Bab 14: Chapter 14
"I'm going to throw up…"
I had been running at full speed for several minutes, and my head was spinning. I had no desire to run this hard, but it couldn't be helped. I had to put as much distance between myself and Selvia as possible.
"If the Empress finds out I've requested asylum, I'm done for…"
The Empress was known to eliminate traitors without fail. Disappearing like a ghost, without her knowledge, was the best course of action.
"Where do you think you're going, you son of a bitch!"
"Ugh…"
As I was catching my breath, I heard the voice of a coalition soldier. I turned around slowly, and the six soldiers I had seen earlier came panting towards me. They weren't pointing their guns at me, which suggested they were open to talking.
I didn't want to fight either, so I raised my hands and breathed heavily. "Let's calm down and have a talk. I'm Daniel Steiner, Deputy Operations Officer of the Imperial General Staff. State your affiliation and name."
Good. I had introduced myself while naturally mentioning my affiliation and rank. Hearing that I was an operations officer, they would realize, unless they were fools, that I was a strategically valuable asset.
"As if we don't know who you are," one of the coalition soldiers grumbled, wrinkling their nose.
"Enough of that. Where's the Empress? Depending on your answer, I might let you live. Answer carefully."
"The Empress?"
My mind went blank when I heard the word "Empress" from the coalition soldier. How did he know that the person I was with was the Empress?
Selvia was not foolish. She wouldn't go around telling people that she was a war correspondent undercover in the Northern Front. So, the number of people who knew that Selvia was in the Northern Front was small. Those few would be people Selvia considered "trustworthy". Given Selvia's meticulous nature in selecting talent, there was no way they would be spies.
Then who had used this information to launch an attack?
As I pondered, a realization dawned on me, and I let out a low moan.
"The Prince."
Things were different when it came to family. They would have the best opportunity to observe Selvia's every move.
In fact, I knew that Prince Ludwig von Amberg had clashed with his sister, Selvia, several times over the succession. It seemed that their disputes were more than just surface-level.
"To try and assassinate his own sister. What a madman."
I shook my head. Now that I knew the truth, there was no need to surrender. The soldiers in front of me weren't part of the coalition.
They were the Prince's assassins, disguised as coalition soldiers to make it seem like the Empress had been attacked by the coalition.
As I thought about how this was all a setup by the Prince, my mind grew cold.
"Was it the Prince who ordered this?"
The soldiers hesitated at my question. It further confirmed my suspicions.
"Your coalition uniforms are awfully clean."
"So what?"
"Usually, veterans are sent on guerrilla missions. Using new recruits would drastically reduce the success rate. But you guys are wearing brand-new uniforms, just like new recruits. Does that make sense?"
The soldiers couldn't refute my point and soon scoffed.
The one who seemed to be their squad leader stepped forward. "Looks like you're as sharp as they say. So you must know the situation well. Join us. You'll have a bright future."
"Us? Are you talking about the Prince?"
"Use the proper title. His Highness, the Crown Prince."
The soldier growled, but I couldn't help but laugh.
"It's pathetic seeing you cling to a sinking ship. The Crown Prince? He's not fit to be Emperor. The Empress will be the one to ascend the throne, not that incompetent fool."
The soldiers frowned at my honest assessment.
"Thank you for your honesty. There's no need for further conversation…"
Before the soldier could finish his sentence, I drew my revolver from its holster.
Simultaneously, I concentrated my mana on my central nervous system to accelerate my nerves.
In an instant, my vision expanded greatly, and my pupils constricted.
The world seemed to slow down as I watched the soldiers raise their guns, open their mouths to shout insults, and charge towards me.
I took a deep breath and aimed my revolver at their heads, pulling the trigger.
The explosion of gunpowder and the firing of bullets seemed unreal, like they were floating in a zero-gravity space.
However, the bullets were steadily making their way towards the soldiers' heads.
As I moved the muzzle of the revolver to finish off the last soldier, the neural acceleration wore off, and the world returned to its normal speed.
Bang!
Five gunshots rang out almost simultaneously, and the soldiers' heads exploded.
They fell to the ground without so much as a scream.
However, the last soldier was still running towards me.
"Damn it!"
I tried to aim, but my hands were shaking violently.
The aftereffects of using neural acceleration were taking a toll on my body.
Even with the mana cylinder, I had only been able to take out five people at once. If I hadn't had it, the neural acceleration would have worn off mid-way, and I would have been the one getting hit.
The mana consumption had been extreme as well.
"Damn it…"
My head throbbed, and my body felt like it was sinking into a swamp.
But if I didn't kill this guy, I would die. With a final effort, I pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet shattered the soldier's arm. Ignoring the pain, he continued to charge at me.
Before I could react, the soldier tackled me.
"Damn you! Bastard! Devil! Die!"
The soldier cursed as he tried to stab me with his knife.
I was too weak to fight back. My hands, which were holding the soldier's wrist, were losing strength.
The tip of the knife was getting closer and closer to my eye. I couldn't stop it.
Fear crept up my spine.
"Is this it? Am I going to die like this?"
I wanted to deny death, but I couldn't. My hands were growing weaker.
Just as I was about to give up, I heard a gunshot.
The soldier on top of me was shot in the side of the head.
He collapsed on top of me.
I quickly took the knife from the soldier and stabbed him in the neck to make sure he was dead.
Then, I pushed the soldier off me and slowly sat up.
I caught my breath and looked around. A group of Imperial soldiers in gas masks were standing nearby.
"The Imperial Central Army… the Imperial Guard."
I knew who had sent them.
And sure enough, Selvia was running towards us.
A look of worry was etched on her face.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
I nodded.
"I'm fine. Thanks to the Imperial Guardsmen. So…"
Before I could finish my sentence, Selvia cut me off.
"I'm sorry. I didn't intend to deceive you. I just thought that you wouldn't understand if I told you my royal identity."
I knew that. But I let her continue.
"I've learned a lot about you. First, you challenged your superior, Captain Heinz, during the planning stage and presented a new argument. The fact that your argument was sound shows that you have a strong mind that doesn't yield to authority and a keen eye for the battlefield."
I'd thrown together a bunch of bullshit because I thought it was a chance for asylum.
None of it made sense, but I couldn't say no to Selvia's earnest eyes.
The moment I tell her the truth, I'm dead.
"Lieutenant Daniel Steiner."
Selvia, holding my hand, solemnly declared.
"I dare say, on behalf of the imperial family, you are a treasure to the empire."
I felt like I was going to die from the pressure.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone