I'm not sure what's going on, but it doesn't sound good. I can hear shouting and arguing outside my father's office. It's the sixth day of the lockdown, and something feels off. Everything feels completely wrong. I tentatively approach the doorway and listen in on the conversation.
"Albert, if I leave, what will happen to the people of this region? Rosa used to live in a shack before she moved here. Now she has a house. Do you understand the impact I've had on this community?" My father is pleading with whoever he's speaking to.
Suddenly, I hear a loud shout. "Listen here, it's dangerous in here!" I flinch at the outburst. I have no idea what's going on, but I know that I need to be cautious. I take a step back before I recognize that it was Albert’s voice.
I wonder what will he say next.
"Fuck your ideals! If you're not alive, you can't dream of your utopia. Sir, I beg you, you must leave. It's not safe for you, the miss, or the young missus. I can't guarantee your safety anymore."
A maid walks right past me and glances at the door before focusing on me. It must have been strange for her to see me, a young girl, holding a rifle that is longer than my own body. But that's the truth. The MH rifle isn't suitable for me at all. It's too long, and it's worse than the M4.
She kneels down and whispers in my ear, "Young miss, it's not proper for you to eavesdrop on your father like this."
“What do you mean? I am only here for Sir Albert,” I reply to the maid which has equally no right to stand here in front of my father's office. It’s a lose-lose situation for her.
“Oh, I see.” The maid eventually walks away from the door again.
I keep looking at the door while realizing how bad the situation sounds. Is it no longer safe to stay in this mansion? Is our safety really that compromised, even with that massive amount of mercenaries outside of the mansion? That’s very concerning.
I can survive on my own, at least in theory. My SERE training in the air force taught me how to survive, evade, resist, and escape behind enemy lines. But I have two problems: my small size and Rachel.
I'm only a ten-year-old girl. Even with a body as mature as Rachel's, it would be hard for me to do the physical tasks required for survival. And Rachel, being just 13 years old, is probably used to a comfortable life. Shifting her to a survival situation would be a huge challenge.
Despite these obstacles, I'm still hoping that we can make it through this. My risk assessment estimates that it would take a battalion of 300-500 people to successfully take over this region. Based on the principle that it takes three attackers to defeat one defender, I believe we have a chance.
But this is still in Alduria, which means any outside intervention would likely be stopped by the Alduria military. It's hard to say whether an attack will even happen and if it does, how it could go unnoticed at first.
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“Sir, Ferrett, I beg you to run, please, for young miss Rachel and Helen,” Albert finally begs in desperation.
“And leaving this village to that person? Albert, I appreciate your concern, but is it really worth the gamble? Is it really worth it to leave this village filled with 500 people, including women and children to that person?” My father asks.
Albert then sighs, “Fine, sir, I give up. I only can wish you the best.”
“I’m glad we finally see the same direction,” my father says.
I… have a really bad feeling about this. If the attack happens, like how a certain country attacks its former territory out of nowhere for the sake of revanchism, will I be caught off-guard or will I be caught prepared? I have advantages, but there’s only so much one person can do. I’m alone, and there should be at least three hundred people for the attack to succeed.
Enemies aren’t stupid either. They have full intention to kill me and they have full intention to survive any firefight with me. I should think and weigh my option. My father’s resolve seems to be as strong as steel. Even though the intention is gold, Albert is more rational on this, which side should I pick? I grit my teeth, it’s a hard decision. I doubt I’ll be allowed to run away with Albert.
Suddenly, the large door opens, revealing Albert with a very tired face. His eye bags are evident in his eyes, he probably hasn’t been asleep for a few days. He hasn’t taught me anything either ever since I’ve been shot in the head.
“Young miss, what an accident to meet you here, what can I do for you?” Albert asks after he closes the door.
“What happens to you? Your eyebags are heavy,” I say.
Albert then wipes his eyes, “Nothing, I haven’t been getting sleep lately.”
“What did you do?”
“You know, the usual, making bullets for your father's mercenaries, and so on.”
“What did you tell to my father?” I ask.
Albert then looks at the door. Then he looks back at me, “It’s adult business, you see? I’ll tell you when you get older. Anyway, I think I’ll be busy lately. Did Ostwald teach you well?” He asks in a fully concerned tone.
With Albert gone, most of my education is left to Ostwald. He teaches me math, geography, and the things like that. However, regarding materialmancy, it’s all left to myself. Ostwald told me that Albert would return soon, but I don’t know soon is six days.
“Albert, can you teach me magic?” I ask.
“Magic? Young miss, I’m a gunsmith. I don’t have any magical spell but gunsmithing,” Albert answers.
“Really? How about the fire lance then?” I ask.
“It’s just an ordinary spell to throw a fire into the fireplace.”
I doubt that heavily. The lance that Albert held back then looks more like a spear than a regular fireball. There’s nothing regular about forming a spear with your own hands but for offensive purposes, and I am confident Albert is a mercenary for my father. Should I confront him about that? Or shouldn’t I?
Albert then suddenly intervenes, “Young miss, have anyone ever thought of teaching you basic spells for utility purposes?”
I shake my head. No one has ever taught me about magic in this world but my father and Albert. Even then, my father only taught me how to hide my halo, which doesn’t help me at all in combat. However, in peaceful conditions, it will certainly help me a lot.
“Do you want to teach me then? You know, just the basic, making fire, etcetera.”
“That sounds fun,” I say.
“It is, let’s go to the library then,” Albert walks first followed by me from behind.