+++ Lieutenant Hans Hoffman +++
Near Nomos
November 8, 1538 CE
“Thank you, good lady,” the old farmer lowered his hat gratefully. “I hope my little request hasn't bothered the two of you greatly.”
“Oh, absolutely not!” Adelyn replied as she shook her hands. “On the contrary, those villages needed the grain you and your friends needed to ship. It only took us half an hour, but now, they have what they need.”
“Thank you so much,” the farmer again said, as he clutched the bag of money he had received. “Good luck with your journey. May you two vanquish the awful demons from the south. And may you two good souls live on.”
“You too, sir,” Hans replied with a grin. Soon, Adelyn and Hans were just waving their hands at the farmer as he left. They watched him disappear on his massive rural farm on the side of the road. Above them, the sun had already begun to set. Yet the skies were tranquil, with flocks of birds flying above them.
“Well, that’s that then,” Adelyn breathed out in a relieved manner. “Another good mission done.”
“As much as I like these side quests, I think we should rush fully to Nomos now. Damn, it’s already about to get dark again. How far are we from the nearest settlement?”
“Around thirty more kilometers from this village,” Adelyn said. “Do you think we should get there then rest? Or would you like to just stay in this village and rest already?”
“I don’t know, really. It doesn’t make a difference. I sleep on my mech.”
“You’re cruel to me, Lieutenant. You know it’s a bit more difficult to sleep in my mech when little Alizée is also sleeping on my lap.”
“Ah…well…” Hans facepalmed. “You’re right, I forgot about that.”
“Well, the village ahead of us is just barely an hour away anyway,” Adelyn smiled. “We still have a chance to get there smoothly. Then we’ll retire for the night. Of course, only if it’s a safe place.”
“Heh. Seems like you made up your mind already anyway. Why’d you even ask me?”
Adelyn whistled innocently as she looked to the side.
“I don’t know,” she replied. “I guess I just like making decisions with you.”
“Weird.”
“You’re worse in that regard.”
“Well, at least I’m not Jonas-level weird,” Hans sighed. “Mercenary work does turn you into a nuthead, I suppose. He’s like Captain Strobel, but more unhinged. Really unhinged. I mean, who the hell rides through a village, fights against roving goblins, then actually gets the audacity to ask the devastated villagers for payment?”
“Well, I need to beat that guy back into the embrace of good morals,” Adelyn shook her head. “I need to make it clear that his culture of unhinged assholery in the IYC isn’t going to survive when he’s under me. A pay cut penalty is in order.”
“Hitting him on his most prized belongings. His wallet. That’s another level of cruelty.”
“Yeah, sure, but I am a cruel leader to all those who dare be a jerk to other people. It’s only natural, hmph.”
“Yeah, sure you do, Princess.”
“...Did you just call me a Princess again?!”
Hans just waved her off and shrugged as he walked back to his mech. Adelyn meanwhile merely huffed and fumed as he walked out. But Hans didn’t even look back.
“Let’s just drive back out again.”
“Lieutenant, you’re also one of the jerks of my team, you know!”
+++
“Gee, those are…ugly looking trees,” Hans blankly reported on the comms.
“Who the hell calls trees ‘ugly’ out of nowhere? Is that your new replacement word for calling something suspicious?”
“Yeah, I suppose. I mean, they look kinda wrong,” Hans said. His thermals continued scanning the forest ahead of them. “You know, I don't like foliage and dense woods. It’s always bad business. I mean, have you ever seen how many times we had to drive through forested areas during counter-offensives, and then there’s these bastards hiding beneath the bush?”
“Well, yeah, it does suck. You think there’s an ambush ahead of us?”
“I don’t trust these leaves and wood.”
“That’s a new level of paranoia.”
“Say, if I spray it with bullets. Do you think it’d be funny?”
“Nope. Don’t even think of it. For all you know, it might just be a bunch of kids playing hide-and-seek.”
“I mean, just come on. I saw weird movements of something and it just disappeared. Of course, I’m suspicious,” Hans turned his turret from left to right. “But I’m still picking up nothing. I mean if it’s just a random stupid civvie they’d have been bored by now. And left.”
“Do you…wager it’s anything that might be a threat then?”
“Maybe…maybe not—wait.”
Hans stopped scanning the woods. He turned his turret back straight into the dirt road ahead of them. From the distance, he could see what appeared to be a bunch of soldiers on horseback, alongside a fancy carriage and three wagons.
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“They’re riding in our direction. Do you think it’s some fancy aristocrat?”
“Most likely. And that’s their security detail,” Hans frowned. “Hey, hey…uhh…do you think we should—”
Suddenly, gunfire erupted from the bushes and woods around the small group. Horses neighed and dropped. Then, the carriage and wagons all pulled to a halt. The soldiers from the unknown group immediately dismounted. Guns and sabers were drawn, and they fired their weapons on the trees and bushes.
More guns cracked, as people dropped on the dead on the road. Some horses that survived even panicked and ran, abandoning their owners. Meanwhile, the few civilians that the wagons carried—servants it seemed, were shot dead.
“Screw this! We have to intervene!”
“H-hey wait,” Hans shouted on his comms, as Adelyn’s mech galloped straight into the fight. “We don’t even know which side is which!”
Hans had no choice, as Adelyn dashed through the fields. He elected to follow her hard, covering her left flank as she opened fire on the green woods. Machine gun rounds and tracers rocked the attackers. Meanwhile, the soldiers that were ambushed all looked at the two rushing mechs with wide eyes.
Adelyn’s speakers boomed through the air.
“Ambushers! Whoever you are, lay down your arms or else! You do not get to attack people under our watch!”
