Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: It's Not a Self-Deprecating Broadcast
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Black Cat Comrade, please save us.
(Tovarishch Chernakoshka, spasite nas).
It was a phrase always mixed in with the Red Army's propaganda posters.
To the rookie comrades, it was a phrase they truly believed in. To the veteran comrades, it was a phrase they used in jest.
Of course, from my perspective as the subject, it was an unwelcome phrase.
That excessive propaganda had made me a target for the Germans.
They'd scattered leaflets like crazy, so it was a predictable outcome.
When I heard the Germans had put a bounty on my head, it felt like the whole world was turning against me. I was utterly wronged.
But even with a bounty on my head, unlike other heroes, I couldn't leave the front lines.
If a 'cool and strong hero' died, morale would drop. But if a 'cute and kind hero' died, wouldn't it boil over with rage?
The brass probably planned to exploit even my death.
That's why I hated hearing that propaganda phrase now.
"Da."
But thanks to it, my eyes snapped open.
It grabbed my sunken spirits by the hair and yanked them back up with all its might.
No more face to show, no more shame left?
From the start, I'd been living because I couldn't die.
Abandon all lingering attachments and give up on surviving?
Those attachments wouldn't wash off no matter how hard I scrubbed.
Sorry to my comrades, but calling it quits here?
That would be the ultimate selfish betrayal of duty.
"Ura."
I was a lonely pillar that had lost its foundation.
Teetering on the verge of collapse, yet the only support holding up my comrades.
So fighting until I fell was the only atonement allowed to me.
Even as cracks formed, shattered, and the pain grew unbearable, I had no choice but to endure it all in solitude, as always.
With renewed resolve, I picked up the rifle from the ground.
Seeing it was a Lee-Enfield, the standard British service rifle, Ghost must have successfully swapped guns.
"Hey, kids! What's 'stop' in Russian? Tell me quick!"
At that moment, Ttalgwi—who'd been sitting quietly—pounced on me, yelling.
My mind still not fully clear, I couldn't react in time and toppled over.
When I opened my eyes next, I was somehow sitting with my back against Ttalgwi's chest.
Wedged between her thighs and pinned by her arms, I couldn't move an inch.
"Stay?! Is 'stop' in Russian 'stay'?!"
"Um, well..."
"Stay!!"
"......"
Still, it didn't feel bad.
I didn't want to think of Ttalgwi as a chicken instead of a pheasant, but her voice, reminiscent of Irina's, was quite pleasant.
Ttalgwi must have thought I was still lost in panic.
I tried to get up to tell her I was fine.
"Sip! Stay!"
"Ah, no..."
"Hey! Stay still, okay? Stay!"
"......"
But Ttalgwi wouldn't let go, hugging me tightly.
The more I squirmed to stand, the tighter she squeezed.
On top of that, she was trying to calm me with some weird word that wasn't even Russian.
It felt like being treated as a dog in heat, and my face heated up.
I was so embarrassed that even my PTSD backed off for a moment.
I tilted my head back to signal I was okay now.
"Ttalgwi... I've come back to my senses..."
"Stay!!"
"'Stay' is English... I think you meant 'stoy'..."
"Ah!"
Ttalgwi really was an idiot.
"You okay now? Really snapped out of it? Your eyes looked weird!"
"Just... some bad memories surfaced for a sec..."
"I'm really sorry! I got tricked by that malicious viewer!"
"Malicious viewer?"
I leaned my head against Ttalgwi's chest and asked.
Not as big or soft as Shin Ara's, but the pillow-like cushion comforted me.
Then Ttalgwi started explaining what had happened earlier.
I smiled at the viewers—telling them not to worry—as I listened.
"I was trying to wake you up in Russian, Sukka. But this malicious viewer 'Jäger' messed with the donation."
"Jäger? The nickname of the guy who told me about the NPCs was Jäger too."
"Really? That's definitely a lie, so don't believe it! The Russian I used was what that guy told me!"
"Uh..."
"And then he called himself the Cat Hunter and dipped out?! He's super sketchy, so block him, Sukka!"
"Huh? Cat Hunter?"
My head went ice-cold, like I'd been doused with freezing water.
Once I grasped the situation, it was no small matter.
Jäger seemed to know my real name and trauma.
Shin Ara wouldn't pull a prank like this, so it was proof someone else had figured out my identity.
Maybe this viewer Jäger was a stalker trying to kill me.
The stalker knew my real name exactly and had left behind that black cat doll with its throat torn out.
But there was a more pressing issue right now.
