090. Stranded (1)
090. Stranded (1)
People sometimes got the wrong idea, but I was a thoroughgoing materialist.
That wasn't meant to disparage the value of spirit or effort.
It simply meant those things alone had clear limits.
A good Commander had to accept that fact. The world was full of Legions that indomitable spirit could never overcome, and biodroids didn't become infinitely stronger just because you increased their training hours.
To win, to become stronger, you needed material improvement, not just spirit.
For instance, swapping out parts. Changing up skill configurations. Even just adopting equipment with a slightly higher output.
......Well, strictly speaking, maybe my stance was more that effort was the baseline, and innate ability counted too.
Anyway.
Regardless.
The point was, I found it hard to agree with Alicia's assertion that 'given capabilities don't matter.'
No, that was secondary.
I was a little worried.
Once this re-enactment experiment ended successfully, Alicia would head to the battlefield with me as an ordinary field combat soldier.
Given that she possessed the Independent Action skill, I would typically deploy her like a detached unit, but considering Krädel's manpower shortage, there would also be plenty of times when we'd pair up and take the field together.
But going out to the field together in this state— that is, a state where she didn't understand the fundamental difference between humans and biodroids— was dangerous.
Various judgment errors could arise. Like neglecting Commander protection in an emergency.
To prevent that kind of problem, Alicia needed to experience what it felt like to be a weak human woman.
That was why I'd proposed the bet to Alicia.
It was absolutely not because I wanted to knock her down a peg.
It absolutely, absolutely was not because I wanted to watch Alicia miss shot after shot and turn red, then wallow in humiliation while carrying out the penalty.
......If I had to be precise, maybe about 3% of it was those reasons, but I'm telling you, it was by no means the main point.
Well, anyway.
I decided to test it properly.
With Sumire's help, I modified Alicia's core and suppressed her Beta Phase.
In other words, Alicia had been weakened to the level of an “ordinary human woman” limited to the Alpha Phase system.
"How does it feel?"
"It does not feel like anything in particular."
"Your stance looks a little unsteady?"
"You are hoping that is the case."
Alicia answered nonchalantly.
She took the lead and headed toward the parade ground where she had set up a shooting range.
The parade ground was about 5 kilometers from Krädel HQ.
Military regulations mandated that a base must have a parade ground, but the Krädel HQ site had no spacious area to build one.
So ultimately, it felt like they had lazily pointed at a distant empty plot and designated it as 'this is the parade ground.'
The path to that parade ground was quite rough.
Not in a figurative sense, but physically rough. The parade ground was situated on a route leading to Trash Island, and the area around it often experienced flooding.
The ground was one big mess of mud, with garbage swept down by floodwaters scattered everywhere.
Because of this, the trek to the parade ground was quite a hassle even for Han Si-hu, a human male who exercised consistently.
What about Alicia, who had become an ordinary human woman, on the other hand?
"Are you all right?"
"I am perfectly... ngh, fine."
No, she looked like she was struggling a lot.
And that was with me carrying the ammo box. If she had carried that too, she definitely would have collapsed halfway there.
Even so, Alicia stubbornly trudged her way to the parade ground.
She barely made it to the shooting range.
"Do you want to rest a bit before shooting?"
"......I will start immediately, so do not disturb me."
Alicia snapped coldly and then began her preparations.
It didn't look any easier than it had before.
From moving the steel targets into position to loading the ammunition, everything was genuinely a struggle.
It would have been better if she had at least caught her breath first. Whether pride got the better of her or she genuinely misjudged her condition, Alicia immediately started shooting.
The result—
[100m Shooting Result - Attempt 1 -]
0/30
Yes. There was no twist.
All 30 shots were clean misses.
Even by Alicia's own expressionless standards, her face showed considerable shock.
Apparently, someone who had lived by marksmanship alone could neither imagine nor accept becoming this bad at shooting simply because her phase power was gone.
Maybe that was why. A moment later, she started to insist.
"......I will do it again."
"A'right, Alicia."
