No Anomalies During Operation (7)
It wasn't intentional provocation—just my body moving on instinct, muscle memory taking over. I feinted hesitantly, then lurched forward sharply once, and Kamei took the bait, letting out a sharp hiss as she charged.
She wasn't an idiot. No one could ignore a fake-out like that. The sword slung over her shoulder traced a ferocious arc as it came down. I lowered my blade to horizontal with the ground, raising it overhead to meet hers. The instant our blades clashed above my head, I tilted mine leftward at a slant, deflecting her strike. Kamei sailed past my left side, her arms extended straight out gripping her sword.
The moment her elbow brushed my shoulder, I wrapped my left arm around both her elbows, yanking her into a side hug. At the same time, I whipped the tip of my overhead blade around toward her neck, slashing down. With her arms pinned, Kamei had no choice but to take the hit helplessly.
"Gahhh!"
A scream erupted from the legion soldiers. Kamei stared down at the blade pressed to her throat, her lips trembling.
"A longsword isn't for wild swings, Kamei."
I released her arms, and she shoved me away roughly, staggering back. Her eyes swirled with fury, bewilderment, and humiliation.
"Who the hell... is that guy...?"
"How'd he take down the captain like that...?"
"What kinda swordplay is that shit?!"
The legion soldiers muttered among themselves. I flashed Kamei a smile, sheathed my sword, and turned to leave—only for a shriek-like shout to ring out from behind.
"It ain't over yet!"
I spun around. Kamei was thrusting her longsword deep toward my unguarded back. I stepped my left foot back, twisting my body while grabbing her sword wrist with my right hand. Yanking her wrist inward, I simultaneously kicked her ankle viciously with my right foot. Her body flew into the air, crashing back-first to the ground with a groan.
"Kuhk...!"
Oof... How's a noble knight like you gonna stab a commoner in the back? She was hailed as one of the kingdom's finest, yet here she was, humiliated in front of a crowd. No wonder she was pissed—especially after getting embarrassed in front of her subordinates back when she was captain of the Royal Guard. So why'd you charge in?
Kamei lay there, half-conscious, unable to get up.
"Captain!"
A squad of Royal Guards came rushing over, shoving legion soldiers aside. Seeing their captain sprawled on the ground and the "special agent" casually dusting off his hands, their faces twisted in rage.
"Hey, old man."
One of the guards called out to me coldly.
"Even if you're some hotshot special agent, what the hell is this? We get you're badass, but this is military HQ. You think you can pull this crap in the heart of the forward legion?"
"Sorry, but your captain challenged me first. You think I'd pick a fight with the Royal Guard captain at military HQ if I was nuts?"
The guards glanced at Kamei to verify my story, but she was still out of it, mumbling incoherently.
"You two, take the captain to medical. The rest of you—beat the shit outta this bastard."
The guards unholstered their batons from their belts. Sensing the brewing storm, the legion soldiers began slinking away.
"Get up. Your goons are about to cause trouble."
I nudged Kamei with my toe. The guards roared at the sight.
"You bastard! Special agent or not, you're dead!"
The baton-wielding guards swarmed like bees.
"Everyone, stop!"
Kamei bellowed from the ground. The guards froze mid-swing at her command.
"Don't touch that man."
"But Captain, he needs to learn some manners..."
"You questioning my orders?!"
The guards flinched at her genuine fury and backed off.
"Balder."
I turned. Kamei had craned her head toward me, glaring.
"I'll never forget this humiliation."
"Sometimes it's better to forget. Keeps you from eating dirt like this again."
Kamei turned her head away wordlessly, and I waved at her without looking.
"Royal Guard folks, carry on."
I slipped past the dumbfounded guards and left the sparring ground.
With all preparations complete, the sun began to set. In the military, "night" didn't start until about half an hour after sundown. Even after the sun dipped below the horizon, it lingered, casting a twilight glow across the sky until that faded too.
I buckled on the Holy Sword at my waist and stepped through the dimensional gate to the legion HQ. Gates connected military HQ to legion HQ around the clock, allowing quick trips to the front lines anytime.
The legion HQ staff, knowing me as a special agent, pointedly ignored me. A prepped horse stood tethered alone by the gate, nothing more.
I mounted up, passed through the main gate, and galloped down the pitch-black tactical road shrouded in darkness. No moon tonight—a moonless void. Without torches, visibility was nil for most, but my night vision turned it into bright green daylight.
Ahead, low hills jutted unevenly. Those "low" hills were actually towering, sheer peaks—but from the legion HQ's high perch, they looked squat. Fresh snow blanketed the summits in white.
Occasional flashes sparked beyond the ridgelines—illumination magic or the like, signs of minor skirmishes with Bakomor.
Cold mountain wind whipped at me as I rode the empty tactical road. It pierced my thick windbreaker, my breath puffing white in endless clouds.
No one crossed my path en route to the forward control line. At night, all movement was restricted—anything stirring was deemed hostile by default.
The legion sentries at the entry checkpoint into the forward line halted me sharply.
"Halt! Halt!"
I reined in at the white line on the ground. Suddenly, blinding light stabbed my eyes—a lantern lid flung open, revealing a high-intensity glow orb.
"Dismount!"
I was off the horse with arms raised before they finished.
"Name!"
"Rank."
"Who're you!"
"Royal Palace special agent. HQ should've notified you."
"Sentry will verify identity—do not move! Drop your hands, and we fire!"
Squinting, I spotted crossbows trained on me from behind the barricade. Two sword-wielding legionaries rounded it, approaching. One kept his blade on me; the other patted me down.
"ID in his pocket."
The searcher pulled out my credentials, stepped back, and read them aloud. He handed them back, then shouted.
"Open the gate!"
The piercing light vanished, barricades grinding aside with a racket. The soldiers turned and headed back to their post without a word, acting like I wasn't there.
"Carry on."
They just breathed foggy plumes into the dark, ignoring me.
The battalion HQ lay deeper in, past the control post. Passing the guard shack, an officer emerged to greet me—likely the battalion commander, by his rank.
"Got direct word from military HQ. You're heading into the buffer zone."
"Yes."
"They said hand over a map and open the gate. Anything else?"
"Nope. I'll handle the rest solo."
He eyed me a moment, then asked.
"So... what're you doing in there?"
"Curious about special agent business?"
He winced, backpedaling hastily.
"N-no, just... if something odd happens on our patrol ops, it might relate..."
"Enough. Do what HQ ordered."
"R-right... Understood."
He handed me the map personally and led to the gate. I dismounted and followed.
The gate was a massive iron barrier marking entry to the true buffer zone. Our kingdom ringed it with towering fences patrolled by legion battalions and border guards. Approach meant death—so legitimate entry required the gate.
The legionaries guarding it, pre-briefed, opened it calmly at my approach.
"Safe travels."
The commander saluted me stiffly in front of his men—face be damned. Special agent title must make him think it'd grease his career ladder. Typical rotten officer scum. Made me miss Lambert all of a sudden.
The gate clanged shut behind me. I stepped slowly into the pitch-black buffer zone—pure void, without a single light.