3
Todd was patrolling the city with Jamal trailing behind, glancing repeatedly toward the city hall.
The town had a long history, and despite its large walls, there were countless ways in and out. Some local families had built underground passages, while smugglers had carved out narrow routes just big enough for children. Todd had uncovered them all with precision and heightened caution, anticipating the inevitable attack.
“There’s no way they’ll back off. In that case, they’ll definitely try to take the town. Using some hidden passage, rushing the headquarters and occupying it, or setting fire to the town… Hmm, are there any other methods?”
If their goal was simply to bring down the city, they had plenty of ways to do so—indiscriminate slaughter of both soldiers and citizens alike being the most straightforward.
People’ll die in fire and water and even just from being buried. If you don’t care about the how, it’s easy to kill a person… What sort of trick will that black-haired boy use?
The thought unsettled him. So much so that even with a hole in his gut, he couldn’t just lie around the barracks.
“Since every last one of them is careless and sloppy.”
Even if not all of them were as incompetent as Jamal, most lacked a keen eye for detail. Todd didn’t consider himself especially talented or intelligent, but at least he was aware of his own shortcomings. That awareness alone had given him countless opportunities to improve.
I don’t understand how everyone can live their lives without questioning their own stupidity. Every last person is an idiot, and we just have to do the best we can to make up for it.
“…Wow, that’s some sick joke.”
Todd was about to enter the next house when an unexpectedly confused voice stopped him in his tracks.
Looking over, he saw Jamal staring, mouth agape, in the direction of the city hall.
“What is it, Jamal? Did something—?”
Todd was about to ask when he moved beside Jamal and saw it for himself.
The officers were supposed to be enjoying the banquet, entertained by the dancing girls. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone had gotten a little too loose and done something reckless.
It wouldn’t be surprising—except climbing onto the roof and setting the imperial flag on fire was no joke.
“No way…”
That was well beyond drunken antics. It was outright barbarism. Even Todd was speechless.
The burning flag flapped in the hot wind, sending sparks flying into the night sky.
And standing right next to it was the woman he had seen inside the building earlier.
The musician with the rich black hair and sharp eyes.
Her name was…
“…Natsumi Schwartz.”
He remembered her saying it when he asked.
The weak girl who had shrunk back in fear when Jamal approached her.
Yet there she was, holding a torch, burning the imperial flag without hesitation.
There’s no way she just got drunk and decided to do that. That is clearly a deliberate attack against the empire.
And if the headquarters flag was burning, it meant the city had already fallen into enemy hands.
With that realization, a possibility crackled like lightning through his mind.
“…No… You?”
Eyes wide, he carefully studied the black-haired girl—Natsumi Schwartz—his breath catching at the minuscule possibility that had taken root in his thoughts.
Who could even think of that? Trying to break through the enemy’s defensive lines from the front and capture the headquarters like that?
“I thought it was impossible…slipping through right from the front.”
Who in their right mind would choose such a reckless method?
Of course, he had been wary of people hiding in cargo or dragon carriages and had reinforced inspections accordingly. But just strolling into the city, drawing attention to themselves—it was entirely beyond his imagination.
He had already heightened security after their first infiltration attempt. Who would be insane enough to try a direct entry right after—
“Even that was a setup for this? Letting himself be seen, making me think a frontal breakthrough was impossible?”
Then they had simply walked into the city, gained access to headquarters in the guise of dancing girls, captured the building, and burned the flag—exactly as Natsumi Schwartz had planned.
“…Not good.”
What a meticulous plan. A chill ran down Todd’s spine.
He had thought he’d done everything possible, holding nothing back to secure the best position. Yet his opponent had surpassed him effortlessly, mocking him from above.
The mere thought of such a divine tactician sent a shudder through him.
“Hell! What’s going on?! We need to get back—”
“Stop it, idiot. Do you want to get yourself killed?”
Unlike Todd, Jamal hadn’t realized who was burning the flag. At that distance, he couldn’t see what was happening on the roof. Todd had only spotted it because of his sharp eyes.
And because he saw it, he stopped Jamal.
With the headquarters flag burned, it was clear the city had fallen.
Most likely all the officers at the banquet have been killed. Even if we burst in, the best we can hope for is dying in a counterattack.
“You lost your spine? And you call yourself a soldier of the empire?!”
“Pride won’t win you battles or save your life. You know it, too. Headquarters is done for. The general and the officers are already dead. The Shudrak will be in the city soon.”
“…”
“If we don’t get away before that, we won’t have any choice left but dying valiantly in the fighting.”
With his personality, he’d never accept the humiliation of laying down arms. The only other choice is recklessly rushing in, weapons in hand, and dying after taking maybe a dozen down with us.
That could be called the ideal death for a swordwolf, but to Todd it was just dying in vain.
Life is a finite resource. It would be one thing to use it to win, but using it just because you don’t want to admit you lost is a waste. We’ve known each other for a pretty long time. We’ve got enough of a connection to at least warn him. I think.
“We’ve got a hole in the wall we just finished blocking. I’m going to escape through there. What about you?”
“Gh, gh… You’re telling me to live in disgrace again?”
“If you’re alive, you’ll have another chance to get revenge for that disgrace. But if you’re dead, that’s the end of it. So I’m going. I’m not taking a fight with no chance of winning.”
I wouldn’t take a fight with bad odds of winning, either, to be honest, but I don’t have time to explain the details or argue with Jamal about it.
Todd turned around and started to run. After a moment of hesitation, Jamal shouted, “God damn it!” and followed after him.
It would be nice if everyone were that simple, but the world just doesn’t work that way.
Either way…
“For now, I’ll have to remember the name Natsumi. Little child of war.”
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