceiling. Before him was the Luminous Sprite he borrowed from a Cultural Centre staff. His assistant Bajin who was resigned to his fate was lying at the other end with his Fire Sprite partner.
「What’s wrong, Bajin? You seem really calm. Aren’t you going to do my share of panicking this time?」
「I have gotten used to it... Ever since we escaped from the Empire, we had experienced similar things so many times.」
Bajin had gone tired from fuming and lying down, and sat up slowly. He stared at the ceiling just like the old man and mumbled.
「But just how big is this revolt? I hope Nazuna and the others didn’t get caught up in this.」
「Hmm. The Kingdom Revival Faction seems to be behind this, but Kioka isn’t naïve enough to let them take the capital. The guys patrolling appears to be militia not used to combat, so the area under their control probably isn’t too big.」
「Then the best course of action is to wait for the army to rescue us. Even if this drags on, we have a mountain of food here.」
Bajin said as he looked at the cabinet behind him. The thick mouldy smell came from the drawers full of bread of various colours, and there was a lot of flour around them.
「... Bread with a long shelf life, developed at the request of the country. These are still prototypes being tested, and I never imagine we will use them in this way.」
「We have to eat them according to their date of production. Aside from any signs of rot or mould, remember to record the dryness and taste too. That’s important.」
「Yes, yes. You are really particular about the taste, Professor, even though it’s not part of the request.」
「『If the meals taste bad, then there won’t be anything redeemable with war』── That’s what Bada said.」
Anarai said nostalgically as he tore off a bite size portion from his half-eaten bread.
「I know the effect of high quality food on soldiers is significant. And the preservation of food isn’t limited to the military, it can be used in the future to feed the masses during famine.」
「Professor, you make it sound cool, but I know the truth. Instead of research work to benefit society, you prefer to research the mould growing on the surface of the bread.」
Bajin scoffed after saying that. Anarai unhappily reached into the cabinet housing the experiments and shoved a mouldy bread to his assistant’s face.
「Aren’t you curious? Where do these red, blue, and yellow things come from!? As a Scientist, don’t you want to observe the microscopic world that our eyes couldn’t see!?」
「Wah, this tastes nasty! Professor, the bread with vinegar will taste awful no matter how we change things up.」
「That’s why we need the budget to build a delicate microscope… Hey, listen to me!」
When Anarai was yelling angrily, a creaking sound came from the ceiling. The two of them looked up at the same time.
「... Did they notice?」
「Shh...! ... It’s all because of how noisy you are, Professor…」
「It’s your fault for not listening!」
The two of them persisted in arguing, and a voice came from above.
「── Is the one hiding here Professor Anarai Khan?」
The old man who was named looked suspicious. Bajin picked up a bread cutting knife from the cabinet, prepared for the worst. Sensing the two of them becoming guarded, the voice from the ceiling changed its tone.
「Relax, I’m from the Kioka army, I’m here to save you. I heard your conversation, is your assistant down there too?」
Anarai and Bajin looked at each other. It would be great if that were true, but could they trust that person?
「It’s not safe to come out yet. I have something to inform you, may I come in?」
After considering it for a few seconds, Anarai couldn’t hear multiple sounds of breathing, so he opened the locked secret door to the research department’s basement. If this were a trick by the Kingdom Revival Faction, they would force their way in anyway.
「This place... looks like the underground warehouse of a bakery. It looks pretty much the same above too.」
A slender man with half his face masked walked into the darkness. At first glance, his attire looked similar to the military from the Revival Faction, but Anarai could tell he was speaking the truth a few seconds later. His movements were polished, unlike the militia who was there to make up numbers.
The old man who felt the situation had improved grunted, then picked up a bread nearby to offer to his guest.
「Want one? We are developing preserved food for military usage, and the opinions of a soldier will be great.」
「I just heard someone saying it tastes nasty, and I’m also in the midst of a mission… That aside, I personally will prefer the Professor to consider rice for military usage.」
「The supply of rice is unstable, so that will be difficult. The Empire has a plantation that produces rice, and they are treated as a luxury. I’m not particularly fixated on wheat, and having more paddy fields won’t be too bad, but wheat has its advantage too ──」
Anarai gave a lecture because he got a reply, and Bajin stopped him with an annoyed look.
