Answer Violence with Violence
Answer Violence with Violence
Two weeks later.
I went to my command office as usual, sat down at my desk, and looked at Lucy.
Lucy's silver-white hair slid softly downward as she bowed her head to review documents.
With a familiar motion, Lucy tucked the stray lock behind her ear and immersed herself in her work.
Seeing that extreme degree of focus she displayed while handling her duties, there couldn't have been a finer adjutant.
If Lucy were an ordinary adjutant, I would have praised her often.
'But she's a spy.'
The person right before my eyes, Lucy, was someone who could attempt to assassinate me at any moment.
So I had spent a long time agonizing.
Over whether or not to report the research journal I'd looted from the Kingdom's laboratory to my superiors.
My conclusion, in short, was not to report it.
The reason was simple.
Even if I claimed that Lucy was a spy based on that journal, I had no proof.
Therefore, from Lucy's standpoint, she could simply brush it off by saying it was a different person with the same name.
The name Lucy wasn't exceedingly common, but it wasn't rare either.
If the matter was quietly dropped like that, the person in actual danger would be me.
Because from Lucy's perspective, she would think Daniel Steiner had caught on to her true identity.
'A catastrophe would undoubtedly follow...'
So, it was only right that I kept the knowledge of 'Project Lucy' to myself until clear evidence emerged.
Having sorted out my thoughts, I let out a dry cough.
At that, Lucy stopped reviewing documents and turned to look at me.
Meeting Lucy's crimson eyes, I spoke.
"I received word from headquarters that they're sending a garrison commander. Do you know when he arrives?"
"Ah. He departed yesterday with a minimal escort, so it should take about a week."
"What constitutes a minimal escort?"
"A battalion-level force. Even this was reduced by headquarters. If I may add, the garrison commander requested more troops for long-term occupation, but headquarters rejected it."
A battalion-sized unit had departed, and yet it would take a week to reach Nordia.
That meant loading all the soldiers into transport vehicles and undertaking a forced march.
Was there a need to hurry that much? I wondered, but since it was a headquarters decision, there was probably a reason.
I nodded vaguely and began to speak.
"What's the situation at the front?"
"As you likely already know, it's a streak of consecutive victories. Reports have come in that the Empire has now occupied over half of the Kingdom's territory. The Kingdom has already lost its function as a state."
"I see. At this rate, as His Majesty the Emperor intends, we should be able to bring down the Kingdom before winter arrives."
"That is correct. However, perhaps because the Kingdom is preparing for a desperate last stand, they've pulled back the front lines and committed all their forces to the defense of the capital. Consequently, the Imperial Army has also entered a sort of lull."
Committing all forces to the defense of the capital. That was practically the same as a last, desperate thrashing.
However, for the Imperial Army, capturing the Kingdom's capital, which was now akin to a hedgehog, would be a tricky affair.
Unwilling to bear the bloodshed, the Imperial Army would probably propose peace negotiations to the Kingdom.
How would the Kingdom respond to a peace negotiation proposal that was practically an ultimatum?
'In the game, I know they ignored the Empire's proposal and fought to the bitter end...'
Because I had unintentionally performed brilliantly and altered the situation so much, I couldn't know what conclusion would be reached.
Of course, it wasn't something I needed to care about.
Once the garrison commander arrived from headquarters, I would just hand over command and return to the Imperial Capital. That was all.
'When I get back to the capital, the very first thing I'll do is have a drink. Not that supply whiskey, but a proper one.'
It was right as I was imagining the comfortable and prosperous life I'd lead in the capital.
─ Move back! Get back!
─ Beautiful Nordia has no need for filth like you!
My shoulders flinched at the shouting and cries of the citizens.
Wondering what was going on, I rose from my seat and approached the window.
On the main road in front of the command post, I could see at least several hundred citizens marching while holding picket signs.
'...What's this? Are they finally expressing their dissatisfaction with the garrison?'
As I was looking down in puzzlement, Lucy came up beside me and spoke.
"It's a protest against the privileged class. I'd heard there were signs, but I didn't expect it to actually break out."
"The privileged class... don't tell me, you mean the nobles of Nordia?"
"That's correct. I heard that after you, Major, enacted the 'Anti-Racial Discrimination Act,' the discord between the citizens and the nobles reached a peak. It seems the citizens' anger toward the nobles erupted today."
It seemed Lucy's words were true, as the citizens passed by the command post and began heading somewhere.
What on earth had the nobles been doing for an incident to erupt just two weeks after the law was enacted?
I had been frowning with my hands clasped behind my back, but then a sudden thought made me clench my fist.
'Isn't this the final opportunity to lower my performance rating in Nordia?'
Mentally calculating the odds, I turned to Lucy and spoke.
"Order the garrison's available personnel. Tell them to follow the protesters."
"...The protesters, sir?"
"Yes. Managing the protest is also part of the garrison's role. Instruct them that if any violence breaks out during the protest, they are to restrain it. I don't care if they use force in the process of restraint."
Lucy answered immediately, without questioning my order.
"Understood. I will relay the Major's order to the garrison at once."
After confirming that Lucy had turned around and was walking away, I turned my gaze back to the window and let out a low chuckle.
'To think this kind of opportunity would come when I only have a week left as temporary garrison commander.'
A protest born from anger would surely be accompanied by violence.
