第３４７堀：兵士の意地 (Part2)
His face is covered in blood, but I think he’s still alive.
"You fools. You let your guard down."
"Leave it. We’ve just thinned out the dead weight. The situation hasn't changed."
"I suppose that’s true. Hey, you gate guard. What will you do now? You’re already battered just from stopping those small fries. If you run, we won't chase you."
Hmm.
Is this tougher than I thought?
But the captain doesn't seem to have any intention of backing down yet; he draws the sword at his hip and takes a stance.
"I am... entrusted with this post!! I am one of the shields of this kingdom!! I will not retreat!!"
" " "Yeahhh!!" " "
As if responding to that cry, the other soldiers, despite being tattered, raise their voices as well.
"Tch, a bunch of walking corpses."
"If you want to die that badly, I’ll kill you. Here."
A fireball, significantly larger than the one from before, comes flying at us.
...Why is it always fireballs?
Is that all their magic swords can do?
"Kaya, that’s too dangerous to ignore. Let’s go."
"Understood."
Well, that part doesn't matter.
First, I have to save them.
With that, the two of us cut into the middle of the fray.
Naturally, a fireball of that size is just child's play to me, so I stomped it out.
"Who are you people?"
"...Ah, you are..."
The enemies are one thing, but it would be a hassle if the captain, who knows us, revealed our identities, so I hold a finger to my lips.
"...Judging by the look of that gate guard, you must be reinforcements from the castle."
Yep.
He fell for it perfectly.
"Still, to think a woman is a high-ranking soldier. It shows the level of this country."
"They only have magic swords to rely on, anyway. Do they really think they can beat us, men who can actually wield them?"
It’s helpful that they’re jumping to their own conclusions.
"Well, fine. This is convenient for us, too."
"Yeah. But, what a catch. Wouldn't it be better to rough them up a bit and sell them off?"
"I’ll leave that discretion to you. The mission comes first. If that’s achieved, I won't complain."
They sure do talk a lot.
Actually, one of the men is looking at Tori and me with lecherous eyes from head to toe.
...Disgusting.
"You might be trying to buy time, but I have no mercy for perverts."
Tori says that and, in an instant, blows the man with the degenerate gaze into the wall.
*Bam!!*
With that sound and a muffled groan, the man slides down the wall and hits the ground.
...Is he still alive?
It was like... slamming a frog against a wall.
"What the!?"
The man who seems to be the leader is shocked by the sudden turn of events.
Now, I should do my job, too.
"...You’re going to tell us what you know."
"You!? Since when!?"
He instinctively raises his magic sword, but it’s too slow against us.
I sweep his legs, and as he loses his balance, I snatch the magic sword away and slam him into the ground.
"Guh!?"
"What is your objective?"
I ask, stepping on his head.
"You’re not to be underestimated. Even the demi-human nation... No, perhaps that’s exactly why."
"Enough with the talking to yourself. Answer my question."
"Ngh!? Hmph, I won't talk. I expected this might happen."
"The waiting squad outside, and the real target at the castle?"
"H-how do you know that!?"
...This guy is hopeless.
He’s the type who can’t win at cards. Or rather, is this what happens when your hand is perfectly guessed?
"Damn it. Did the demi-human we turned into an informant leak it!! Truly useless!! Beasts like you should just disappear from this world—"
*Crunch.*
With that sound, his head sinks into the ground.
"Ah, Kaya!? You can't kill him!!"
"...It’s fine. I got annoyed, so I put some strength into my foot and buried him in the ground."
"...That ground is cobblestone, you know."
"...I think it’s probably fine."
Haa, I haven't seen much of the friction between humans and demi-humans lately, but I guess this is just normal around here?
Ah, it’s frustrating.
I’ll have Yuki comfort me later.
"U-um..."
"Oh, are you alright? I’ll heal you right away."
"...I’ll fix your wounds quickly."
I heal the captain and his men enough so they can move, and hand over the three who are... sprawled out.
"Tie them up and take them to the castle. We’ll take the magic swords directly since they’re dangerous."
When I touched the magic swords, I could feel that mind-control-related arts were woven into them, so I couldn't just hand them over carelessly.
"Th-thank you very much!! I am terribly sorry to have made our guests do such a thing!!"
"It’s fine. We came here to tell you that people like this might show up. Others might appear too, so please be careful."
"Yes!! We have heard reports about strengthening security!! It seems that those with ill intent have infiltrated, aiming for the time when the Holy Sword’s seal is broken. We were too complacent!!"
"...I think you and your men did your best. I’ll make sure to tell the King and the others."
I truly think they held their ground against superior opponents until the very end.
"Thank you for your praise. However, I would ask that you refrain from making that report."
"Eh? Why?"
"I failed my mission. If I let my failure slide just because I 'did my best,' I cannot show my face to my subordinates. I will report my own blunder and accept my punishment!!"
...They’re so serious, I wish I could make Steve and the others drink the water they wash their hands in.
Well, they do seem a bit rigid, though.
"I see. Understood. Then, we’ll head back to the castle first and relay the message."
"Yes!! I am grateful!!"
Then, we leave the gate.
From behind us, the captain’s energetic voice rings out.
"Alright, everyone. This might be my final order as your captain. It might be tough, but please, hang in there a little longer. We have to escort the criminals, request replacements, process the property damage... there’s a lot to do, but I’m counting on you."
" " "Yes!! Captain!!" " "
I feel like there’s a hint of tears in their voices.
"I said that, but maybe I should tell them secretly."
"Yeah. I feel safe knowing that person is the captain of the gate guards."
I truly think that trust is born from things like this.
The story that there are people everywhere who take pride in their work.
Attachment, and things like that.
And the enemy trying to draw the soldiers away from the castle.
What is their goal!! (Serious)
Ah, by the way, Dragon Quest and Nobunaga’s Ambition are coming out on March 24th, aren't they?
It’s going to be a disaster.
My Daily Routine
6:00 AM: Wake up
6:30 AM: Leave for work
7:00 AM: Work
Afternoon
4:00 PM: Hope to leave on time. Post the corrections I wrote during my break.
5:00 PM: Get home. Start writing. Play some games.
8:00 PM: Finish writing. Pause the game.
9:00 PM: Dinner and bath.
10:00 PM: Resume gaming.
Late Night
1:00 AM: Time to sleep.
Please, give me more time to play games!!