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Snowy Ambush

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The next morning, I woke up at dawn and departed promptly.

In the end, the suspicious person from yesterday was not found, even though the guards had alternated in patrols just to be safe. No commotion occurred either. While we remained vigilant, it was determined that the person likely had nothing to do with us.

Thus, the carriage proceeded smoothly. As planned, the journey was accelerated, and the carriage shook violently. It was not suited for reading a book or playing cards, so we spent time idly chatting about things like the bandit incident from our summer vacation.

The weather was calm until midday, but as we entered the forest, clouds began to gradually spread. Then, suddenly, the carriage stopped. The person who knocked on the door and appeared was General Verger.

“Excuse me, Beretta-sama. A bit of a problem has come up.” (Verger)

“A problem?” (Beretta)

“Yes, it seems a snowstorm is approaching soon.” (Verger)

According to General Verger, based on his experience, the clouds didn’t look good. With the wind picking up, he believed it would turn into a snowstorm.

“We can’t risk continuing in an unfamiliar place. Unfortunately, if the situation doesn’t improve, we will return to the town.” (Verger)

“…Understood. Then, let’s go back.” (Beretta)

“Yes. Please be careful, as there will be some shaking again.” (Verger)

As we started retracing our steps, we heard a light tapping sound on the window of the carriage. It was the snow. The snowstorm had begun.

Almost at the same time, we heard a shout. Though muffled inside the carriage, it was clearly the cry of “Enemy attack!!”

We exchanged looks.

“…I think it was during our summer vacation too, wasn’t it? You guys (Lux, Heinz, Sonia, Hana) and Maria. Getting attacked back-to-back on a trip… what kind of fate are we born under…” (Lite)

Lite said with slight exasperation, though I couldn’t exactly argue with him.

I want to ask the same thing…

“This is not the time for complaints. Focus!” (Lev)

Scolded by Lev, I steeled myself. I pulled out my beloved gun, the Counter, and said, “I’ll take a shot from the roof”.

“I’m going out too,” said Heinz and Lite in unison, but Lev dismissed them with, “Not unless it’s Lux.”

“Why?” (Lite)

“Lux is the only one capable of long-range attacks. Our primary mission is to protect Beretta-sama. Don’t get it mixed up.” (Lev)

“Yeah. Lev’s right. If the enemy comes close, I’ll signal you. Please be ready.” (Lux)

Hesitantly, they backed down with a “Got it”.

Sonia then handed me a scarf. “Be careful”.

“Thanks. I’ll be right back.” (Lux)

When I opened the carriage door, a strong wind blew in.

 

—

 

I climbed onto the roof of the carriage to assess the situation. The visibility was poor, but it didn’t seem like it had turned into a full-blown snowstorm yet. Probably. It was my first time experiencing a snowstorm, so I wasn’t sure how to judge.

The attackers were coming from the forest. There were sounds of battle coming from the rear of the convoy.

So, they had ambushed us in the forest, but when we turned back, they panicked and chased after us?

“Watch the surroundings except the rear! There may be hidden troops!” (Verger)

Shouting with a loud voice that defied the strength of the wind was General Verger. He had positioned himself between our carriage and the enemy, taking command.

I peered through my scope, and it looked like there were quite a few enemies. I was planning to shoot at anyone I could target from here when I felt a bad presence from the right. I shifted my gaze toward it and saw about 20 enemies crouching down, stealthily moving toward us.

They were still some distance away. The terrain on their side was slightly lower, and only I, atop the carriage, noticed them. With the wind this strong, if I raised my voice, it might not even reach General Verger. If the enemies spotted us first, they might rush toward us without hesitation.

Then!

I pointed my gun toward them, loaded a magic bullet into my beloved Counter, and looked through the scope.

 

—

(POV switch)

While holding my breath, a person moved closer to my target carriage. It was unexpected that they turned back before entering the forest, but with this snowstorm, visibility was nonexistent. The situation seemed to be in their favor. The detachment was made up of elite soldiers. Once they got to the carriage, they could quickly end this. Even General Verger wouldn’t be able to do much about it. Thinking that, a grin spread across his face.

Just a little more. Just a little more, and we win. Now that the opponent can see me, I’m close enough that I can run past them in one go.

He motioned to my subordinates to signal the charge, but there was no response from either side. Had they gotten too far ahead? I had specifically told them to stay close without drawing attention, but they’d get an earful when we returned. I looked back and saw the man leading the unit hold his breath.

There were indeed subordinates behind him. One a little further back, then another further down, and so on, scattered behind, faces pressed into the ground.

When had this happened!? When were they taken out!? Are they really dead!?

Trying to suppress his panic, the leader of the unit made the decision to flee. He stood up and tried to run, but a sharp pain shot through his right leg. As he stumbled, he was struck with pain in his left knee as well!

“Ugh!” (Leader)

Unable to bear the pain, he cried out, but his legs wouldn’t move. It was then that he realized he had been shot.

 

—

(POV switch to Lux)

Finally, the snowstorm passed, and the snow, now stained red with blood, was slowly covered by the pure white snow.

The detachment I had sniped seemed to be the critical part of the enemy’s operation. Realizing the ambush had failed, the enemy began retreating. We had taken down quite a few, but it seemed some had managed to escape in the snowstorm, so it looked like there were a few stragglers moving around.

After the enemy retreated, I informed General Verger about the existence of the ambushing detachment and mentioned that they had been driven off. General Verger, looking slightly surprised, said, “First, let’s survive the snowstorm”.

He then shoved all the guards into several carriages lined up.

 

—

 

Finally, the snowstorm had stopped, and now we were cleaning up the aftermath. There were a few casualties and wounded on our side. All were soldiers dispatched from our academy. Even so, overall, it could be considered a decisive victory. However, we students were undoubtedly shaken by witnessing the deaths of our comrades. This was different from the bandits we encountered during our summer vacation. These were our own people.

In fact, this was the first time I had directly killed someone. There was no room for idealism now. I was just caught up in the moment, and even now, it felt unreal. When we tried to help with the cleanup, General Verger told us, “This is fine. It’s still too soon for you”. He added that we could watch if we liked, but not participate.

Among the detachment I had sniped, the last man I targeted had stood up, so I had been able to take my shot without hurry. I had shot through his legs to incapacitate him, so I told General Verger that he might still be alive. After digging through the snow, the man I had shot through the legs was found, but he was already dead.

“This… was it poison?” (Verger)

General Verger seemed regretful, as the man could have been a valuable prisoner for information.

“By the way… did you do all of this?” (Verger’s Deputy)

The deputy, either impressed or exasperated, looked at me. In front of him were 20 men, including the one who poisoned himself, all sprawled out on the snow, looking like snowballs.

“Yes. I made sure to take them down from the back, one by one.” (Lux)

“From the back, one by one? In that visibility? Unbelievable…” (Verger’s Deputy)

“Anyway, the hero today is you, Lux. You’ll get a medal from Remnos.” (Heinz)

Heinz tried to change the atmosphere with a joke, but his dry laughter faded away into the quiet air.

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