What would happen if the garrison unilaterally suppressed violence by the citizens?
The citizens would realize that the garrison was not an ally, but ultimately, the Empire's soldiers.
If that happened, the citizens' support for the garrison, which I had painstakingly built up, would certainly nosedive.
General Headquarters would not look kindly upon me for destroying a well-built tower due to a momentary lapse in judgment.
I would be able to deeply disappoint the Deputy Chief of Staff, who had pinned his hopes on me.
Then, I'd take a step back from operational support and could comfortably enjoy life in the interior.
Once there, with my safety guaranteed, I'd just need to find a clue to escape the Empire, and that would be that.
'Perfect.'
The garrison commander arriving later would have a rough time, but that wasn't my concern.
'I apologize in advance. However, life is not inherently smooth sailing.'
Wearing a wicked smile, I leisurely looked down upon the procession of protesters.
*
The protesters, who had continued their march, stopped in front of a massive mansion.
"Get back! You trash that devours Nordia!"
"Release my father at once! The debt my father owed you has already been repaid and more!"
"You son of a bitch! Do you even realize you've been ruining Nordia!?"
The master of the mansion, Taranto, came out to the front yard with his private soldiers upon hearing the commotion, only to be horrified.
This was because, at a glance, more than several hundred citizens were raising their voices, each holding a picket sign.
Among the citizens were also several nobles who had previously argued for the prohibition of racial discrimination.
On top of that, Imperial soldiers in black uniforms had lined up as if protecting the citizens, which put him even further on edge.
"This is insane! Why are they acting like that!?"
At Taranto's words, one of the private soldiers opened his mouth.
"Well, they are demanding that you release the personnel you are using as slaves."
"What? Slaves? I give them food and a place to sleep in exchange for work, so how is that slavery!? Are those crazy bastards telling me to give up my private property right now? You thieving scum!"
In Taranto's view, the citizens were no different from a band of robbers trying to seize his property.
So many people were starving to death during the war, but he believed without a shred of doubt that he was in the right because, even if unpaid, he gave them food and a place to sleep.
"Ungrateful, plague-ridden little shits! Shoot them all! A few deaths and they'll scatter like startled cockroaches!"
"Excuse me? Master, but..."
"Shut up and do as I say!"
The private soldier hesitated, but raised his gun toward the protesters.
Then, the other private soldiers also awkwardly aimed their rifles at the protesters.
"G-guns!"
"That lunatic, he's trying to shoot us...!"
Consequently, the protesters had no choice but to step back in alarm.
At that moment, Lieutenant Mekkel, who was commanding the Imperial soldiers, raised a megaphone.
─ We recommend you lay down your weapons. Major Daniel Steiner, the Temporary Garrison Commander, has stated that he will not tolerate any violence occurring during the protest.
At this, Taranto's eyebrows furrowed.
Just as he was at a loss for a rebuttal, Lieutenant Mekkel spoke again.
─ Should you ignore the Commander's order and open fire, according to the order to respond to violence with violence, we cannot guarantee the lives of not only you but also the private soldiers protecting you.
Taranto swallowed hard upon hearing Lieutenant Mekkel's words.
Because to Taranto, Lieutenant Mekkel's statement sounded like, 'If you cross the line, we will kill you all.'
'Have the Imperial troops truly decided to side with the citizens?'
Having gritted his teeth for a long while, Taranto had no choice but to raise the white flag.
"...Lower your guns and release the families of those bastards."
"Huh? Are you serious?"
"Yes. There's nothing to be gained by making an enemy of the garrison."
The soldiers who had been dawdling all lowered their guns at once.
This was because they, too, knew there was no chance of winning a fight against the Imperial Army.
Thanks to this, the protesting citizens all burst into cheers simultaneously.
"Taranto is backing down! We can finally see our families!"
"Taranto, you son of a bitch! You get it now, don't you! The garrison is on the side of the people! They're protecting us!"
"Long live the garrison! Long live Major Daniel Steiner!"
The cheers of the citizens, shouting and raising their picket signs high, filled the air in every direction.
Among them was Hamtal, the leader of the secret society Black Bird.
'To make Taranto yield...'
Before the war broke out, Taranto had been the most powerful noble in Nordia.
His business acumen, with which he accumulated his wealth, involved lending money to colored races and then, under the pretext of repaying the debt, confining them in mansions or farms to work.
The debt was enormous, with usurious interest, so repayment was virtually impossible, and as the law took the side of Taranto, an aristocrat, not the colored races, there had been no recourse until now.
In the midst of this, Daniel, the temporary garrison commander, had enacted the 'Anti-Discrimination Law' and emboldened the citizens with courage and strength.
On top of that, as if to prove he stood with the citizens, he attached the garrison as an escort for this protest and prevented Taranto's indiscriminate gunfire.
Now, they could no longer deny it.
'Daniel Steiner is no conqueror.'
He was a liberator who had come to rescue the citizens from the oppression of the Kingdom.
As the citizens were wildly cheering and chanting Daniel's name, Hamtal took a radio out of his chest pocket and quietly pressed the transmit button.
"All members of the Black Bird commando squad, listen."
Pausing for a moment, Hamtal continued, his eyes filled with conviction.
"From now on, we will align ourselves with the will of Major Daniel Steiner."
It was the moment a hero of Nordia, recognized by all, was born.