Chapter 40
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: One-Sided Annihilation (4)
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"Where is your captain of the guard?"
"I-I don't know!! I really don't know!!"
I dragging a sentry out from the alley where he was hiding. The man, having already lost all will to fight, simply trembled violently.
This is bad.
I had wiped out the Gavial gang in one fell swoop, but I ended up letting the important Golden Goblin slip away.
"If you don't answer properly, I'll make you swallow that water cannon from earlier right into your mouth."
"Y-Yes!! Understood, sir officer!! I'll tell you everything I know!"
"Where is the direct passage to the guard barracks from here?"
"Go straight that way, and when you turn right, the building will be right there! It's h-high, so you'll recognize it right away!"
I let go of the sentry's collar with a shove and immediately ran toward the barracks.
That bastard Ramur, he must have realized 100% that I came from the military police. That's why he didn't even think about fighting back and just fled the moment the water cannon started spraying.
However, Ramur's options right now are extremely limited.
Either he abandons everything, money and all, and just runs for his life, or he packs what he can and gets out of the city.
I figured it was the latter.
He's made off with so much, there's no way he'd run without any preparation. He's definitely at the barracks.
From here on, it was purely a time attack.
Even if I had evidence overflowing to prove his guilt, if I couldn't secure Ramur, there would be no way to identify the higher-ups who ordered the artifact's leakage.
There's no way Ramur, a mere city captain of the guard, would have ordered the theft of an artifact.
There must be a mastermind behind him, far above his station.
This was a 100% chance for the operation to succeed; I couldn't afford to miss it.
After sprinting through the now dark streets, I arrived at the barracks.
But all that filled the place was a cold silence.
Looking around quickly, I spotted signs of a horse having been released from the stable set up in a corner.
"Damn it!"
Only one. Anyone could see it was definitely the horse Ramur rode away on.
But it's still too early to give up.
I approached the stable and untied the one remaining horse. It snorted healthily, giving off a good vibe.
"It's my first time riding a horse, but... I'll manage somehow!!"
I checked the saddle's fastenings and leaped onto the horse's back. As I did, I somehow got a grasp on how to handle the beast.
Well, given the setting that I graduated from the military academy, I probably knew how to ride a horse reasonably well.
Is this the possessor’s bonus?
I didn't have time to be impressed. I firmly planted my feet in the stirrups and whipped the reins.
Hee-ya-!
The horse reared up, lifting its front legs, and then began to charge forward.
The closest exit from the barracks is the back gate! I'll go that way!
If Ramur didn't take a wrong turn, he would have already left the city. However, if I ran fast enough, I could still catch up.
And so, in less than a few minutes, the city's back gate came into view.
"Huh...? What's this."
There were troops deployed in front of the firmly shut castle gate. At first, I thought they were sentries ordered by Ramur to block the way.
But unlike the shabby sentries, they were dressed smartly and in high-quality uniforms.
Gold buttons on their pitch-black coats, a vivid badge depicting a giant reindeer on their chests.
It was the Military Police.
"Halt, halt!"
Following the Military Police's order, I stopped the horse and dismounted.
"The city is temporarily closed under the authority of the Military Police. Present your identification and you may return!"
I was in civilian clothes, and aside from Lieutenant Lanister, I had no acquaintances in the Military Police.
So it was only natural they didn't recognize me.
"Glory to the Fatherland! Second Lieutenant Enok Levandel of the 3rd Magic Battalion, directly under the Northern Legion!"
I approached the man who seemed to be a lieutenant and saluted, and he returned the salute.
"The 3rd Magic Battalion...? What is that unit's officer doing here?"
"I am carrying out a mission under Lieutenant Lanister's orders."
I pulled out my Military Police badge from my pocket and showed him, and the lieutenant's gaze changed.
"Ah, so you're the squad leader from the rumors. I've heard of you. We can discuss the specifics of your meritorious deeds after we arrest the captain of the guard and the others involved."
"Understood. By the way, have you seen anyone arrive here on horseback?"
"Aside from you, no one has come to the back gate."
What's going on? If it wasn't Ramur, then who took a horse and disappeared?
Did he slip out before the Military Police arrived?
It was a reasonable suspicion, so I asked the lieutenant once more.
"How long ago did you block the back gate?"
"We arrived immediately after receiving the order from Lieutenant Lanister. It's 19:00 now, so about 10 minutes ago."
If what the lieutenant said was true, the timing was a little too close for comfort.
Wasn't it just when I was cleaning up the Gavial gang and heading toward the barracks? If he had fled with only the bare minimum of luggage, he could have easily slipped out before the Military Police sealed the entrance.
I hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the lieutenant the truth.
"I believe Captain of the Guard Ramur has fled the city."
"What did you say?"
"After I dealt with the thugs he hired, I immediately set out in pursuit... but I confirmed that one horse is missing from the guard barracks."
"Damn it...! Then this is no time to be standing around, we need to form a pursuit squad right now...!!"
The lieutenant was just about to give an order to the cavalry waiting near the entrance.
"There's no need for that."
A familiar voice came from an alley not far away.
"Ramur is right here."
A large figure collapsed powerlessly at their feet. I recognized him immediately as Captain of the Guard Ramur.
And I also recognized who it was that had brought him in.
"...Sergeant Bell, Corporal Claude."
"Looks like you owe us one, Squad Leader," Claude said with a light laugh.
***
"So that's how it happened. Ah, thank you."
I said, gulping down a cool glass of water. It was purified water Bell had created with magic.
Here's how everything unfolded.
While I was confronting the sentry, Lumia successfully escaped the city.
She reported to Battalion Commander Rockheart that I was in danger and that she had found clear evidence of the captain of the guard of Cherno City committing treason.
Even if he was a bit flippant and a bit of a hedonist, he's a battalion commander who knows how to act when it counts.
As soon as he received Lumia's message, he immediately sent an emergency homing pigeon to Lieutenant Lanister, and at the same time, approved Lumia's request for a swift response, bringing Claude and Bell Mayer to the city.
Thanks to that, Bell Mayer and Claude, who had arrived earlier, were guarding the side gate.
And they were able to apprehend Ramur as he tried to escape. It was a huge stroke of luck.
If that bastard had successfully escaped through the side gate, I really wouldn't have been able to track him down.
"It seems he knew about the city's secret passage because he was the captain of the guard."
"But how did Corporal Claude know about that passage?"
Voicing a sudden question that came to mind, Corporal Claude strangely averted his gaze. At that sight, Bell Mayer sighed deeply and answered for him.
"Well... it's obvious, isn't it? He has a history of not returning long past his curfew. Usually, after midnight, the main and back gates are automatically closed, so he must have been sneaking out through this side gate. See, he's brazenly pretending he didn't."
Claude didn't bother to react to Bell Mayer's words.
"...Ahem."
"Corporal Claude, please tell me next time. That way, I can at least get a message to you in an emergency. I don't mind you going out, but..."
"You don't mind him going out?! Squad Leader!"
Bell immediately protested, but I had already given up on Claude's rehabilitation.
After all, as a war hero with the rank of a Master Sergeant, he was practically no different from a colonel who had given up on promotion to general.
A long-barrel?
If you haven't experienced it, don't even talk.
Because no one can stop him, seriously.
Rather, Bell, who was so diligently trying to block him, was the one who was amazing from my perspective.
"Alright, at least give me a minimal report next time you go."
"I'll ask that of you."
I felt that he had conceded quite a bit, and Corporal Claude showed a rather accepting response.
Just then, a woman in a robe from a distance waved her hand and came running in a fluster.
"Squad Leader!"
Her silver hair shimmered in the moonlight.
It was Sergeant Lumia Blue.
"Are you alright?!"
"Yes, I'm not hurt anywhere. I subdued them all with magic anyway."
"Then all those people sprawled out in the square earlier were..."
Lumia must have witnessed the carnage on her way here. I shrugged at her, who was in awe.
"They probably aren't too badly hurt. At most, a fracture or two?"
"Really...!! You didn't overdo it, did you?!"
"Well, you never know. I might get sick from it tomorrow."
Well, I used more magic than usual today and moved my body a lot.
"If that happens, I'll be counting on you again tomorrow, Sergeant Lumia."
When I threw out a light joke, Lumia made an exasperated expression and recoiled.
"No way! What am I supposed to do if you're always like this! From now on, you're exercising with me! We need to build up your stamina first!"
"This is perfect, Squad Leader? If you happen to get hurt while exercising, come to me. I'll do fatigue recovery for free."
"You're not an exception either, Sergeant Bell. If you keep cooping yourself up in your room, what are you going to do later!"
"Ugh..."
Bell Mayer, caught off guard by the sudden outburst, backed away in a dilemma.
And Claude was watching the two of them with a strangely relaxed expression.
...Seeing them like this, it doesn't seem so bad after all?
Anyway.
"So, it seems our squad has solved the case."
"Y-You're right... It got resolved faster than I thought?"
I didn't expect to apprehend the suspect in just one day either, but as I looked at my squad members who had helped me in many ways, I said.
"You've all really worked hard."