「Let’s leave that for later, and confirm the situation first… So, erm ──」
「I’m Kioka Army Second Lieutenant Mon Rakkei. Please call me Rakkei.」
After his self-introduction, Rakkei quickly briefed them on the situation. The Kingdom Revival Faction had captured the Norandot eastern 6th zone with military force and was holding out in the Cultural Centre with a lot of hostages. The Kioka units had split up to work separately on resolving this crisis.
「──I see. That lines up with what I expected.」
「The government wants to suppress the rebel army before negotiations stall. On the orders of the commander acting on behalf of the government, we will wipe out the enemy. We will try our best to minimize combat, but some clashes will be inevitable. Stray bullets might start flying around, so the best course of action will be for you to remain here until hostilities end.」
「We can hide, but what about the other hostages? You mentioned that there are more than 200 people confined in this building?」
「Our unit will let the hostages flee to the main road to the south as we wipe out the militia. The team outside will act in concert, which will enable most of them to escape safely. I can’t guarantee that there won’t be any casualties...」
Rakkei continued to explain smoothly, but he acknowledged that with the number of citizens they need to liberate, there will be a certain degree of uncertainty.
「Don’t you want to minimize casualties to almost zero?」
The old sage could see his decisive thinking and made a bold proposal. Rakkei raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
「...Professor, do you have any proposals? I have heard about your wits and cunning.」
「Probably an offhand remark when people talk about how weird I am, right? Sigh, whatever. I understand your forces in the building are far fewer than the enemy garrisoned here, so we need to shave off their numbers effectively before overwhelming them. You are probably planning to use the layout of this Cultural Centre to fight, correct? The key words are “divide and conquer” ── Rescue the hostages when the enemy is distracted. Am I right?」
Rakkei opened his eyes with surprise this time. Seeing his expression, Anarai deepened his smile and continued:
「I think you already know that the layout of the Cultural Centre is a little distorted.」 The old man tore a hole in the bag of flour nearby, spilled the flour on the floor, and drew the map with his finger.
「The building is divided into the north and south wing, connected by just one narrow corridor. Originally, there is just the south wing, the north wing is a recent extension. Which means the people in the north wing can only contact the south wing through that corridor.」
Rakkei nodded. Anarai pointed to that sole passageway.
「We just have to draw the enemy to the north wing and then cut off this path, and we can divide them. Your team will need to take care of that part. The hostages are in the south wing ── this area where the basement is, so the only problem left will be to clear out the enemy there. I have a suggestion ──」
The old sage’s voice dominated the trio’s discussion.
「...Will this really work?」
「I swear on my name as a Scientist. And even if that part fails, the fallout won’t be too serious. The corridor is narrow and just luring the enemy there will be really helpful ── this terrain is great for holding off many people.」
Rakkei analysed the plan and nodded cautiously. He could tell that the old man’s proposal wouldn’t change the plans too much and offers the chance to gain more advantages.
「It’s a surprise attack, so you will have the advantage in the first few minutes. During this time, you can draw most of the enemy to the north wing of the Cultural Centre, then clear out the militia watching the hostages to free them. This part will depend on your skills, but ── I promise that your work will be much easier if that trap works.」
At this point, Anarai turned and patted the shoulder of his assistant. It was still dim, but Bajin didn’t need to see with his eyes to know that the Professor was smiling like a child.
「Let us teach them a lesson, Bajin. The ingredients for bread can be turned into a scary weapon too.」
Not knowing that a chemical reaction would be happening on site, the white-haired officer was preparing to execute the plans he laid out.
「── It’s time. Miara, take your team to position too.」
「Leave it to me. You be careful too, Jean.」
After receiving her orders, Miara straightened her back and saluted, then mounted her horse and rode off. Kasha saw her off with a stiff face and asked the youth beside her quietly.
「... You are going to fight this time?」
Jean immediately turned to her and laid out the map, squatting down to her eye level.
「Ms Kasha, I’m going to explain my plans specially for you.」
Kasha leaned forth unconsciously. Any child would be happy to hear that something was done specially for them.
