Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Faster Than the Opponent (4)
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When the tiger hesitates, the fox struts around like a king.
That's exactly how the Hern Republic looks right now.
The moment we arrived in Heig—a city in the republic near our unit—on orders from the colonel in his final posting, what we saw was... half of it filled with radical anti-Empire protesters.
"Everyone! Our Hern Republic has suffered under the Empire's oppression for centuries. They've mocked us as lowland piglets and forced us to fight and die for their emperor! Is that what humans do?!"
Are they planning to start a local skirmish and seize the initiative against the Empire properly this time?
Not only are the guards not even thinking of arresting these radicals...
Some of them are watching with proud expressions on their faces.
"Our fathers' generation took up arms, shed their blood, and fought to throw off the yoke of this oppression to win our independence! But the wicked Empire bastards still aren't satisfied—they're trying to start a war to enslave us again."
The crowd cheered wildly at those words.
A speech stirring patriotism and pride in independence.
If I were a citizen of the republic, it would've fired me up too.
Just like listening to stories of independence fighters in class.
"Captain, this is disgusting."
"Lieutenant Lina, calm down."
"The Empire has never treated them like slaves, nor exploited them as a colony, has it?"
Our Empire has never exploited the lowlanders like some drug-colonizing power squeezing Ireland dry.
In fact, the lowlands were part of our Empire's territory since its founding.
They were just lands where unheard-of rebels rose up, declared independence, and broke away.
"I get why you're angry, but we're on an infiltration mission right now. Cool your head."
"My apologies."
Lieutenant Lina quickly composed herself.
"Put the anger on hold for now. What's important is making their wicked agitation fizzle out—not arguing back against their nonsense."
There's a saying: if you're going to be a fool whether you win or lose, then be the winning fool.
But the best thing is not sticking your head in where it's bound to get you labeled a fool.
"And this works out perfectly."
"Pardon?"
"Look around carefully. Doesn't something seem off?"
Whether it's the Hern Republic or the Empire, no nation on this continent has freedom of the press or assembly.
In other words, unless it's tacitly approved, guards can charge in with clubs and disperse it anytime.
Yet they're letting these guys spew provocative anti-Empire rhetoric and agitate freely?
"The guards aren't stopping them—they're just standing watch. Almost like they're encouraging them to ramp it up."
"For protesters out in broad daylight, they look surprisingly well put-together."
"And listening closely, they sound like educated folk."
Most protesters venting social discontent are from the lower income brackets.
The elites don't have much to complain about.
So their language tends to be blunt and crude...
But these guys' words are refined yet memorable, subtly stoking national pride.
"They're probably directly employed by the Heig republican government. So we need to approach them."
If we plant false intel to make them stir up chaos, then catch it first and move?
Anyone trying to provoke a skirmish will eat a volley from our Imperial Army matchlocks.
"I'll go talk to them myself."
I waited until their long-winded speech ended, then approached cautiously.
"That was an excellent speech. Just as you said, the Empire are the ones who get off on oppressing our Hern Republic."
"Looks like our righteous rant opened your eyes. Does it make you want to join the fight to drive out the Empire scum oppressing our republic?"
"Yes, exactly. Fighting the Empire isn't just about protecting independence—it's about devoting myself to the republic to protect my family and me."
"A fine, upstanding mindset for a young man."
No matter how much the state has their backs a little, agitators like these are disposable tools.
Once used for stirring, they're tossed aside.
Like hunting dogs turned into dog meat stew after the hunt.
That's why they usually pick slightly clever trash full of inferiority complexes—easy to discard anytime.
"I want to lend whatever strength I can."
Lieutenant Lina shot me a strange look for a moment.
I was sent to scout, but here I am infiltrating an anti-social group.
But whatever you do, half-measures won't cut it.
In the military, it's kill the enemy or die trying—nothing in between.
Opt for some vague 'talk them down' plan, and only your side ends up dying.
"......I like your spirit. Come with us. The woman behind you too."
No way entry to a secret society on just a few words like that...
What the hell are these bastards scheming?
Well, they're taking us in, so I'll quietly follow.
"Lina, let's go. To topple the Empire's wicked emperor and reclaim Hern Republic's freedom."
And I signaled her with Imperial hand signs, visible only to her.
This is all part of the plan.
The moment we arrived at the agitators' headquarters, they started interrogating me.
In movies, getting dragged to a place like this means torture right away.
But instead of torture, they hit me with intense pressure, trying to wear me down.
"What the hell are you? You pop up out of nowhere after our speech, saying you wanna join. How the fuck are we supposed to trust you?"
"What's so wrong with wanting to lend a hand for Hern Republic's independence?"
"You talk a good game with that mouth. But don't you think you're too suspicious?"
I'm definitely suspicious.
More precisely, an Imperial spy infiltrating your group.
"Showing up out of the blue? Looks like an Empire spy. Be straight: you a spy? Confess and we'll let you go."
"You claim to fight for Hern Republic, yet label anyone offering help an Empire spy without proof. Aren't you ashamed?"
No one in this world who says 'confess and we'll let you live' actually keeps their word.
Confess here, and I'd get tortured to death.
You think I'm crazy enough to admit I'm an Imperial spy?
Deny it to the end.
They have no evidence or clues I'm an Imperial spy anyway.
"How are we supposed to trust you?"
The way to end this baseless grilling is simple.
Prove directly I'm not some infiltrator punk—that I'm one of you.
This is a place that hates the Imperial Emperor.
So just curse the emperor royally, and we're good.
"Empire emperor, you fucking bastard."
The guy interrogating me tilted his head at the out-of-left-field response.
Asking for proof I'm a reliable ally, and I hit him with 'emperor fucker'—gotta be confusing.
Once more for good measure.
"Karl von Hohenzollern emperor, you fucking bastard. The one who moans and squeals with men at night, worships pagan gods like a heretic, and can't even get it up for women."
To sum up my curses in one: worse than 'fuck your mom'.
Spitting out endless filth like that.
The interrogator's face soured awkwardly.
"Does this show how much I hate the Empire?"
"We get how much you hate the Empire."
My emperor-bashing worked; his tone softened.
"And I'm not from the Hern Republic. But my fiancée Lina and I were abandoned by the Imperial Army. The emperor bastard who deserves death politically purged her family."
"You expect me to believe you—a guy engaged to an Imperial officer?"
If I'd said that earlier, torture would've started immediately.
But the emperor curses bought me a pass—mild suspicion at worst.
Now's the time to lay down the smokescreen for real.
Leak some Empire secrets that don't matter if exposed.
"Next Tuesday, the 1st Regiment's 3rd Battalion under the division will use live-fire training as cover to come near the riverbank and shoot at the sky."
"Solid intel?"
"There are several officers in the 12th Corps unhappy with the emperor. Reliable info from them—you can trust it."
"Fine. But if it's lies, you won't get away."
A few days later, the man who'd interrogated me smiled and said,
"......Just like you said, the 1st Regiment's 3rd Battalion did air-fire training. Come with me—the boss wants to meet you."