Mob #23 “It was fortunate that the “Feathered Helmet” headed towards the enemy’s right flank. If it had been here, we would be stardust by now.”
Right after Ms. Rosweisse and some of the units headed to reinforce the right wing, the remaining left wing units began advancing to attack the enemy main fleet.
In response, the enemy main fleet of course also came to intercept us in formation.
With small crafts, unmanned machines, medium combat ships, large combat ships, and extra large combat ships, they had quite the forces coming at us.
This should break the deadlock at the center, and if Ms. Rosweisse can crush the enemy left wing, we’ll gain more advantage.
While praying the enemy doesn’t have some sudden game-changing surprise weapon, I just have to somehow buy time.
And now I want to punch my naive self from 5 minutes ago!
The intercept troops we were facing on the remaining left wing units were trained soldiers.
Their individual movements, attack timings, coordination between ships, everything was on a different level from the right wing troops earlier.
Barely, just barely evading again and again somehow scoring hits on them.
It’s been a nonstop situation of not being able to let my guard down for even 0.1 seconds since earlier.
I’m impressed with myself for evading so well.
But if I try to approach the medium combat ships, large combat ships, and extra large combat ships, escort craft immediately obstruct my path, and I can’t even get close enough for the medium, large, and extra large combat ships to maintain distance.
To be frank, we’re being pushed back rather than advancing.
This is just my guess, but I feel like most of the enemy main fleet is made up of mercenaries gone bad and criminals, so morale probably isn’t very high.
On the other hand, Count Rosero’s main fleet should have had high morale and good training, so they were probably quite elite.
I’d like to think it was thanks to these proper soldiers that the center was deadlocked.
Anyway, until the situation shifts significantly on the battlefield, all I can do is grit my teeth through this tense situation.
Just then, the enemy intercept troops suddenly reversed and began retreating for some reason.
Not knowing why, the remaining guys in the units didn’t pursue since it could be a trap if we chased too deep.
Then suddenly, they began bombarding their own main fleet.
I don’t know what happened with the enemy intercept troops, but this is undoubtedly a chance.
[Don’t really get it, but continue attacking! Don’t shoot at the enemy intercept units!]
It seems the main fleet watching the situation judged the enemy intercept troops as allies.
[This is the right wing support unit. Drove back the defecting and enemy left wing units. We will attack the enemy main fleet as-is.]
Moreover, Ms. Rosweisse announcing in Lambert Riagrades’s voice that they drove back the defecting and enemy left wing units clinched victory for the Rosero Count Army.
☆ ☆ ☆
[Side: Enemy Intercept Unit Commander, Major]
The enemy left wing units began their advance toward our main flagship.
With their reduced numbers, we’ve somehow been holding them back.
“Major. It seems the enemy left wing is gradually pushing us back. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before they can contact and attack the enemy main fleet.”
“It was fortunate the “Feathered Helmet” went toward the enemy right wing. If it had been here, we would be stardust by now.”
My adjutant lieutenant and operator second lieutenant were somewhat relieved at the current situation.
That’s certainly true, but we can’t let our guard down yet.
“Don’t relax. That shabby patchwork ship, the “Dust” and “Leopard Lady” are still out there. Especially the “Dust”, I broke into a cold sweat when it got near this ship before.”
“It’s good the escorts made it in time back then.”
While not on the “Feathered Helmet’s” level, the “Dust” and “Leopard Lady” are still dangerous foes.
We can only slowly push them back.
Just then, my adjutant lieutenant called out to me.
“Major… The one we really shouldn’t have to fight isn’t Count Rosero, right?”
I know that.
But there’s a reason we can’t do that.
“We’re the private soldiers of the late Baron Grient, not private soldiers of that vixen!”
“She is Baroness Grient, and undoubtedly nobility.”
“But-!”
“Don’t be tedious, Lieutenant.”
The lieutenant came up to me insistently with passion.