Namely, that familiar term 'Cat Hunter' had come up.
"Katzenjäger..."
Cat Hunter, Katzenjäger.
That was the nickname of the German sniper who tormented me on the Eastern Front.
From the early days of the war, he'd obsessively targeted me—a madman who chased only me until his death.
Fortunately, he got his comeuppance from me soon enough. But once I was named a hero and the propaganda kicked off, new hunters took up his mantle.
It was probably just coincidence, but too suspicious to ignore.
It even sparked an absurd suspicion that a game character had leaped into the real world.
Still, Katzenjäger was unlikely, so better to focus on the stalker and Jäger's connection.
Nodding as I sorted my thoughts, Ttalgwi rested her chin on my head and spoke.
"Still, glad you snapped out of it... For a sec there, I thought I'd awakened Winter Soldier..."
"Huh? What's that mean...?"
"You suddenly went 'Da!' and stood up, then with that scary face said 'Ura!'. Even if it was my mistake, you have no idea how worried I was."
"S-sorry for scaring you... I was out of it..."
As I chatted with Ttalgwi and regained my composure, Ghost and Wardaddy quietly joined us.
I'd thought they'd ditched me since they vanished, but they'd been watching our surroundings nearby.
"Kid, you back to your senses now?"
"Yeah. Sorry for worrying you."
"No biggie, I wasn't worried. But you and Ttalgwi dating or what?"
"Huh? No?"
"Then report her for in-game sexual harassment."
"Ah."
I looked at Ttalgwi at Wardaddy's words.
She was still hugging me tight, not letting go.
I wriggled to signal it was time to release me, but she squeezed harder like she didn't want to.
I couldn't understand why the women around me loved hugs so much.
"Wardaddy and I scouted. The front's stalemated. Our side's got crap weapons but solid fortifications. If we stick to trench fighting, we won't lose ground."
Then Ghost, grinning at us like it was amusing, briefed the situation.
We'd hit a massive snag from the start—easy to quit—but surprisingly, he was plotting a win this battle.
I had no intention of just dragging ankles either, so I perked up.
Nodding to show I was listening, he squatted in front of us and continued quietly.
"But this battle's win condition ain't normal. If we fight like before, we'll lose."
"Huh? Why?"
"Remember the NPC briefing at start? 'Buy time for the British to withdraw.'"
"Yeah, right. It was the Dunkirk operation."
"This ain't a capture match; it's more siege defense. Goal's evacuating those beach NPCs safely."
"Ah."
I got what Ghost was driving at.
This battle was a 'withdrawal op' through and through, so protecting allies mattered more than killing enemies.
And the ones to protect weren't players, but British NPCs.
The tens of thousands clustered on the sand, still getting bombed under the wail of death.
"There were AA guns on the beach. Some need to man those to down the bombers, but everyone's new to the map, so they rushed the front."
"Hmm... So we handle the bombers?"
"Looks like it to win. No radios, hard to coordinate."
"I'll run and request support then... Bombers are beyond me anyway..."
I mumbled glumly into Ttalgwi's arm.
I'd escaped panic, sure, but I was powerless against bombers all the same.
Noticing my gloom, Ghost looked concerned.
Setting down his Lee-Enfield, he spoke softly.
"Can't send you alone, Sukka. Your safety over victory. Come with to the AA guns?"
"Thanks for worrying... But AA guns are tough for me..."
"Scared of bombers? NPC-piloted, not too threatening. Won't push if it's hard."
"N-no... Bombers scare me too, but..."
"Hm? Another reason?"
"......"
Ghost asked politely, but I couldn't answer right away.
I hesitated to reveal the 'real' reason I was powerless against bombers.
But he patiently waited.
In the end, I gave the reason in a tiny voice.
"'Cause... I can't reach..."
"Huh? Reach what?"
"My height..."
"Huh? Can't hear you."
"I-I'm too short sitting to aim the AA gun!"
"Ah..."
At my answer, Ghost sighed, Wardaddy burst out laughing, and Ttalgwi smiled.
It was dead serious to me, but feeling misunderstood pissed me off.
Tall people could probably blast AA guns fine.
They'd never grasp a dwarf soldier's plight, even in death.
【User ㅇㅇ donated 1,000 coins!】
〔Ain't just short sitting, right?〕
【User ㅇㅇ donated 1,000 coins!】
〔Just say you're scared of bombers... Why so brutally honest...〕
I want them all leg-meta punished.
Bombers terrified me, and AA guns humiliated me.