Goshujin-sama to Yuku Isekai Survival! (WN)

It’s Ko-Fi’s Supporters’ chapter (5/32), enjoy~

Chapter 51 – Hello, Holy Kingdom Army-San. It’s the Harpy Bomber Corps

From the top of the defensive wall, I stare in the direction of the Merinard Kingdom, the direction from which the Harpy bombers flew away. I don’t know how big this planet is, so I don’t know exactly how far it is from the surface. I’ve heard that on Earth, it’s about five kilometers. I wonder if it varies depending on the altitude.

While thinking about this, I checked the mechanism of the swivel cannon. Everything is fine. The bolt-action rifle is also fine. The quadruple scope I’ve installed is set to zero in on the target at a distance of 100 meters.

This is actually another perk of attaching a quadruple scope to a bolt-action rifle in my inventory. Whenever I attach the scope in my inventory, it is always set to zero at 100 meters with virtually no error. I haven’t tested to see whether it even adjusts for the temperature and other conditions at the time.

“You look nervous.”

I was a little surprised when someone called out to me from behind. When I turned around, I saw Sylphy standing there in her usual leather bodysuit, fully armed with the Pale Moon, revolver, two Kukri knives, and a belt pouch containing a speed loader for the revolver. She also wore some sort of pouch on her waist.

“That’s right. This will be my first war… killing people. I’ve said it before, but I’m just a regular guy who’s never been in a real fight before in my world.”

“You fought bravely against Gizma, though.”

“That thing is not human.”

“It’s the same. Humans, sub-humans, and Gizma are all the same. They’re all living beings.”

“It would be a lot easier if it were that simple.”

I haven’t reached that point yet. Maybe. But I don’t know; I haven’t really felt it since I came to this world.

Wandering around the forest, getting beaten up by Sylphy, nearly getting beaten up and lynched by a mob of Merinard citizens, getting collared, sleeping with Sylphy, exploring the forest, working on various things to fight Gizma, getting along with everyone somehow, fighting off Gizma, and starting to work to reclaim the Merinard Kingdom… How many days have I spent in this world?

Has it been more than two months? Half a year has not passed yet. Is it about three months or four months? I’m not sure.

Every day is so different from life on Earth, so exciting, so dreamlike. In this world, I’m a unique and special person, and many people need me. In this world, I’m not one of the many others named Kosuke Shibata, but a unique being named Kosuke.

[T/n: The author wrote the first name in Kanji and the second one in Katakana.]

“What’s wrong? You look into the distance.”

“No, I don’t know. Maybe I’m just naïve in the face of battle.”

Random thoughts popped in and out of my head. It seems that I am not in a proper state of mind, that’s for sure. I put my bolt-action rifle in my inventory, took out a plastic bottle of water, and took a sip.

“Do you want a drink too, Sylphy?”

“Yeah, I’ll have some.”

Sylphy took the bottle from my hand and gulped it down. Her throat made a gurgling sound, and she slurped it lustily.

“What is it? It’s embarrassing when people stare at me like that.”

“Sorry.”

I took the bottle from Sylphy and put it in my inventory. Then, I turned my gaze again to the direction from which the harpies had flown away. How far away are they? Would I be able to hear the bombs from here?

As I was thinking about this, I was hugged from behind by Sylphy. She wrapped her arms around my body and tightened her hold on me.

“Kosuke, if you’re in pain, don’t push yourself. Though it’s strange since I’m the one who’s making you do this. Kosuke has been helping me enough. No, “enough” is not the right word. I should say that I rely on you a lot. And on top of that, no one is going to ask you to get your hands dirty with blood. I won’t let them. So, Kosuke, please take it easy.”

Sylphy’s words were so sweet that they penetrated deeply into my heart. I guess that’s true. This battle is only for Sylphy and the others, for the Merinard citizens. It’s not my place as an inhabitant of a different world. I don’t have ideals or a cause worth fighting for. The only reason I’m taking part in this battle is for the sake of Sylphy.

Thunderous sounds were heard. The meaning of that sound was obvious. It had finally begun — the world’s first aerial bombardment. A one-sided slaughter carried out from a position where the enemy would never be able to counterattack.

