Chapter 39
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Annihilation (3)
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“Hyah!!”
Thududududu, Drrrr-!
As the coachman urged the horses on, the carriage began to dash forward like a mad beast.
Even with a trailer attached to the back, it maintained this speed. Truly befitting the official carriage of a battalion commander.
Of course, the carriage shook as violently as if an earthquake were happening, but Lumia, sitting inside the passenger cabin, didn't even notice.
She didn't have the luxury to do so.
Gnash.
Consumed by frantic anxiety, Lumia bit her fingernails. Her heart showed no signs of calming down either.
It wasn't because she was afraid of the carriage's speed.
It was because she was worried about Squad Leader Enok Levandel, whom she had left behind in Cherno City.
‘The Gavial bastards were there too... Those guys are notorious for even daring to mess with soldiers.’
While the Squad Leader drew the guards’ attention away, Lumia had joined up with the coachman, who was standing by at the depot, and managed to leave the city.
Whether the guard captain had issued a blockade order or not, guards had blocked the entrance midway, but...
— Just run them over! It's fine!
— Are you serious!?
— Yes!! Just floor it!!
— Hold on tight!! We're breaking through!!
At those fiery commands, the coachman responded enthusiastically, pushed the guards aside, and successfully escaped.
Had they been even a little late, or had the coachman hesitated...
Lumia would have been blocked and captured by the guards as well.
‘So it’s true... The guard captain of Cherno City was colluding with the enemy?’
She tightly gripped the document envelope she had received from Alfera.
The Cherno City Guard was by no means a righteous organization.
They frequently slacked off on duty, and it was common practice to fine people mercilessly over the slightest pretext.
However, until now, it had been at a level that could be dismissed as mere pettiness.
It was the kind of problem where you would complain about unfair treatment but ultimately let it slide without making a big issue out of it.
In fact, for Lumia, the Gavials were a far more unpleasant presence than the guards.
They practically controlled the commercial district, operated all sorts of illegal establishments in the back, and even formed connections with scumbags like Rex, exerting influence even within the military.
But the current situation had clearly crossed the line.
It was blatant treason.
Especially considering it was a serious crime committed directly by the 'head of a law enforcement organization' responsible for a trade city near the border.
“...I won't forgive you.”
Lumia recited in a voice filled with rage. Even when she was treated like trash in the so-called ‘Hopeless Squad,’ she never abandoned her pride as a soldier.
Thinking that she had been played by such people, flames seemed to ignite inside Lumia's heart.
How long had it been since she felt this way?
Carrying out missions for the nation and executing justice. The sense of responsibility as a soldier that she had completely forgotten since joining the 5th Squad.
This was what Lumia truly wanted.
The only group that had ever needed Lumia, who was born without a shred of talent, was the Ukran military.
For her, who grew up as an orphan without knowing her parents' faces and had no close friends, the army was a sufficient new sanctuary.
Lumia Blue had done her best in everything to gain their recognition.
Was that effort finally bearing fruit?
Due to her status as an orphan, she couldn't take the officer course, but she was evaluated as a promising magic non-commissioned officer and was on the elite track.
The tower she had built so steadily was too easily toppled.
Training, comrades, a mistake.
The bloodstains that surged before her eyes.
She, who had once been the star of the battalion, was plunged into an endless abyss.
She became a member of the废物 Squad.
Even then, she hadn't stopped trying. The reason Lumia was kind to everyone, and the reason she didn't scold her uncontrollable squad members...
Was because she held onto the hope that an opportunity would come someday.
Her body and mind were sick and broken, but she believed that someone would come for her someday.
One year, two years passed, and just as she was about to let go of the faint hope she was clinging to...
Enok Levandel was assigned.
‘Squad Leader...’
She thought she would never, ever feel it again.
She was just waiting to fill her miserable service years and get kicked out into society.
Lumia's heart began to beat again.
‘Please wait just a little longer. I will definitely come to help you.’
Please stay safe until then.
Lumia clasped both hands together and offered a fervent prayer to God.
‘I’m screwed!’
Guard Captain Ramur ran toward the guard barracks without looking back.
He had actually seen a mage use such magic for the first time.
Mages in the city don't use magic that often.
Originally, the military law strictly limited the use of magic by magic non-commissioned officers and magic officers for civilian purposes or within the city.
The most magic Ramur had witnessed until now was limited to lighting a stove or sprinkling water on a flower bed.
But now, the guy was shooting a waterfall from his hands, and on top of that, if you get hit, you go flying?
Don't make me laugh.
That's not a power a mere lieutenant can wield.
Even Lamour, who knew nothing about magic, could tell. That lieutenant was at least a 1st Class mage.
And there was no way the military would just leave such an officer be.
‘It's the Military Police! They already know everything and are coming!’
Ramur's mind went blank. In this situation, there was only one way.
To run away.
Whether he crosses the border or defects to the Sovye Empire.
