episode_0044

The operation to suppress the resistance ended successfully. Most resistance members were killed, and some were captured.

However, despite Gilbert’s efforts, the key figure, the Resistance Chairman, was eventually lost. I searched the entire Banneret Forest like a tooth, but he had already disappeared.

Although it was painful to not be able to catch key figures, it was quite encouraging to see that the resistance was completely defeated without damage to the punitive force. As for damage from the punitive force, there was no damage except for a few minor injuries.

In that respect, no matter how much they called it the Resistance, it could not be denied that they were ultimately untrained irregular forces. The punitive force was made up of talented people from Demeia Academy and the Imperial Knights, which the Empire had ordered, so even if they had found the Giant God Soldier in the ancient ruins, the gap was wide.

In addition, Brianna and Seraphina were in the punitive force. The combination of the command of Seraphina, known as a woman of fortune, and Brianna, who had extensive experience on the battlefield, was not at a level that the irregular Resistance army could handle.

However, the person who performed the most outstanding performance was definitely Gilbert. Gilbert, supported by CT-777, literally flew around the battlefield. In particular, it is safe to say that the act of defeating five giant monsters in one go and chopping off their legs to capture the chairman of the resistance was almost a state of art.

To top it all off, even the Imperial Knights who came out to volunteer asked Seraphina about Gilbert’s identity. That’s how impressive and unconventional Gilbert’s performance was.

Meanwhile, the empire rewarded the punitive force that eliminated the resistance at an early stage. Although it was not as extraordinary as the knighthood that Gilbert received, it was still a satisfactory award.

At Demeia Academy, the cadets who participated in the punitive force as cadets were awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. It was awarded with the purpose of raising the status of the Academy. The cadets who participated in the punitive force had smiles on their faces at the unexpected reward.

However, Gilbert, who had made a great contribution in the battle to subdue the Resistance, did not look good. Although receiving the award was a welcome event from his perspective, he was deeply troubled by the change in the chairman of the Resistance.

Through information obtained while interrogating a captured resistance member, we learned that the chairman of the resistance was a man named Van Dyke. This information was passed on to all the personnel who participated in the subjugation, but when Gilbert heard the name Van Dyke for the first time, he could not help but harden his face.

The leader of the Resistance he knew was Brecht. I’ve been playing Tactical Combat for a long time, but I’ve never seen the name Van Dyke. Since there was a battle going on during the subjugation war, people wondered if Brecht had made the realistic choice of running away, but in reality, a completely different person was sitting in the chairman’s chair.

According to interrogation information, Brecht and a man named Van Dyck founded the Resistance together, and Van Dyck became the chairman upon Brecht’s recommendation. It is said that Brecht ended his life after falling into a trap of the imperial army while participating in resistance activities.

Gilbert, who was organizing the contents of the interrogation in his head, sighed. I felt a little frustrated as things gradually changed from the game. The best weapon he had was information about this world. Even if he was the Great Sage Horizon, unknown knowledge existed in his head.

I thought that if I took it out and used it in a timely manner, I would be able to survive well in this cruel world, but as things started to go wrong from the beginning, I felt uneasy.

But I soon shook my head and shook off my negative feelings.

From the beginning, didn’t he promise to just use the information he knew for reference?

You should not assume that your knowledge of the game is necessarily correct. My thoughts could become narrow-minded and I could develop unnecessary stubbornness.

good. Well then, next problem.

Now, then, it was time to wonder where the leader of the resistance had disappeared to. The mere fact that he disappeared through the search nets and search magic spread across Banneret was enough to raise alarm.

Even though the Imperial Knights took part, they missed a key figure in the resistance. It was amazing that he avoided the search magic and broke through the search team’s search net.

I was suspicious of whether there was an outside helper.

Or maybe it was an internal helper.

A thought suddenly occurred to me. Considering the level of the punitive force, it was not at all easy to avoid the search magic or the search net of the search team. This was something that even Tactical Combat’s rotten bastard, Gilbert, could not easily accomplish.

The reason he did not mention that it was impossible was because his physical abilities were at the level of a superhuman. When I checked after the entrance mock battle, his physical ability was 90. Most first-class knights had physical abilities below 90, and a swordsman like Brianna was in the mid to late 90s.

Moreover, as a result of continuing training with the award badge I recently received and the buffs received at the beginning of the academy, my physical ability level has risen to 91, so it might be possible to break through this siege and escape.

So, does Van Dyke, the chairman of the Resistance, really have that level of ability?

Actually, it wasn’t meaningful to ask about that. Because it might actually be possible, or it might be impossible.

However, it was more important to consider whether the escape route was opened by an external helper or whether it was possible to escape with the help of an internal helper. If there were external or internal helpers, it meant that the resistance had not been completely eradicated yet.

Especially if you think of it as an internal helper, the story becomes more complicated.

‘It’s a pain in the ass.’

I came up with several hypotheses and compared them, but they were literally just hypotheses. From the beginning, there was nothing precise about whether it was an external helper, an internal helper, or a self-escape.

In the end, all he could do was train as he had done so far and proceed with the upcoming main story. Whether it was an internal or external helper, it was most likely to be tied to the main story. That might be a variable, but I was used to responding to variables anyway.

It was also something he was confident about.

With a much lighter mind, Gilbert roughly gathered up the parchment he had been organizing and placed it in a drawer. While I was talking, I felt like I needed to start training today.

***

Ian was thinking about Gilbert, who outperformed him this time. It was not the same way of expressing anger as before. Rather, it was anger like a cold flame burning from within.

‘Hmm, that’s a good expression?’

Ian wrote the words ‘anger like a burning cold flame’ on the parchment. The purpose was to write a quote that would one day be used when one came to the fore as a protagonist.

The protagonist had to have dignity in his words and actions. So I often wrote down expressions that I thought were cool on parchment, referenced appropriate situations, and practiced them over and over again.

There were several sayings that I had in mind during this subjugation battle.

‘Do not show generosity to your enemies. ‘That’s just our hypocrisy.’ Or something.

‘Fear death. There is nothing more dishonorable than dying without being able to protect it.’ Or something.

‘I will be the sharpest spear of the punitive force. ‘All troops follow me’ or something like that.

There were dozens of variations in mind, but he was reduced to having to listen to Gilbert’s orders, having only competed as a non-commissioned officer. I was so embarrassed that my face turned red with anger, but I had no choice but to hold back.

‘They say crouching is the way to be a hero… but it’s getting more and more annoying.’

He acknowledged that Gilbert was his rival, and humbly accepted that this was a trial for a hero named Ian. However, Ian is also human, so he didn’t want to suffer forever.

I didn’t want him to look like the main character anymore, and I naturally thought that now was the time for me to shine.

Like Hastelzia, which stays in flower buds for a long time and then fully blooms with the morning sunlight.

‘First, write this down too.’

He also wrote down good expressions on parchment and was able to immediately think of the time when he needed to use them.

A competition between cadets, a long-standing tradition at Demeia Academy.

The first start was next week.

The story line was also very good.

He, who has quietly watched and endured the growth of his rivals until now, is blooming as the first place in the competition with the morning sunlight.

Ian Tigris line barrels like Hastelgia are in full bloom.

What a sweet tone this is.

You will be able to blow away all the adversity and hardships you have endured in just that one time.

He grinned, roughly took the parchment he had scribbled on, and put it in a drawer. While I was talking, I felt like I needed to start training today.