"…they're here. There's around 40 people, and they're under control." (Guard)
One of the guards reported this.
By the way, I was lending my binoculars to the lookout. An expensive Nikon one.
“Around 40 people means one platoon. In the case of a platoon, the commander would normally be an officer equivalent to a second lieutenant, but in the case of a unit like this that requires a high level of judgment, wouldn't it be strange to have someone equivalent to a captain or major attached as a superior… Well, to me, he's just the 'boss of the thieves' after all, so it doesn't really matter." (Mitsuha)
Everyone nodded in agreement as I listened to my monologue.
That's why I especially treated them like thieves.
If they were treated as regular soldiers, there were various rules, such as the treatment of prisoners of war, prohibition of mistreatment, and so on.
…but what if it was just a group of bandits that attacked the lord’s mansion?
Violent criminals of commoners attacked nobility.
Yes, whether it was torture or hanging, no one would complain.
No one would say, "The thieves who attacked your country's nobles are ours, so give them back."
So it didn't matter what you do.
Humane or not, all weapons were free to use.
Yeah, that's what it was.
Everyone was ready.
Both mentally and physically prepared.
Everyone was already in position.
…ready to repel the bandits!!
As expected, the enemy entered through the main gate.
The gate was not locked. Since they were going to come in from somewhere, it was better to limit the point of entry.
The other side was aware that there were only a few people on our side, so they probably thought there would be no problem if they entered head-on.
Or rather, they might intended to enter from the front to show off their strength and force us to surrender.
If we surrendered, they wouldn't have to cause any unnecessary damage, and they wouldn't have to worry about finding a place to hide their gold coins and jewelry.
What's more, they could expect a situation where a small villain would enjoy declaring victory over a lord and feeling happy.
Well, there's no guarantee that the lord's group wouldn't be exterminated after that, so if you thought about common sense, there's almost no chance that the lord would surrender.
If they were all killed, there would be no one who would know the details of the situation, and the crimes committed by the magistrate would become unclear.
Well, from the circumstances, the testimonies of the survivors, and the testimonies of the people of the fief, it would be revealed that it was the magistrate's crime.
However, that only meant that "It seems likely given the circumstances," and it was different from direct testimony from the lord or his vassals.
Well, in the end, they were planning on killing us all.
The maids and cooks who were hiding and didn't know anything might be overlooked…
For the light machine gun, I placed a stand in front of the window on the second floor, and put a bi-pod on it so that I could shoot from the window.
Since I'd be shooting from a standing position instead of prone, it'd be a slightly strange position, but it shouldn't be a problem at such close range.
Sabine-chan was holding a sniper rifle from another window. With her gun barrel resting on the window sill, she didn't seem to need a bi-pod.
As for her skill, she also practiced sniping when she received special training with various weapons at Wolffang's home base before, so she was fine.
Colette-chan and I trained together, but… my sniper talent was zero.
By the way, unlike me, Sabine-chan could properly threw grenades forward.
There was a good view from the gate to the front door. There was no place for people to hide.
So, although the 40 or so enemies were wary of their surroundings, most of their attention was directed toward the mansion.
So, without paying much attention to the garden, they proceeded in droves.
And the moment the magistrate at the back puts his hands over his mouth, tried to raise his voice to suggest surrender or something…
I pushed the detonation switch in my right hand.
Bang! (Explosion SFX)
700 iron balls fired in a range of 60 degrees left and right and 18 degrees up and down.
One claymore costed $250.
Among the weapons, it is one of the cheapest.
Well, ordinary buried landmines were very cheap, ranging from $3 to $30, so it was probably one of the more expensive landmines.
It was cheap, but expensive and dangerous to remove.
Landmines were troublesome…
Ground-mounted claymores were a little better in that respect.
For those other than who was targeted by the attack.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!" (Enemies)
“Ah, my leg! My leg, ahhh!”
"Aaahhh~! It hurts, it hurts~!!"
Several men were rolling around and screaming.
Well, it was nice to be able to scream.
Some people were lying on the ground silently…
I was glad that the opening fireworks we prepared for the opening ceremony didn't go to waste.
The claymore was set up so that it would attack the intruder from the side in the direction of their movement.
Maybe I would have been able to defeat more enemies if I had set it up so that I could attack from the front.
…but I was worried that if I did that, I might kill too many people with that one shot.
If I didn't do it right, I was afraid I would ended up killing the magistrate, the troops, or even the leader of the bandits…
That's why I set it up to attack from the side.
It's not like I was licking it.
It's just that they had the means to do so.
"Start sniping!" (Mitsuha)
“Roger!” (Sabine)
Sabine-chan, who seemed to have already put the first target in scope before I instructed her, pulled the trigger a few seconds after replying.
Bang! (Gunshot sfx)
"Gyaaaaa~!!"
There was no reverberation like when shooting at an indoor range, only a brief sound of gunfire was heard.
Then, the screams of the victims followed.
Bang! (Gunshot sfx)
"Gwah!"
And then Sabine-chan's sniping continued.
The targets were the magistrate and the soldiers… who appeared to be the commander of the thieves.
The commander was randomly selected, a few people who looked like them and attacks based on their clothing, location, and the way they appeared to be giving instructions. I felt sorry if he looked bossy but was just a lowly person.
…ah, in order to capture them without killing them, she shot their leg so that they couldn't escape, so I guessed they're lucky that they didn't get killed. There was no need to apologize.
In any case, after shooting the legs of those who could be the commander, I asked her to shoot the shoulders and arms as appropriate.
Several people in the lead were blown away by a mysterious explosion.
The commander, deputy officer, and a few other people who were supposed to be in the safest position at the rear were shot in the hands and feet and were rolling around.
…unexpected situation.
Everyone who should be giving instructions, including the commander, second-in-command, and the third-in-command, were all rolling around on the ground.
If they were a real group of thieves, they would have left the fallen ones alone and ran away as fast as they could, but if they were members of the military… or were soldiers, they would have deserted their colleagues and superiors and run away, would they be able to abandon their colleagues and superiors and run away?
If they were still functioning as an organization, they would probably know what would happen to those who deserted their superiors and friends and fled in front of the enemy…
Well, I felt bad for bothering so much, so I would make sure they didn't have to worry about anything.
…yes, with this 5.56mm full metal jacket….
Edit History
9 Oct 2023: improved readability, minor grammar correction.
18 Aug 2024: translation overhaul