chapter_0013

12 – Alright! It’s going according to plan!

12 – Alright! It’s going according to plan!

I gritted my teeth and floored the accelerator.

If I stop, I die. That was the only thought in my head.

I struggled to calm my ragged breathing and pulled out the radio while driving.

“This is Kingfisher! Enemy attack! I repeat! This is Kingfisher! Enemy attack! Approximately 42km from the direction of Mavrachika Village! Immediate support requested!”

After finishing my message, I quickly changed the frequency and spoke to my squad members.

“This is the squad leader! Respond! Damn it, say anything!”

As soon as I released the transmit button, a trembling voice came from the other end.

─ L, Lieutenant? I don’t know what happened. W, we also took a side road. But because of the gunfire, we’re on the opposite side road from you to avoid the enemy!

It was Frien’s voice.

It would have been better if a more composed guy had been on radio duty, but now was not the time to be picky.

“Good. Drive as far as you can, and if you think you’ve distanced yourself from the enemy, dismount and spread out! Then, wait for reinforcements from the outpost and assess the enemy’s strength. If you think you can subdue the enemy…!”

Bang!

The impact and violent shaking of the vehicle caused me to drop the radio I was holding.

Selvia’s groan echoed as my vision flickered dizzily.

In this insane situation, I gripped the steering wheel tightly.

‘A tire’s blown. I don’t know if it was targeted or a stray bullet…’

The important thing was that the gunfire was now quite distant.

We had gained some distance, so we could say we had bought some time.

But it was still too early to relax. We had to get out of their sight as well.

Just then, a curve appeared ahead.

To shake them off as much as possible, I took my foot off the accelerator and hit the brakes.

Screech!

The vehicle screamed as the tires rubbed against the ground, and I turned the steering wheel sharply.

The jeep rotated halfway and tilted.

Just before it was about to roll over, I floored the accelerator.

The wheels spun rapidly and moved forward.

Then, the jeep, which was about to fall over, regained its balance and landed on all four wheels again.

With a thud, Selvia’s shrill scream echoed.

It was a pitiful scream that made me want to apologize, but this was not the time to worry about such things.

I shifted gears and stepped on the accelerator again.

Could the jeep move this fast? Just as the thought flashed through my mind, my vision blurred.

‘Damn it…!’

The bullet-hit tire had lost its function, unable to withstand the pressure.

Panicked, I slammed on the brakes, but it only made the situation worse.

The sound of the tires scraping against the ground echoed for a long time, and then the vehicle spun violently.

Then, with a bang! A huge impact was transmitted to the vehicle.

“Ugh!”

Calming my body from the direct impact, I slowly raised my head and saw the hood embedded in a tree trunk.

Judging by the smoke billowing out, it seemed like we had crashed properly.

“Ugh, ugh…”

A faint groan came from near my thigh.

Only then did I look down at Selvia and said with concern.

“Are you alright?”

Of course, she wouldn’t be, but I asked out of courtesy.

Selvia seemed to know that, as she glared at me once before raising her upper body.

“I’m not alright… but I can still move. More importantly, how did those guys know our route?”

It was unexpected. I thought she would be crying in fear or be terrified.

But then again, she was a woman who would one day ascend to the Emperor’s throne and command the Imperial Army, the most powerful army in the world.

If she panicked in this situation, she wouldn’t have earned the title of Iron-Blooded.

“It seems there was a spy in the outpost who was communicating with the enemy. It’s a common occurrence during wartime.”

I said, grabbing the handle of the driver’s seat. It wouldn’t open, probably because the vehicle was twisted.

After trying a few times, I turned my body and kicked it.

After stomping on it a few times with my military boots, the door fell off with a thud.

I got out of the open door first and reached out to Selvia.

“Get out first. The pursuit team will be catching up soon, so we need to create some distance.”

“Okay. That would be good.”

Selvia answered obediently, grabbed my hand, and got out of the jeep.

Selvia, who was taking a deep breath after getting out of the car, had slightly trembling shoulders.

She was acting composed, but she was still a girl, after all.

I chuckled softly and led Selvia into the forest.

Selvia, who was walking behind me, seemed to be aware of my laughter and blushed slightly.

“You drive very recklessly, Lieutenant Daniel Steiner.”

Look at her changing the subject because she’s embarrassed. She was just like a teenage girl.

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“Do you take my words as a compliment?”

“If I hadn’t driven recklessly, you and the reporter would have been riddled with bullets by now. So, what else could it be if not a compliment?”

