Suddenly a War Hero
Suddenly a War Hero
For a moment I thought I had misheard, but Frien's eyes were filled with certainty.
"......Binoculars."
"Yes, Lieutenant!"
I took the binoculars from Frien and scanned the entrance to the gorge, then frowned.
Just as Frien had said, a company-sized force was advancing.
But why were they coming to the Edelkral Gorge, a minefield?
Intrigued, I studied their formation and let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
'They were marching in column formation. Two soldiers walked at the very front, far ahead of the rest.'
The soldiers at the front were, quite literally, a mine-clearing detachment.
If no explosions occurred along the path they took, it meant there were no mines.
So Jeremy's unit was simply following in the footsteps of the vanguard.
'The soldiers at the front... it didn't seem like they were doing it by choice.'
When I increased the binoculars' magnification to get a better look, the faces of the soldiers walking in front were filled with fear.
Would they have volunteered to be at the front while trembling in fear like that? Definitely not.
No matter how I looked at it, the probability of some kind of coercion was high.
I shifted the binoculars and saw the soldiers in the rear, about 30 meters back, openly aiming their rifles at those in the lead.
If they broke from the front, they were to be shot immediately.
It was clear that Jeremy had given an order along those lines.
'To use his subordinates' lives to check for mines...'
It was an idea that could only have been spawned by a demon.
Though, given that far worse things had happened in the history of warfare, it wasn't exactly surprising.
I let out a sigh, lowered the binoculars, and looked around as I spoke.
"The target is approaching. All squads, prepare for combat."
The moment my words ended, the platoon members dropped low and drew the rifles they had slung over their shoulders.
I confirmed there were no issues and took a prone firing position at the edge of the cliff.
The soldiers followed my lead and lined up along the cliff as well.
As I peered down at Jeremy's company gradually moving deeper into the gorge, I whispered, just loud enough for the soldiers to hear.
"I will handle the enemy commander. The moment I fire, you are to conduct rear fire and block their escape route. Prepare magic bullets."
"Prepare magic bullets!"
Just like I had, the soldiers called out in low voices and channeled mana into the hands gripping their magazines.
It was an act of temporarily imbuing bullets with mana to enhance their destructive and penetrating power.
Mana-charged bullets surpassed ordinary magic in effectiveness, and the difficulty of casting was extremely low, as it required merely pouring mana in without any particular chanting.
Just as medieval knights had vanished with the development of firearms, magic in this world, once the utility of magic bullets was proven, had largely been relegated to a relic of a bygone era, save for a few spells that retained practical combat use.
It was a prime example of technological advancement killing romance.
'Anyway...'
If I succeeded in killing Colonel Jeremy here, wouldn't I just rack up more military achievements?
With the Imperial Princess watching from behind, I had to fight, but producing more results here was equivalent to torpedoing my chance to escape the Empire.
So what should I do? I looked through my rifle's scope, feeling Selvia's gaze on me.
I pressed the rifle's stock against my shoulder and peered through the scope down at the ground. I could see Colonel Jeremy walking in the center of the column.
The scope's magnification wasn't high enough to see his face clearly, but since only one person was wearing a high-ranking officer's uniform, that man was definitely Colonel Jeremy.
If I succeeded in killing Colonel Jeremy here, I would certainly be given a special promotion.
That was something I could not allow. I didn't want to be tied to the Empire any more than I already was.
'In that case...'
I just had to become the idiot who failed to kill Colonel Jeremy even when the opportunity presented itself.
'I'll have to make it look like my aim was off.'
My judgment made, I subtly turned the muzzle and aimed at the soldier walking right next to Colonel Jeremy.
I took a deep breath, held it, formed the magic bullet, and pulled the trigger.
Tang!
The bullet surged forth, tearing through the air and piercing the soldier's head.
Right after, the reports of the platoon members' rifles rang out one after another, making my ears ring.
I lifted my head slightly and checked the rear. Around 17 Allied soldiers burst with blood and dropped to the ground with soft thuds.
It was a solid first volley.
However, the enemy commander was still alive.
If he confirmed that the number of soldiers killed by the first volley was around twenty, the enemy would easily deduce that we were a platoon-sized force.
As far as I knew, Jeremy was a crafty rat. He would certainly deploy a mana barrier and flee, whether forward or backward.