“No, Sylphy. But I still have a responsibility.”

“What?”

I touched Sylphy’s arm that was around my body and squeezed it lightly.

“I can’t just make a weapon that I know will be used in a fight, give it to someone, let them use it, and then say that I only made it and that I am innocent because I didn’t directly kill anyone.”

I pulled my own cheeks to get myself together. Be prepared, Kosuke Shibata. When it comes to this, I have to go as far as I can.

Ruthlessly, overwhelmingly, efficiently. I’m going to create a mountain of corpses and a river of blood to end this conflict.

“Now that it has started, I have to be reasonable. I’ll do it.”

“…I see. Thank you, Kosuke.”

Sylphy’s arms tighten around me. The sound of distant thunderous bursts could be heard again. The battle is just around the corner.

☆★☆

“The bombing was a success! We’ve dealt a heavy blow to the pursuing troops!”

Fronte, who had just landed on the wall, exclaimed excitedly. The other harpies who went with her to bomb the target were generally in the same state. Maybe because of their excitement, the feathers on their bodies are standing up, making them look fluffy. At any rate, I handed them all plastic water bottles with the lids open for some drink.

“I know you’re excited, but you need to calm down. You can’t bomb someone calmly in that state of mind.”

The harpies all looked slightly ashamed at my words. They seemed to have realized that they had been too excited when I told them. The feathers that stood upside just come back to normal as they sip water.

“Pirna and the others too, thanks for the good work. Drink some water and take a break. Have you eaten yet?”

“I haven’t eaten.”

“Well, I’ll bring you something easy to eat.”

The harpies who had accompanied the liberation forces had also returned to the temporary fort. There are five of them. One harpy scout accompanies each liberation unit, and the fact that all of them have returned means that all of them have joined forces.

I set out a table and put out wet hand towels and burgers.

“Pirna and the others can drink and eat and take a break. As for Fronte and the others, can you still fly?”

“Yes, we can still go!”

“Then let’s rearm and set out again. As for the bombing targets, the first priority is those who are attacking the rear guard, and if those are not there, then focus on the enemy’s supply units, after that, the enemy’s main force. I’ve prepared some bombs over there, so have them attached.”

After listening to my instructions, Fronte and the others moved to the bombing area. After following them with my eyes, Pirna gave me a serious look.

“For some reason, you and Fronte and the others seem to be getting along quite well?”

“We’ve spent a few days together. We had a lot of opportunities to get to know each other, and I guess that’s the way it goes.”

“…Is that so?”

Pirna brings the hamburger to her mouth with a subtle expression, as if she is feeling uncomfortable about something. That’s a good way to eat; she must be hungry. They must be giving their food as much as possible to the liberated people.

“There were too many of them, but you guys did a good job. I’ll ask you about the details when we get settled. How was the effect of Fronte’s bombing?”

“Hmm, yes. I’ll tell you.”

It was this morning that Pirna and the others were chased by the Holy Kingdom’s army. All the Holy Kingdom army soldiers stationed in the rock salt mines of Vinnisk have been cleared out, and Pirna said that the neighboring towns, suspicious of the lack of communication, sent personnel to the rock salt mines, which probably exposed their activities.

It would be easy to track Pirna and the others once they were discovered. After all, there were over eight hundred people on the trail. There was no way they could hide it. Besides, the number of people has now swelled to more than one thousand. The speed at which they were moving was slow, and Sir Leonard thought it was inevitable that they would be pursued.

“The sixth unit led the liberated people, and the remaining four units acted as the main army. It was difficult to get food and water, but we managed to keep it up by telling ourselves that it was just a matter of persevering until we got back here.”

“You can rest assured of that. We have plenty of water and food. There is enough for everyone.”

“That’s good to hear… So, it was after being chased.”

The first thing I guessed was that it was because of the fast cavalry unit. About 100 cavalrymen charged at once from behind. Under the command of Sir Leonard, about forty improved crossbows fired arrows at them. More than half of the arrows fired hit the cavalrymen and their horses, and the first shot killed about 20 cavalrymen.