"That was a genuine test. I will do it properly this time."
I told her to go ahead.
[100m Shooting Result - Attempt 2 -]
2/30
Well, it did improve.
"I have gotten the hang of it now."
[100m Shooting Result - Attempt 3 -]
1/30
"I will do it again."
[100m Shooting Result - Attempt 4 -]
4/30
"You see. I improve the more I do it."
[100m Shooting Result - Attempt 5 -]
2/30
"......That round was a mistake."
[100m Shooting Result - Attempt 6 -]
3/30
"The next one will do it, then."
[100m Shooting Result - Attempt 7 -]
1/30
"Kgh......!"
.......
.......
[100m Shooting Result - Round 19 -]
0/30
"More ammunition, please."
Alicia demanded it without even insisting that the next round would be the one anymore.
Of course, I handed her a 30-round clip again without fail this time too, but at the same time, I felt I needed to issue one warning.
"For your information, this is the last chance."
"I am aware of that."
Alicia, who had been interested in nothing but the target, answered unconsciously and then immediately asked back.
"......What did you just say?"
What do you think I said.
"If you fail this time, that's it. I brought twenty packs of thirty rounds each."
I answered her in disbelief.
But instead, Alicia protested.
"Why did you not bring more?"
"Are we going to war or something? Why would I bring over 600 rounds of bolt-action rifle ammo?"
More importantly, I couldn't have brought more. Ammo is surprisingly heavy.
I had originally planned to bring only about 100 rounds... but I was worried Alicia might blame the amount of ammunition, so I forced myself to haul an entire ammo box here.
Yet even with those 600 rounds, Alicia didn't seem satisfied.
"Anyway, if you fail to hit 28 this time, it's the penalty."
"...By the way, what are you planning to make me do for the penalty?"
"Hmm. I'm deciding between making you write your name with your butt in front of everyone and walking you once around the base on a leash. Which would you prefer, Alicia?"
Alicia didn't answer and assumed a shooting stance.
A prone shooting position.
I think I'd mentioned it before, but Alicia seemed somewhat reluctant to take that stance in front of me.
Maybe that was why she had maintained a standing position throughout today's shooting...... but this time, she seemed truly desperate.
Alicia took a deep breath and calmly began shooting.
—Bang!
One shot.
—Bang!
Another shot.
—Bang! Bang!
As if gaining confidence, she worked the action and fired two more rounds in quick succession.
She repeated the cycle until she finally chambered the thirtieth and last round.
Judging by the atmosphere alone, it felt like she had already hit 28 and was racing toward a perfect score.
Her shooting had indeed improved far more than before. The targets were so far away I couldn't see them properly, but it looked like she had hit at least 10 of them.
Maybe that was why.
Alicia prepared the final shot with extreme, painstaking care.
But at that exact moment.
—Danger. Danger. Danger.
A warning tone rang out from both my PDA and Alicia's.
Wondering what it was, I looked down at the screen and felt a chill run down my spine.
[Large-Scale Legion Activity Detected Nearby]
Location: N37º23'06'' / E126º38'42''
Distance: Approximately 1km Southeast
Estimated Legion Force: 10 or more C-Rank units
If it was to the southeast, that was the path back to Krädel.
Meaning a large number of Legions had spawned there.
Of course, if Alicia had been in normal condition, this level of force wouldn't have been a big problem.
But as everyone knew, Alicia was not in normal condition.
"Alicia, isn't there any way to restore your phase power right now?"
"No. In addition, my phase power will not recover until my circuits are reset, which requires the Manufactory."
I figured as much.
"Can we not contact HQ?"
"I'm trying, but no answer."
Just in case, I checked the Krädel group chat... but there was no internet at all. They must have been jamming us.
"What will we do? Do we wait for HQ to join us?"
"We have to. It shouldn't take too long."
Laika had been practicing swimming in the stream near Krädel.
In other words, she was either still at the stream or had already returned to HQ, and either way, Laika's running speed could cover the distance in 10 minutes.
I had known that fact, which was why I'd come out to this area even knowing Alicia was powerless.