But I have to reject him for a reason.
It’s not just for me.
It’s for the dozens of others too.
“Lieutenant. Quietly return to your post.”
The lieutenant returned to his post with a reluctant expression.
Just then, the operator reported.
“Commander! We’ve received a transmission! It’s from Osur Department Store!
“Read the contents! Quickly!”
Hearing the report, I unintentionally raised my voice.
“[Two items acquired safely. No damage. Other items also acquired safely. Heading to collection point.]”
The operator read the transmission excitedly but calmly.
The contents were what some of the soldiers and I had been anxiously awaiting.
“You’re worried about some custom order at a time like this?!”
The lieutenant approached me irritably.
“Our families were rescued…”
“Huh?”
Not just me, several of my subordinates were also tearfully rejoicing at the report.
The lieutenant was surprised and confused at me and the others.
Only natural.
Since it was only some of us who had family held hostage.
“A few including me had our families taken hostage and were forced to serve that woman. That was the signal from the resistance who rescued our families from that woman’s hands, raided the military facility stolen by her thugs, and took back the town. The others who had hostages taken by that woman have probably risen up too! We don’t need to hold back anymore! We’ll go defeat our true enemy!”
The bridge was filled with joyous voices.
However, a single gunshot erased that cheer.
The one who brought about this situation was my adjutant lieutenant.
“What are you doing, Lieutenant?”
“Keep fighting the Count’s army.”
The lieutenant pointed the gun he had aimed at the ceiling at us.
“May I ask the reason? Lieutenant.”
“I’m sure you already understand.”
“That provocation just now was quite clumsy.”
The lieutenant grimaced and pointed his gun at me again.
Tension ran through everyone on the bridge.
It’s not just the gun being pointed at me, but if this situation drags on, there’s no telling when we might be shot down by the enemy army.
“I knew you were monitoring us under orders from that woman. Since you’re single without lover or parents who passed away, you couldn’t be taken hostage. So that woman must have seduced you.”
“Elizaria Grient, Baroness Grient is a wonderful woman! I won’t allow betrayal of her!”
The lieutenant pulled the trigger at the floor again.
“Hurry up and keep fighting!”
He shouted irritably.
“Calm yourself a little, Lieutenant.”
“Gah!”
The moment I said that to the lieutenant, the operator second lieutenant behind the lieutenant pressed an electromagnetic baton against the lieutenant’s nape.
With a short shriek, the lieutenant collapsed to the floor and was promptly restrained by the bridge crew.
I picked up the gun that the lieutenant had and said,
“You were capable, which makes it all the more disappointing. It must have been because that woman’s manipulations were so cunning. There’s even a possibility of brainwashing.”
Even though my body was immobile, I aimed the gun at the lieutenant, who was glaring at me.
“However, from our perspective, you were a turncoat who wagged your tail for the oppressors. You’ll provide various testimonies.”
The lieutenant stared at the gun pointed at the floor with a regretful expression.
☆ ☆ ☆
[Side: Third Person POV]
Watching the screen in the mansion’s office, Baroness Grient shouted.
“Hey! What are they doing?!”
“Bombarding their allied units.”
“What nonsense are they up to!”
It’s because some allies defected and were fighting each other.
Forced to watch the war she thought she’d absolutely win slowly but surely approaching defeat, Baroness Grient revealed her impatience and anger.
“Fine. Kill the hostage families. In the most painful way to make them scream the most.”
The baroness directed her anger at the hostages she had captured, ordering a means of tormenting the foolish ones who defied her orders.
“Understood. However…”
The maid waiting behind her then tried to give her opinion as she followed the baroness’s order.
“What is it?!”
“If we lose that battle, your position will be in jeopardy regardless, no?”
“That’s true…”
Rarely taking the maid’s opinion, the baroness took out a PDA from her desk.
“Then blowing them all up at once with this would make us the winners, right?