This was followed by an attack of twenty grenades. The grenades exploded one after another, hurting the cavalrymen, but more than that, they sent them into a panic. Many of them were so startled by the sudden explosion that makes the horses rearing and shake off their riders.

Another 20 hand grenades were thrown into the air. More than half of the cavalry troops fell in this attack, and the morale of the troops collapsed, and they retreated in disarray. Crossbow arrows were fired into their backs, causing more damage.

“The fact that you were able to repel the cavalry in the first attack was significant.”

“Yes, it was significant that we were able to crush the assault in reverse. The power of the crossbow and grenades may have threatened them, but the cavalry stopped charging. They just kept their distance and followed us. The enemy’s main force has faster legs than the liberated people’s movement speed, so I think they were planning to wait for the main force and push in numbers.”

“By the way, what is the size of the enemy army that is pursuing you?”

“There are 100 cavalry, 600 infantry, and 200 archers. That’s an approximate number.”

“If they caught up to you, you’d be in trouble.”

Even if equipped with crossbows and grenades, and with the overwhelming military might of Sir Leonard and Shumer, they are no match for the violence of numbers. Even with the five units together, a force of less than 60 at best will probably be crushed by a single hit.

“Then Fronte and the others appeared just as the enemy were about to catch up with us. The distance between the pursuing troops and the rear guard was still a little distance, so Fronte and the others didn’t hesitate to drop bombs near the front line of the enemy troops. The power of the official version was amazing. With one blow, the main force of the enemy army was half destroyed.”

“Well, it’s not something that iron armor can prevent.”

The power radius of the Harpy aerial bomb is about 25 meters. If five people bombarded the area successfully so that the bombing range is not covered, an army of about 800 people in a dense formation would be destroyed by a single blow. Even if they are wearing metal armor, they can’t escape instant death if they are near the hypocenter.

“The sudden bombing threw the enemy’s main force into a state of confusion, and with another blow, the pursuing army was almost completely destroyed.”

“Huh? Seriously? So there was no point in sending Fronte and the others out again?”

If both the cavalry and the enemy main force have been destroyed, it seems that they will not attack this fort anymore.

“No, I don’t think it’s pointless. It’s just that more of the Holy Kingdom’s soldiers will die.”

“Oh…”

By the way, Pirna-san is a legitimate member of the military. What’s the point of having mercy on the enemy soldiers?

“Oh, you don’t take prisoners or anything?”

“When I was in the Merinard Royal Army, we did take prisoners, but I’m not sure if we do now. We don’t have any treaties on warfare or the treatment of prisoners of war.”

Pirna says that even if they take prisoners and propose some kind of deal to the Holy Kingdom, it is doubtful that the Holy Kingdom will agree to a deal or even sit down to negotiate in the first place. Even with the people we freed this time, we only have a small force of about 1300 people at most.

Aside from our actual fighting and production capabilities, 1300 people are about a small town’s population. It’s a small force, as small as a snot, from the perspective of the Holy Kingdom, which has a vast territory and many vassal states. They don’t think they would come to the table on an equal footing.

“And even though they’re still alive after that attack, they’re probably on the verge of dying or losing some of their limbs… I don’t think we can afford to take care of those prisoners. I think it’s the utmost mercy to let them die to shorten their suffering time as much as possible.”

“The world is a harsh place…”

“It’s not something we should be worrying about. That kind of thing is the domain of Her Highness the Princess, the Internal Affairs Officer Melty, Danan-sama, and Leonard-sama.”

“I see.”

When I heard Pirna’s words, I honestly gave up thinking about the captives. It may be ruthless, but this is the result of a battle, albeit a one-sided one. If you are a soldier, you have to accept your fate, no matter how harsh it is.

“So, now that I’ve had enough rest, I’m going to go too.”

“Eh? You’re going?”

“Of course. It is a chance to make the Holy Kingdom’s people pay for their sins.”

Pirna said that with a smile, she and the remaining Harpies moved to the bombing area. It seems that she wants to kill the Holy Kingdom army and show no mercy… Let’s not make Pirna angry either. Yeah.

While staring at Pirna and the others who were happily flying away with the air bombs, I promised myself that.

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