Many of his soldiers would likely be killed in the process, but would Jeremy, who used his men as a mine-clearing squad, even care?
If Jeremy escaped from here, I could become the officer who failed his mission.
'Now. Hurry up and run away, Colonel Jeremy!'
As I waited with my eye to the scope, I saw Jeremy's company in a state of panic.
The person who looked like their officer started shouting something, then laid his weapon down.
'......Huh? Why are they putting their weapons down?'
I stared blankly, unable to comprehend, as the enemy officer and soldiers knelt down one by one and raised their hands.
An unmistakable sign of surrender. It was an expression that they had no will to continue the fight.
Frien, who had been firing beside me, also seemed to find it odd and tilted her head.
"......They're surrendering?"
"No. It could be an enemy deception tactic. If we go down, they might pick up their guns and attack..."
Before I could even finish, the officer shouted something and threw his firearm toward the minefield.
The soldiers also followed the officer and threw all their weapons to a spot that looked like a minefield.
"......It's definitely a surrender."
What on earth was the reason? I couldn't figure it out, but in any case, the enemy had surrendered, so the operation was over as of now.
"Everyone, up. We're going down to tie them up."
*
I descended into the gorge, ordered the platoon members to bind the prisoners, and walked over to Colonel Jeremy to demand an explanation of the whole story from the beginning.
To be precise, the reason for his surrender.
"You shot the Colonel dead!"
Colonel Jeremy was... Correction. A look-alike wearing Colonel Jeremy's uniform looked at me and snarled.
"We were ambushed. And on top of that, when we realized you had such a decisive intelligence advantage that you even knew we'd swapped clothes, we were sure we couldn't win. Running forward would lead to a minefield, and running back would be a dog's death."
In short, the soldier I had killed with my first shot was actually Colonel Jeremy, disguised as a common soldier.
A company that lost its commander in an instant had judged the enemy to be superior in every way, causing its morale to plummet. And so they had surrendered just like that.
'Damn it...'
I was so dumbfounded I was wiping my face when the soldier clenched his fist resentfully.
"Fuck...! You goddamn Imperial scum! If we had known you were nothing but a single platoon, we would have fought back! You demonic bastard...! Deceiving us all! Go rot in—"
With a Peok! the soldier collapsed into the snow.
Frien, who had been listening, struck the soldier in the throat with the butt of her rifle.
Frien, who had been looking down coldly at the enemy soldier, turned to me and saluted.
"Platoon Leader! We have bound 87 enemy troops, excluding the 18 killed!"
Hearing Frien's words, the reality that a single platoon had defeated a company truly sank in.
As I stood in silence, exhaling a breath laced with cold air, Frien added.
"......You've earned a meritorious deed. Are you not pleased? Ah! Such a result must be a given for you, Lieutenant. I apologize for my impertinence!"
What was this woman going on about? As I was frowning, Pyung— a camera shutter went off.
I flinched, closing my eyes, and when I turned my gaze to where the shutter sound had come from, Selvia was standing there.
Selvia lowered her camera and looked at me, her eyes filled with pride.
"Congratulations. From the operation plan to taking out the target, it was perfect."
"Wait. The picture you just took..."
"Once I return to the capital, I'll command... no, I'll request that it be published in the newspaper. A war hero who defeated a company with a platoon has been born, so shouldn't I gladly assist you?"
I wanted to tell her not to, but the other party was the Imperial Princess. It meant I had no right of refusal.
Selvia, apparently taking a liking to me, stepped a pace closer and playfully poked my side.
"How is it? How does it feel to be a war hero?"
"......."
It was the absolute worst.
But there was no way I could say such a thing to the Empire's princess.
I composed my emotions and replied as calmly as possible.
"To be called a war hero for simply doing my duty to the Empire is absurd. What I have done is merely one of the countless battles occurring on the front lines. Therefore, I am concerned that publicizing this battle to the capital may seem like making a fuss over nothing."
I was, in a roundabout way, asking her not to publicize my achievements in the capital.
However, hearing my words, Selvia's expression briefly flickered with surprise before she gave a faint smile.
"Indeed. Just as I'd heard, you are a paragon of a soldier. To the point I want to snap you up as soon as possible."
......I felt like there had been a misunderstanding. But it was probably just my imagination.