Combatants Will Be Dispatched - Volume 1 - Chapter 6.05

5 

“N-no, I’m not moving from this spot! If my countrymen die, I’m dying with them!” 

We’re still in Tillis’s chambers at the top of the castle. 

“Stop struggling and come on! Look, let me explain why I decided to stay as long as I have! You said you wanted me to tell the other countries that this kingdom was here and to get them to band together to fight the Demon Lord’s Army. Screw that! Do it yourself! Even if the kingdom is destroyed, if a member of the royal family survives, you’ve won! If you need help leaving descendants behind, I can help you out with that once we’re safely out of here!” 

“Your last point is ridiculous! I’m your employer! I order you to let go of me! S-someone! Someone help!” Tillis yells as I hoist her over my shoulder like a piece of luggage. So far, no one from below is coming up to stop us. 

Of course, that’s because the castle’s master, the king, asked me to help Tillis escape. 

Still, this wasn’t how I pictured things going. I didn’t expect them to have so much trouble fighting the demons. 

I probably tempted fate by going on that little spiel about how they were my subordinates. 

There’s no way to win here. It’s time to go. 

“All right, let’s get out of here, Alice!” 

“Roger that!” 

“Wait, please! Please set me down, Sir Six! Are you really ready to accept what’s about to happen? Once the castle falls, everyone you know in this kingdom is going to die!” 

Tillis attempts to convince me, still struggling on my shoulder. 

“Now, now, there’s a perfect sentiment for times like these. Everything’s fine… They’ll live on…in our hearts.” 

“Well said, Six, now let’s go! We don’t have much time!” 

“What is wrong with you twooo?!” 

I carry the sobbing Tillis in one arm, heading to the hallway to make our escape. But just as we reach the staircase to make our way down… 

“Combat Agent Six!!” 

The voice belongs to Snow, dashing up the stairs. Her hair’s a mess, and she’s having trouble keeping her breathing under control. 

After shouting my name, Snow stands in front of the staircase, trying to catch her breath. 

“Can you make this quick?” I ask her. “We’re kiiind of in a hurry.” 

“Snow! Stop this man! Order him to set me down!” Tillis shouts. 

Snow, her breathing ragged, looks at the floor and says, “S-Six, right now seven golems, Heine of the Flames, and Gadalkand of the Earth are attacking the main gate.” 

“Yep, already aware of that. Saw the whole thing from the balcony. Now get out of the way, we’re really pressed for time. If we’re going to get out of here, we need to go with everyone else in the city. The sheer number of people raises our chances of escape!” 

“It’s almost kind of impressive how casually you say that.” In contrast to my building panic, Snow appears to have calmed a bit, continuing in a detached tone. “I can’t do anything about them. Rose and Grimm are buying time, but they probably won’t last much longer.” 

After hearing that, my legs pretty much turn into cement. 

“To the enemy, I’m nothing. Less than nothing. They won’t even consider me an enemy.” 

A slight tremble enters Snow’s voice. 

“…I’ve been swinging a sword since I was a child. My birth, my upbringing, my sex… I’ve worked hard to forge an identity beyond those labels. I’ve practiced every waking moment of my life so that I could beat anyone who came my way.” 

I listen to Snow’s remarks without comment. She’s being so sincere that I couldn’t toss out a witty remark if I even had one. 

“If it’s an apology you want, I’ll apologize a thousand times over. You can do whatever you want to me. So please…” 

Snow raises her head and looks up at me before bowing deeply. 

“I beg you! Lend me your strength! I’ll do anything within my power! If it’s money you want, I’ll give you all that I have! You know how greedy I am! I have a lot of it piled up, especially if you add in my sword collection!” 

“Six, ignore her! It’s time to go. We need to use your remaining points to buy a ton of stun grenades and a motorcycle to escape on. We can’t waste resources helping them!” 

I’m almost convinced by Snow’s plea when Alice’s words snap me back to reality. 

“What am I supposed to do with money under these circumstances? And do you really understand what you’re saying when you say you’ll do anything? Leave me alone; I’m just a commoner! You made sure I wound up this way! It took you way too long to come crying to me! Just how stubborn are you?!” 

“Look at her! Snow’s debased herself for you, and you react this way?! I’ve truly lost any shred of respect I had for you!” Tillis shouts from my shoulder and starts struggling again. 

I ignore her and step forward, passing Snow as I make my way toward the stairs. 

Snow grabs my arm. 

“Not like this… I don’t want us all to go down without a real fight…” 

The disappointment, the anger—I know how all this feels. 

I can’t remember the number of times I lost to Heroes and their crazy-strong abilities. 

I’m not a mutant with awesome special abilities. My cybernetic enhancements are half-assed and outdated. 

I wanted to scream at her, tell her that she’s not the only one dealing with how unfair the world is. That she needed to accept it. Then I look at her face. 

In all the time that I’ve known Snow, she’s never, ever shown a shred of weakness to me. 

Yet now, as she gazes up at me, her eyes are filled with tears. 

“………Please……Commander.” 

She calls me “Commander” for the first time. 

Her voice is trembling like a child fearing a scolding from her parents. Snow clings to my arm, her voice ragged with desperation. 

“………Commander……please save Rose and Grimm…!”