The maid’s expression froze the moment she saw the PDA.
“Are you truly going to use that?”
“Of course! I had the planet destruction weapon [Flare] that can be remotely activated put on the allied flagship. Detonating it during the melee to annihilate both friend and foe together. The private soldiers and mercenaries are disposable, so no problem. And getting rid of Count Rosero too works out perfectly, doesn’t it? Come, watch too. A beautiful firework will go up.”
Smiling thinly, the baroness tapped the PDA screen.
Of course, it wouldn’t explode immediately, but was set to detonate after around 3 minutes passed.
However, even after 5 minutes passed, there was no explosion.
“Hey! What’s going on?! Why isn’t it exploding?!”
The baroness threw the PDA on the floor in rage.
Just then, the maid who had been silently standing spoke up abruptly.
“It’s futile. There won’t be an explosion.”
“What do you mean?”
The baroness asked, not hiding her shock and irritation at the maid’s words.
At that, the maid answered the question extremely calmly.
“There was never any such bomb to begin with. What I showed you was just a prop made to look like one.”
With these words, Mrs. Krishnamoorthy, who had decided that the maid was her enemy, pressed the button on her comms and said
“What are you doing?! It’s not me, it’s that maid! Grab her!”
With those unbelievable words, the baroness the maid judged as her enemy pressed the communications button and shouted, then cut the transmission, distancing herself from the maid.
Then immediately, brawny men in black flooded into the office.
“There you are. Catch that woman.”
Relieved at the men’s arrival, just as she was about to elegantly drink the wine glass she picked up, the baroness was restrained by the men.
The baroness glared at the men in disbelief.
“What are you doing?! Not me, that maid!”
However, the men did not release the baroness.
“You think you can do this to me?! There are over 100 of my imperial guards here! You can’t escape!”
The baroness implied her imperial guards would come here immediately, but
“About those so-called imperial guards of yours, after killing 10%, the rest fled. A natural choice. No one would throw their life away to save the likes of you!”
She was told an outrageous fact by the man’s mouth.
Then the baroness shook and blurted out
“I’m a noble! There are many nobles captivated by my beauty! I’ll one day reign as empress! Doing this to me… You’ll regret it!”
before immediately closing her mouth again.
However, the maid approached the baroness and looked down on her as if looking at filth.
“Where’s the empress in you? You’re just an old hag with an obvious facelift.”
With a contemptuous expression, I looked down at the lady.
“Elisaria-Grient. No, Gina-Carstaaf, the woman who pretended to kill a man’s wife in an accident, then became his second wife, and later killed that husband and his daughter, taking all their assets. The incident happened 20 years ago. Gina-Carstaaf was in her early thirties at the time. Considering that, her actual age must be over 50.”
“I don’t know that woman!”
The lady denied the maid’s story while wearing a frightened expression.
Nevertheless, the maid didn’t stop speaking.
“The ones killed were the husband, Zack-Boardal, and the wife, Serika-Boardal. But their daughter, Linda-Boardal, survived.”
“Lies! I’m sure we killed the child at that time…”
The lady initially showed a surprised expression, but she quickly closed her mouth.
“Indeed, my father and I were pushed off the cliff by you. However, my father used himself as a cushion, saving me from being drown into the water. That’s why I survived.”
“Lies! I distinctly remember the child’s corpse!”
“By chance, the corpse of another child washed ashore. That’s why I’m here now. When I started working in this mansion, I thought you might recognize me, but you didn’t. It was a trivial matter for you, right?”
After finishing her recounting of her past, the maid grabbed the lady’s hair and said,
“Don’t worry. I’ll kill you in the most agonizing, cruel way imaginable.”
She had a broad smile on her face.
In response to that smile, Elisaria-Grient, Baroness of Grient, also known as Gina-Carstaaf, felt genuine fear deep within her.
///
scene transition
///
Please buy the source material to support the author
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated.
Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