Nevertheless, if there was one thing that bothered me.
"......Why is the jamming signal active?"
The Legions active near Krädel were mainly the ones that had died on the western front and washed all the way down to Trash Island.
Most of their units were beyond bad condition, lying in a near-death state.
They were also far from any hive and outside the control of a Lord-class unit.
That was why they almost never exhibited tactical behavior like deploying jamming signals.
More than 10 of them clustering together and being scanned was also highly unusual.
At this point, how should I put it.
It looked as if healthy Legions had flowed into this area for some reason——
"Over there."
"Huh?"
"Over there. Does the shape of that ridge not look a little strange?"
I looked in the direction Alicia was pointing.
The trees leading to Trash Island. Specifically, the section where all the trees were starting to rot away completely in the contaminated soil.
From beyond that point, a turbid current carrying garbage was flowing down.
There, I understood the situation perfectly.
"This is a flood."
"Excuse me?"
"I said, a flood."
The Legions we detected weren't originally from Trash Island either.
They were guys operating on the northeastern front that had been swept down here.
Of course, now wasn't the time to debate that.
The muddy water I had thought was merely trickling had already formed a current and begun reaching our feet.
The parade ground where we were located was low and flat.
If we stayed like this just a little longer —probably within a few minutes— the two of us would drown side by side.
"Alicia! This way!"
"Wait, that direction is......!"
I knew.
That it was the exact opposite direction from the base, toward the West Sea where Trash Island was.
But avoiding danger was the priority right now. In that sense, Trash Island, with its slightly higher elevation, would serve as a safe zone.
There was no other escape route, frankly. Every other path was already submerged in muddy water.
Maybe she understood that fact.
"Understood."
Alicia started running northwest after me.
We ran, and ran some more.
But it wasn't enough.
What wasn't enough? Speed and stamina.
It was inevitable. Shooting was also a sport, and she had been at it before she could even adapt to having lost her phase power.
And she'd pushed herself hard, twenty whole rounds of it.
There was no way her muscles, weakened to the level of an ordinary girl, were in good condition.
So that's why.
At some point, Alicia gave up on running.
"Alicia, what are you doing!"
As if she had been waiting for it, black mud rose above Alicia's knees.
Countless piles of garbage blocked the space between her and me.
Belatedly, Alicia added a follow-up statement.
"Go on ahead."
"What?"
"Even if I break, I can be reassembled, can I not? Find me later and fix me."
"That only applies if your brain is intact!"
There was no guarantee we could even find her again in the first place.
Because no one knew whether she'd get swept up in the current and buried deep within Trash Island, or wash past it and drift out to sea.
So that's why.
"Damn it!"
I yanked Alicia into my arms.
"What do you think you're...... are you trying to get us both killed?"
"What are you talking about! I'm trying to get us both out alive!"
I pulled Alicia out of the filth.
Laboriously, truly laboriously.
From her body down to her legs. The moment I pulled her free.
—ROOOOOSH!
The earthen floor behind us collapsed as if a dammed-up flood had burst.
Soon, an impact struck me from behind.
It felt less like water and more like being crushed by a massive chunk of concrete.
Despite that, I didn't let go of Alicia.
On the contrary, I held her even tighter.
Because I truly, truly loathed it.
The thought of losing a soldier.
I was completely done with that now.
However.
Nevertheless, I had complaints about the situation.
I had come here prepared to die. I had become a Commander.
And now I was dying like this, not from a Legion, not in the middle of a battlefield, but near my own base.
I would die without ever meeting Sion again, without ever finding out what the hell had happened to that woman.
I felt hollow, bitter, and miserable—— and a little afraid.
Even so, I didn't let it show.
Because Alicia was in my arms.
And that Alicia was terrified.
Determined to die as a Commander to the very end, I put on the strongest front I could.
And then, and then——
***
And when I opened my eyes again.
I was together with Alicia.
It wasn't heaven.
It wasn't hell either.
It was an uninhabited island that didn't appear on any map.