Chapter 244
Happy new year, may this year fill your heart with immense joy!
And here’s the chapter. Enjoy~
Chapter 244 – Return of the Prince
The next morning, Prince Haidar and his attendant twins stood erect in front of the sacred tree where I had told them to come.
“Morning.”
“””Good morning.”””
“Good morning. Here, each of you can have one of these.”
It was decided that the equipment to be loaned to them would be the PPSh-41. Considering the course of action, other guns were not very practical.
“This one?”
“It’s a magic tool-like weapon that fires arrowheads of instant death.”
“This is the one that slaughtered 30,000 enemy soldiers in Casemaian.”
The three of them were startled for a moment by Myrril’s words, but they quickly recovered and took the guns. I gave each of them a PPSh with no ammunition loaded and explained the principle of the gun, then taught them basic operation, normal disassembly, and maintenance to get them used to handling it.
“In the afternoon, we will start shooting training with real ammunition.”
For lunch, all the kids gathered around the campfire, and I roasted the horned rabbits I had stored.
The children had to learn by trial and error how to dismantle and cut up the rabbit, as it was a creature that did not exist in Solbesia. Since we were trying to find the right degree of cooking and seasoning, the meat we ended up with was, of course, very messy and improperly seasoned. The meat was burnt here and there and unevenly cooked, but it was very tasty. The children ate the rabbit meat until they couldn’t move, smiled awkwardly, and then fell asleep in the shade of the warm forest the prince had created.
“They are good children, aren’t they, Yoshua?”
“Yes.”
“Who was the representative of the ten?”
“We were the leading group, so there is no pecking order.”
“You must decide. In case you cannot come back.”
The faces of the prince and the others became tense, and I nodded my head.
“If you always assume the worst and prepare for the worst, you will have less misfortune. I’ve asked the lord here, but they’ll be on their own while you’re gone.”
“””Yes.”””
◇ ◇
“Is jumping to the coordinates of that throne like teleporting?”
The function may be close, yes. But to be precise, it is a curse that binds the royal family. I was told that it was imposed on the king and the royal family to fulfill their responsibilities.”
A way to the throne. It is not for escape. And once he jumps, there is no way back to the pirate stronghold where we are now.
“The way back will have to wait. I have a few ideas.”
Um… Myrril-san. I have a bad feeling about this.
“Is it possible that the throne of Solbesia has been destroyed or moved?”
“No, it has not. The throne is not a chair. It is a kind of magic circle for the king’s political, commercial, and military affairs, and there is no doubt that Kaienholt is in control of its functions.”
“As for defense and guards?”
“Of course, the troops will be deployed. In the throne room alone, there will be up to a hundred men.”
“A hundred? That should be a piece of cake.”
“No way.”
“This is probably the most elite royal guard. The five or so men in the retinue wear heavy armor with a magic barrier and move to act as shields in case of emergency.”
That’s right, isn’t it? That’s what I thought. Yes, it’s a diminishing line until we return safely.
“The throne room is in the deepest part of the castle. Thousands of soldiers must be stationed between there and the escape.”
I ask the prince and the others about the structure of the castle and the escape route, check the width and strength of the passage, and choose a route.
“Will we be able to teleport to the outside of the castle? You need to hold on to Yoshua when I give the signal.”
With that, Myrril hugs my neck from behind. The prince and the twin guards seem to resist the idea, but if push comes to shove, we all have no choice but to teleport, even if it means grabbing each other’s necks.
“There used to be a castle town outside the castle, but it’s probably all cleared out by now.”
“I wonder if we can get vehicles out of there.”
“That depends on the enemy’s ability to attack. We have to be careful with offensive magic and siege weapons.”
“The Empire has projectiles and long-range thunderbolts.”
The latter is something I have never heard of, but apparently, it is a long-range suppression weapon that drops powerful thunderbolts with magic tools that contain offensive magic formations. It is said to be capable of instantly killing a human, so it is no joke. Instead of thinking about equipment to withstand it, it would be wiser to destroy it as soon as possible.
“The first requirement is to get everyone back alive. Next, you have to kill Kaienholt. If I’m wrong about the order, please reconsider.”
“As long as there is cooperation, I have no objections.”
The twins seemed somewhat dissatisfied, but they reluctantly accepted the prince’s assurances.
“When we get to the throne room, you and the twins will kill Kaienholt. The other soldiers will be taken care of by me and Myrril.”
The prince and the twins, each carrying two rifles with drum magazines, each with a leather belt, were to finish off the “Demon King” of the Empire in the shortest possible time. There was no time to waste in the field. Any hesitation or lack of coordination would result in instant death.
“The problem is this. If there are heavily armored infantry in the mix, Tokarev rounds will be useless; will AKMs or RPKs get through? If they’re wearing heavy armor, there’s a chance of ricocheting…”
“It would be fine with my Wuji! And if it comes to it, I have the Alasukan!”
You might have that. But what about me? In order to deal with a hundred enemy soldiers, I’ll have to set up a barrage of bullets.
“No, leave the hard ones to me. Yoshua just has to harvest the light infantry.”
“We’ll just have to go with that…”
In the afternoon, they would fire live ammunition. Practical training will be given, along with confirmation of the coordination necessary for an assault. Only safety is strictly taught, but from then on, they shoot like idiots to get a feel for shooting.
“Don’t aim too high; aim for impact!”
“””Yes!”””
“Don’t stop moving after shooting!”
“””Yes!”””
In any case, precision shooting is impossible and unnecessary. Just spray bullets randomly, destroy the enemies around you, and retreat immediately. The top priority is how to break through the critical situation of being surrounded by an overwhelming number of enemies in a confined space. There is no sacrifice. No self-sacrifice. The first priority is to get everyone back alive.
“You must always know the position of your allies. If you get hit by a friendly bullet, you will die. It’s the worst kind of wasted death.”
“””Yes!”””
“Put the safety on when you switch weapons! Never touch the trigger unless you are about to fire.”
“””Yes!”””
If they had been half-hearted, I would have considered calling it off, but the three of them took their training seriously, and as I watched, they became more and more proficient with the submachine guns.
Their breathtaking coordination was superb, and they supported each other so as not to be exposed when changing magazines. To be honest, they don’t seem to need our help when it comes to unarmored targets.
At this rate, we would be able to execute the plan in two or three days.