「First── the Kingdom Revival Faction is concentrated in two places. That’s the place before us ── the Cultural Centre in the middle of the zone they captured.」
「I have never seen the Cultural Centre before.」
「Just imagine it to be a house much bigger than your home. Your father and mother are trapped inside, and I have sent 60 of my friends to hide inside and around the house.」
You have to keep this a secret, Jean said with a finger to his lips ── Since the venue was the urban area filled with infiltration points, there was no way for the limited number of Kingdom Revival Factionist to cover the huge zone they captured. They were powerless to stop the infiltration of the Phantom Unit.
「We will pretend to attack here, and when their attention is drawn to defend this place, our friends inside the building will use this chance to rescue the people who got caught. Your parents will leave the building after they are free and will escape out this way.」
Even after the simplified explanation, it was difficult for someone as young as Kasha to understand it. The girl racked her brain to grasp the content, then looked at Jean with an uneasy face.
「... My mother can’t run fast.」
「Don’t worry, people from our side will fetch her.」
Jean promised, kept the map and turned around.
「... It will be a problem if they are shameless enough to use the hostages as human shields. To avoid that, it will be crucial for the infiltration team to act swiftly.」
This was no longer an explanation to the girl, but a monologue. In contrast to the seriousness of the matter he mentioned, the white-haired officer wasn’t worried and curled up the corners of his lips fearlessly.
「Since you assessed that the enemy is no different from strawman, then overcome the disadvantage in numbers. I’m counting on you, my reliable Phantoms.」
Most of the Kingdom Revival Factionists in the Cultural Centre were militia, but they have a basic command structure with veteran retired soldiers leading them gathered in the room used as a headquarters.
After reviewing the status reports submitted to him, the Commanding Officer sighed heavily.
「... So, we failed to seal off Sonebo Road. If we had blockaded that junction, we can drastically minimize the enemy’s infiltration route.」
「My deep apologies. According to the report, they got distracted when an allied horse cart lost control during the erection of the barricade, and the enemy caught them off guard...」
「Save your excuses. We will sort out whose fault it is later.」
The Commanding Officer cut off his subordinate and the men sitting before him with stern eyes.
「Keep in mind that we aren’t even at the starting line yet. To turn this captured zone into a Garuma residential area, we must use the citizens who 『kindly offered their assistance』 as chips to negotiate with the country. We need to hold out this base to force that Prime Minister to the negotiation table. Our hold on this place has to be so firm that he would consider the use of force to be too risky.」
During this short pause in his speech, one of his lieutenants raised his hand to express his opinion.
「If impressions matter, why don’t we kill one out race hostage publicly?」
The Commanding Officer suppressed the urge to hold his head, then shook his head:
「... I’m not saying we need to rush and spoil the plan. Listen up, we are acting on the premise of justice. Officially, we are protesting and not revolting ── this is just a demonstration against the Kioka government. The citizens in this building aren’t hostages, but citizens who 『kindly offered their assistance』 in our protest. I hope everyone understand why meaningless assault against the citizens are prohibited.」
「It will be difficult to justify that with retired soldiers pointing their Wind Guns at citizens. Why not go all out and just admit we are revolting.」
「You will feel good to say that openly. But if you do that, will we have any future?」
The Lieutenant was speechless from this retort. The Commanding Officer glared at him and continued:
「I will say this again, we can’t pull off this revolution through force alone, we need political support. There are many hidden factions who oppose the current Prime Minister’s Assimilation Policies── especially the desegregation of residential zones. This demonstration will stimulate the pride of those people 『Reclaim the place where Garuma people can live as Garuma people』── don’t forget our motto.」
How much will they listen this time? The Commanding Officer tried to persuade them pessimistically. There were too many people who didn’t understand they were a small extremist faction, and just wanted to solve the problem with violence.
「If we can legitimize our control of this zone for the long term, the affairs in the parliament will be to our advantage. Unhappiness with the Prime Minister’s forceful methods will burst out all at once. We will be one step closer to our goal of pushing a pro-Garuma Senator to become the Prime Minister. We will then be one step closer to rebuilding our Kingdom. The first step to achieving our goal is to defend this zone stubbornly.」
The Commanding Officer patiently listed out the steps they would need to take. But most of his Lieutenants weren’t happy with such a roundabout way of doing things, and it didn’t go well with them.