“We wouldn’t have been riddled with bullets. I have…”

Selvia mumbled something before closing her mouth.

That’s right. Trying to beat an adult who’s been through thick and thin with words is ten years too early.

“Lieutenant Daniel. From now on, we…”

I raised my hand and covered Selvia’s mouth.

Because the enemy’s voices could be heard not far away.

“Mph?!”

Selvia tried to struggle, so I put my index finger to my lips to gesture for her to be quiet.

Selvia nodded, realizing the seriousness of the situation.

I took Selvia and hid behind a nearby bush, then listened to the voices.

“…They must be around here. The car’s wrecked, so they couldn’t have gone far.”

“Haa. Shit! That’s why I told you to hide the spike strip properly!”

“Shut your mouth, Beldom! Complaining won’t solve anything!”

I peeked out to check the number of people and saw there were six.

They seemed to be moving in squad units. I couldn’t see any other personnel for now.

The problem was that they were getting closer and closer to us.

At this rate, we would definitely be discovered… Wait a minute.

‘Come to think of it, aren’t they Allied Nations?’

If so, there was a possibility that they would accept me if I surrendered and applied for asylum.

I was an Officer of the Empire who worked at the General Staff Headquarters. Unless they were revenge-crazed morons, they would judge that I had strategic value.

‘If they’re communicating through spies, they must have also prepared a way to escape to the Allied Nations.’

I never thought I would get an opportunity for asylum like this. In any case, it was like a godsend to me.

“…Reporter.”

Of course, I couldn’t apply for asylum in front of the Princess.

If I did, my life would be in danger before I could even be affiliated with the Allied Nations.

“We will be discovered by them soon. So, one of us has to sacrifice ourselves. One person has to draw attention and lure them away so that the other can survive. So, I will be the bait and lure them away.”

Selvia’s eyes widened as she listened to my words until the end.

Her face was filled with bewilderment.

Selvia suppressed her voice and shouted at me quietly.

“Stop it right now! You’ll die if you do that!”

“It is enough if you can live because of my death. A soldier is someone who exists to protect the citizens of their country.”

“Lieutenant Daniel…!”

I gently grabbed both of Selvia’s shoulders and said as wistfully as possible.

“Please survive, Reporter. If a golden age ever comes to the Empire in the future, please remember that there was a man named me.”

Selvia’s face flushed. She seemed to be somewhat moved.

The farewell act was enough, so I released Selvia’s shoulders and stood up.

“W, wait a minute. There’s no need to run away…!”

Selvia tried to stop me until the end, but the die had already been cast.

I kicked off the ground and ran as hard as I could in the opposite direction from where Selvia was hiding.

“H, hey!?”

“Catch that bastard!”

Behind me, I could hear the sound of Allied Nations soldiers chasing after me.

Perfect. Everything was going according to my plan.

At this rate, escaping the Empire was only a matter of time!

*

Selvia, who was left alone, stared blankly at the place where Daniel had run off.

As she did so, she was replaying Daniel’s words in her head.

─ It is enough if you can live because of my death. A soldier is someone who exists to protect the citizens of their country.

The image of Daniel, who was willing to die with a melancholy look in his eyes, was vividly drawn.

It was a truly surreal sight for Selvia.

What Officer in the world would sacrifice his life for a mere war correspondent?

‘…Captain Heinz was wrong.’

That Daniel had no respect for others? That was nonsense.

Daniel was a man who could sacrifice his life for the people of the Empire!

He was on a different level from the officials of the Imperial Family who only paid lip service to sacrificing themselves for the country and its people.

He had shown his spirit of sacrifice not with words, but with actions.

So, she had to save him. She had to have him. She couldn’t lose the Empire’s treasure in such a trivial place.

“Bodyguards.”

As Selvia muttered quietly, the surrounding space warped and soldiers wearing gas masks appeared one by one.

They had been hiding around Selvia all along, and had deactivated their optical camouflage at the word ‘Bodyguards’.

Selvia didn’t even glance at them and opened her mouth.

“Save Lieutenant Daniel Steiner. If he has even the slightest scratch…”

Selvia rolled her eyes and narrowed them sharply.

“I will not forgive you.”

The bodyguards who heard the order bowed their heads in response and kicked off the ground.

Selvia, who was watching the bodyguards moving at high speed, slowly stood up.

As she did so, she placed her hand on her chest and exhaled softly.

Whether it was the aftereffects of the rough driving or not, her heartbeat was still more rapid than usual.