Escaping by any means necessary was the only way to survive.
The crimes he had committed so far were too numerous to count.
On top of selling a confidential transport route to a suspicious bastard, he had even threatened and intimidated an officer belonging to the Military Police.
Ramur was certain that the moment he was caught by the Military Police, his execution was a given.
When he quickly returned to the guard barracks, he threw off his cumbersome armor and stuffed the uniform that proved he was a city guard into a corner.
Running away in a uniform?
Was he planning to let the whole neighborhood know he was a deserter?
After putting on civilian clothes and a robe, stuffing his pockets with all sorts of jewelry, and packing the secret funds he had saved up into a bag...
‘I need to pack a gun, a gun too.’
He couldn't use the city guard. Didn't he see it earlier?
Commanding a unit that was too scared of a single mage to even move wouldn't help him escape.
Having changed his clothes and gathered his funds and weapons, Ramur headed straight for the stable built on one side of the barracks.
It was almost dark. If he used a horse, even the Military Police wouldn't be able to catch him.
Who would know if the Military Police was hiding in the city or if he had already fled?
They wouldn't think he had left the city in such a short time.
‘That female non-commissioned officer must be guiding the Military Police officer. There's no way they've contacted the Military Police already.’
Ramur thought as he threw his heavy body onto the military horse. With a command of "Hyah!", the horse galloped out of the barracks, and the corner of Ramur's mouth lifted slightly.
Anyway, he had already squeezed everything he could out of Cherno City.
With this money, even if he moved to a neighboring country, he could live comfortably for the rest of his life.
Since he had already been thinking about retirement, Ramur had no lingering regrets.
‘Lauro, that bastard thinks he's hot stuff just because he hangs out with thugs. Let's see how he gets screwed.’
There was no brotherly affection to speak of.
He had just played along for some side income, not for his actual brother's sake.
Whether he got his neck cut off by the Military Police or was tortured, it was none of Ramur's business.
And so, he kept running.
In the end, the escape route was what mattered.
At this point, the front and back gates were likely already occupied by the Military Police.
However, Ramur hadn't just played around for the two years he served as guard captain.
‘To the small gate on the east side...!’
There were two main entrances to Cherno City.
But there was one passage that wasn't used as a general entrance.
As the northernmost trade city and a fortress city, it was a secret route intended to safely evacuate the city mayor and other VIPs in case of an uprising.
Originally, Ramur was supposed to be in charge of escorting the VIPs until the very end, so he knew about this passage.
‘If I go out that way, no one will know!’
Ramur, sensing victory, raised the corners of his mouth and laughed.
The moment Ramur reached the small eastern gate of Cherno City.
“Huh?”
“What the, seriously... You came?”
“I told you clearly.”
Two people were blocking the path.
“Who are you! This is a controlled area, get lost quickly!”
Even when he burst out in anger and threatened them, the two figures shrouded in shadow showed no particular reaction.
“I said get lost!!”
If it were his usual personality, he would have jumped off his horse right away and slapped those bastards.
But since he was being chased by the Military Police in real-time, he had no time to waste.
“It's your fault for not moving aside!!”
Ramur grabbed the reins again and charged at the two people.
He didn't care if they got hurt or died, he planned to run them over and then dash toward the wide-open escape route with his horse.
That was what he should have done.
“!?”
A giant ice spear flew toward the military horse just as it was about to start galloping.
Hee-ee-ing-!!
With a splat! The ice spear pierced through the hide, and the horse screamed and collapsed. Naturally, Ramur, who was riding on top, lost his balance and was thrown to the ground.
What just happened?
As Ramur, with a confused expression, raised his head, mana emanating from a woman's body was dyeing the space blue.
‘A mage...!!’
Just when did the Military Police become this fast?
Ramur, engulfed in fear, chattered his teeth. He was trapped in a dilemma where even the passage he had prepared was blocked.
He would die if captured, and he would die if he surrendered.
In that case, he would kill them first and then run away.
Ramur hastily drew the handgun attached to his waist. His finger hooked the trigger and pulled, and flames erupted from the extended barrel.
“Die!!!”
Boom-!
Even a grand mage would die instantly if shot in the head.
Ramur had been quite prominent in the guard for his shooting skills.
The trajectory of the bullet, flying in a straight line, continued toward the mage's forehead.
One shot, one kill.
He had lost his horse, but if he eliminated the witnesses, he could buy some time.
It could still be seen that his plan wasn't completely ruined, but Ramur's hope was shattered in an instant.
Clang!
The man, who had been standing silently, drew two daggers.
In the blink of an eye, a purple flash occurred. At the same time, a sharp metallic sound rang in Ramur's ears.
He couldn't believe it even though he saw it with his own eyes.
With a sword, and that too, a crudely made dagger...
He had cut down the flying bullet.
“You have no chance of winning. Surrender.”
The man's beast-like pupils shimmered golden.