「We can’t show the masses that we don’t have a firm control over this zone… Do your job properly and treat the citizens well. If you have any complaints, I will hear them later.」
Giving a long lecture now would just have an adverse effect, so the Commanding Officer wrapped things up briskly. The lieutenants got up unhappily and left the room.
The clicking of their tongues came on the other side of the closed door. Anger welled up in the heart of the Commanding Officer, and he smashed his fist onto the table.
「I explained it so clearly, and that’s the attitude they give me!? I can’t stand this… It can’t be help that talent is thin, but the militia is incorrigibly rash!」
Only his close colleagues who worked with him together in the military were left behind, so he finally spoke his mind. A few retired soldiers were commanding a large bulk of militia ── that was their current predicament. The main mission was to watch the hostages instead of fighting, but managing the hot-headed militia was a pain.
Noticing the hardship of their supervisor, the men offered words of encouragement to him. At this moment, a comrade rushed in with a panicking face. 「──Report! Cultural Centre enemies spotted to the north! We can’t make out their actual numbers because they are hiding in the dark, but they are bigger than a platoon!」
The Commanding Officer’s face turned tense. Now wasn’t the time to lament the unreasonableness of his men.
「They infiltrated our outer defence lines? That’s within expectations. Send the troops to the north for mass suppressive fire! We have hostages ── No, citizen collaborators, so they can’t force their way in!」 To put his men at ease, he gave firm instructions quickly. The messenger ran back with his orders, and another militia showed up nervously 「R-Report! Some soldiers contacted the enemy in the basement here!」
「C-contact? The scale of the enemy?」
「Unsure. Patrols found traces that appears to be from the enemy, and quickly turned back...」
The Commanding Officer didn’t respond immediately this time. After a few seconds, he shook his head agitatedly.
「── Impossible! The bulk might be militia, but we have over a hundred people watching the place! You lot have to be blind to allow the enemy to infiltrate the building!?」
「I-I agree with your assessment… The soldiers who contacted the enemy suspect there is a secret passage. Since they came out of the basement, there might be a path that leads outside there...」
The Commanding Officer thought with a bitter face when he heard the unexpected proposition.
「... Yes, that might be possible. VIPs will visit the Cultural Centre from time to time, so there might be an emergency exit route for them. We should have checked for that carefully... However...」
The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. The Commanding Officers took tens of seconds to accept this fact before finally issuing his instruction.
「... In any case, we must eliminate this possibility. Right, send the troops to that basement! Be on alert against the enemy, send 20 men!」
The militia who received the orders from the messenger were nothing close to being cautious.
「── The top ordered us to check the situation! Everyone who is free gather round, twenty men will go over together!」
「Right. You are the one who saw the enemy earlier, so lead the way!」
「Oh, leave it to me!」
A slender militia── no, Rakkei who was disguised as a militia replied energetically. He assumed the identity of a real militia, so he wouldn’t be found out during a roll call.
They took the bait. He smiled to himself in secret and brought the group of militias downstairs just as planned. The ground floor of the Cultural Centre has a corridor connected to several rooms. At the end of the corridor was the temporary Research Laboratory assigned to Anarai.
「So this is the room... the last time I went in, there’s bread scattered everywhere for some reason.」
「I’m going in!」
Rakkei rushed into the room without giving them time to think. They were dumbstruck by his recklessness, but since he volunteered to take the dangerous job, the militias didn’t complain. After the room was confirmed to be clear of any enemy, they entered the room.
「Hey── look over there!」
Rakkei immediately pointed at a specific place. The militia who walked over tilted their heads confusedly.
「What’s this? Bags of flour?」 「There’s so many of them.」「These weren’t here the last time I checked.」
Bags of flour were stacked in a corner of the room. As the militia tried to figure out what they were seeing, Rakkei planted his own explanation.
「Move the bags of flour away, there must be a secret passage there! ──Hey, give me a hand!」
His lack of hesitation convinced the militia. They worked together to shift the bags of flour away, which then tore and spilled out the flour. The militia screamed as the dust flew into the air, and only Rakkei continued working by himself.
「Uwah── Calm down! It’s good that you are motivated, but don’t throw flour everywhere!」
「There’s no time to take it easy, if we don’t seal the passage now, the enemy might get in! Just bear with the dust a little, you won’t die from it!」
Rakkei was moving the bags too excitedly, and the room turned white from the dust in the air. Seeing that the timing was ripe, he nonchalantly squeezed through the militia and returned to the entrance of the room.
「There’s not enough space, we have to sift the flour to the back. Hey~ you guys in the corridor! Stop slacking off and come help!」
After getting the militia in the corridor in, the stage was set. Rakkei walked out of the room alone and gently closed the door.
「──? Hey, why did you shut the door?」 「Wait, stop squeezing in!」 「Even if you say that, I can’t see with the flour everywhere ──」
The militia at the front suddenly saw a small figure in the space where flour was floating in the air.
「── Hmm? Who’s your partner?」
A Fire Sprite was there by its lone self. As the militia holding the bag of flour looked on, it raised its arms and lit a fire with its 「Fire Hole」.
「── Huh?」
The next moment, the vision of everyone in that space was filled by a scorching light.
「「「「「「「Hyaaaa!」」」」」」」
The militia screamed as their skin and eyes got burned. No one knew what happened, and the cramped basement was suddenly transformed into hell.
「Ahhh...!」 「It burns! It burns!」 「Uwahhhh!」
「W-What’s going on!」「Damn it, open up! Let me out!」
The 19 men who got burned squeezed towards the exit. However, the door was blocked from the outside wouldn’t budge. A strong sense of dizziness overwhelmed them, and their legs started to wobble.
「Ughh, my head hurts...」「I can’t... breath...」「Water... Someone, give me water...」「......」
The banging on the door gradually grew weaker. Shortly after, even the sound of the scratching on the door ceased completely. Sensing the silence on the other side of the door, the old man who proposed the plan grunted.
「It seems to be going smoothly.」
Rakkei who placed his ear on the door nodded and turned.
「They are not even screaming anymore… are you a wizard?」
「Don’t jest with me, this is a proper scientific phenomenon.」
Enraged by the improper compliment, Anarai started ranting without anyone asking.
「I call this phenomenon Wheat Bomb. It refers to small dust like particles in the air enhancing the efficiency of burning. If the condition is right, the explosion can be powerful enough to kill.」
「In order to determine those conditions, we got in mortal peril more plenty of times.」
Bajin retorted softly from behind. The old sage brushed it off by clearing his throat and continued:
「There’s also oxygen deprivation too. The burning used up all the oxygen in the enclosed room, and there were lots of injured people panting too. The people inside should have fainted now.」
Rakkei shrugged. His eyes were filled with surprise.
「... Even after hearing the explanation, I still feel this is a form of magic. I have never heard of Wheat being used as a weapon to defeat people.」
「You aren’t too stupid, but your prejudice gets in the way. Why don’t you study science under me? I will make your stubborn brain more flexible.」
「What a scary invitation. I will consider it after this job is done.」
Everyone could tell that he was just being polite. Ignoring Anarai who clicked his tongue with regret, Rakkei looked down the other end of space.
「I’m going back up, please stay here until we are ready for the escape. Is there really no risk of a fire breaking out?」
「None. There won’t be enough oxygen left for a fire.」
The old man said as if it was obvious. Feeling respect towards his attitude, the shadow looked away to change his mood.
「I’m grateful to the both of you for making my work easier ── Well then, please wait here for a moment.」
「... Have the team that went to the basement report back yet?」
After not getting any follow up report for several minutes, the Commanding Officer grew anxious. If just checking things up got him so anxious, he might as well see for himself ── when the Commanding Officer was about to stand up from the urge, a messenger rushed back just in time.
「A report from the basement team. As suspected, we found a secret passage there, and the twenty men team have started sealing the entrance.」
This report made the Commanding Officer open his eyes wide.
「So there really is a secret passage... we are lucky that we can seal it before it becomes a fatal problem.」
He thought his men were mistaken, so the report surprised him. Since the matter had been dealt with, he sighed in relief. No one in the room realized that the situation had already deteriorated catastrophically.
「Report from the north wing. They are keeping up suppressive fire, but the enemy showed no signs of retreating. They are requesting to maintain their current numbers to keep up the defences.」
「Granted. But the twenty men sent to the basement aren’t back yet, so our forces here are a little thin...」
He had been shaking his legs unconsciously for a while now, and the Commanding Officer finally stood up, having lost to his feelings of unease.
「I can’t settle down. I will go to the large room holding the citizens too, it will be a big problem if they try to pull anything off because of the chaos.」
He muttered as if he was looking for some excuse, then left the Ops Room with two guards. The militia who came to report earlier── Rakkei in disguise, followed nonchalantly behind. Including him, the four of them went down to the ground floor and into the large room where the citizens were held captive. After opening the door and stepping in, they were greeted by eyes filled with fear. The Commanding Officer wasn’t fazed by this situation and spoke boldly.
「I’m the representative of the resistance group, Bukaios. I apologize for the inconvenience imposed on you, but please understand that we have no intention of using violence. If you have any concerns, please tell us. Women who wish to take care of their children can use the breastfeeding room next door.」
Just like the instructions he gave his subordinates to treat the citizens well, his attitude was far more gentlemanly than the militias. Rakkei sighed in his heart── since he was so sensible, then he should snap out of his delusion of reviving his old nation.
「Commanding Officer Sir, may I request something?」
Rakkei seized the chance to walk over slowly and speak up. The Commanding Officer furrowed his brows unhappily because someone spoke to him from an unexpected angle.
「Hey, stop fooling around. I’m addressing the citizens ──!」 He didn’t get to finish because Rakkei struck him in the jaw and knocked him out.
「Just go to sleep... I don’t think you can hear me now, though.」
Rakkei said emotionlessly. The two guards who followed from the Ops Room raised their Wind Gun in a panic.
「Y-You!」「What are you──?」
Barrels were shoved onto their backs. That was done by militias who sneaked up to them ── members of the 「Phantom Unit」 who disguised themselves just like Rakkei.
At the same time, the Revival factionists in the room were rapidly disarmed. After seizing control in just a few seconds, Rakkei turned and said plainly to the surprised citizens.
「Everyone, please stay quiet── I’m from the Kioka army rescue team, we are here to save you. As you can see, the boss of the rebel faction has been subdued, and now, we will escort you to a safe place. In order to let everyone see their family again safely, please follow my instructions.」
He signalled with his eyes, and the shadows ran to the citizens, placing their knives on the ropes tying each group of three citizens together.
「We will cut off your ropes next, those who have been freed please line up here, and stay there before my next instruction. If you move recklessly, I won’t be able to guarantee your safety. I know everyone is anxious, but please stay calm. From my experience, it is common for the chaos during an escape to cause casualties.」
Rakkei added a dangerous word calmly to keep the citizens on edge.
With the enemy suppressed, the top priority was to prevent the citizens from running amok and hurting themselves. Managing a group of untrained civilians was more mentally draining than fighting a battle.
「... Really now.」
If the civilians had learned the basics of moving in a group during elementary education, the shadows would have an easier time. Rakkei smiled wryly at the fact that the current Prime Minister was including such knowledge in his education policy ── Discovering a reason why the current administration should continue amused him.
「Please calm down and wait in line. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of time.」
「── Orders from the Ops Room, we are to hold our defences with the forces on hand.」
When the situation changed drastically in the south wing of the Cultural Centre, the militias in the north wing received forged orders to continue their defence.
「I’m glad that I don’t have to see people of the other races. Whenever I see one, I feel like kicking them.」
「I feel the same. If we have to stay under the same roof for a few more days, I’m not confident things will end peacefully.」
Most of the soldiers garrisoned in the Cultural Centre were militias, and there were many who wanted to abuse their power to inflict violence. These people who were happy as long as they got to shoot at the enemy didn’t really care about things they wouldn’t see.
That was the key to the plan. The fake news from the Shadows, the subpar quality of the militia, only one corridor connecting the north and south wings, and being cut off from the outside world physically meant these militias had been isolated.
「You guys are dumb, just bring them to somewhere where others can’t see you before you torture them. Like going to the toilets, there are plenty of times when the other races leave the big room, right?」
「Good idea, I will try it out tonight.」
The despicable suggestion stirred up laughter. They didn’t know that they would never have the chance to torture captured citizens.
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