Suddenly, a squad of four people revealed themselves from one of the bushes. They seemed to be wearing full black clothing, and they aimed their guns straight in Adelyn’s direction. Their shots fired through the air, striking the armor of her mech. But it was ineffective.
Hans took the opportunity as the attackers realized the futility of their firearms. He opened fire on them. They tried to run, but ultimately, his bullets decided that their fate was to be cut down on the green fields.
Adelyn on the other hand stopped her mech and began blasting her guns at the right side of the road. Hans copied her, opening fire on the left side of the road to suppress whatever militants were hiding there.
In response, an attacker dashed out of the bush, rushing straight in Hans’ direction with supernatural speeds.
He seemed to be a Vanus man, his horns made that clear. And he held a glowing blade. Hans turned his guns straight at the random militant and opened fire. The gunshots peppered his body, but for some reason, he resisted it for a bit. He even appeared to have armor of some sort that somewhat deflected Hans’ bullets. Until he finally dropped a few hundred meters away from Hans’ position.
“What the hell is he?!”
“Probably a high-tiered guy,” was Adelyn’s brief answer. “Damn, he’s tough.”
They both watched as he collapsed on the green fields, looking at their mechs with a murderous gaze. He tried to aim his left hand at Hans’ mech, and a red runic circle appeared briefly—until Hans’ machine guns silenced him. His skull burst open as the final shots of the night ended the battle.
The rest of the militants soon appeared, many severely wounded. All of them raised their hands in the air as they called for mercy and surrender. On the other hand, the ambushed soldiers rushed out of their cover, disarming and roughly detaining the militants.
“Well, now we’ll have to figure out who’s the big wig being transported on that carriage,” Hans said. “Damn it, we just did something reckless.”
“Don’t care. They were being attacked in front of me,” Adelyn replied. “I think those are rebel guerillas.”
“So I guess we’re fully on the side of the Imperium now when it comes to this?”
“No, but in this case, I think we made the right call. If they want to be a bunch of rebels, then they shouldn’t have shot those civilians.”
“Yeah, good point I guess.”
“I’m going in to make contact. You stay at my rear to protect me.”
“Clear copy, Captain.”
+++
I only reached level twenty-nine. So I guess killing actual people isn’t that helpful. Hmm…
Hans was just standing on the side of his mech. He was guarding both the Peacemaker and the Diligence, as Adelyn talked to a Virtus noblewoman. She was apparently the one being transported by the group of soldiers, and the rest was her little entourage. On the other hand, the rebels appeared to be a part of a Vanus resistance group.
Hans sighed. He didn’t like being involved in this kind of business. So far, he was just keeping an eye on Adelyn, making sure none of the Imperial soldiers dared to even present an ounce of hostility on her. But the way that Adelyn and the random Virtus woman indicated that there should be no problems.
On the other hand, he watched as the militants were roughly handled by the soldiers when they were disarmed. One was even dragged by some of the soldiers on the dirt straight to the side of one of the parked wagons. Hans wanted to intervene, but he decided not to make trouble.
Luckily, the Virtus noblewoman noticed it and disengaged from her chit-chat with Adelyn.
She shouted at the soldiers.
“Hey! Hey! None of that. I don’t want any of that, please. Haven’t I told the bunch of you not to be too violent to others? This isn’t the way of the Empire, people!”
Hmm, unlike the Duke last time, her accent is pretty deep. Deeply Sicilian.
Her voice was a bit more mature compared to Adelyn. In fact, now that Hans had a good look at the woman, it seemed that she was much older indeed. Probably around her thirties. She wore a fancy white dress with black outlines, alongside a black colored bow tie. Her hair also stood out well, and Hans was a bit surprised this time. It was pink in color, just like her halo.
And her eyes were no different. It was also, somehow, pink.
Now that’s crazy. But then again…
He looked back at Alizée and her silver hair. The girl was just sneakily watching from the hatch of Adelyn’s mech. When she noticed that Hans was looking, she immediately plopped back down. Hans just sighed.
I told her not to look.
“They may be rebels, but I do not accept such rough treatment of people, okay?” the woman crossed her arms as the soldiers begrudgingly complied. The Virtus noblewoman then turned back to Adelyn. “Now, Captain Wittenstein, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. Oh, yeah, I forgot to introduce someone,” Adelyn turned to Hans’ direction. The woman, looking at Hans, soon nodded, and the two walked in his direction. Naturally, Hans fixed himself a bit as they approached him, and Adelyn smiled. “Okay, Grand Duchess Emilia Viviani—this man right here is Lieutenant Hans Hoffman. He’s my partner, and my fellow countryman.”
“...Oh, the famous ‘Grey Knight’!” the woman placed her gloved hand on her mouth and giggled a bit. “I’ll be frank, I didn't expect to meet the two of you. And certainly not in such an unpleasant manner, but I’m glad. I—the Viceroy of Nomos, after all, went all the way up here to search for the two of you. Because I need you both.”
Even Adelyn was stunned. Hans on the other hand was purely blank. He looked at Adelyn, then back at the Virtus noblewoman.
“You’re the what now?” Hans asked.
“I suppose my security is less than glamorous for a woman of such a position, yes, but I am in great urgency. You won’t believe how uncooperative the IYC is. I’ve sent them dozens of requests yet they hadn’t even bothered to reply. Such petty little businessmen. But yes, if the two of you are asking, I am the Viceroy of Nomos, as I’ve said. And I need two damned fine warriors right now for the survival of my Principality.”
The sweet and innocent smile that radiated from the woman absolutely unnerved both Hans and Adelyn as she finished explaining herself.
“So, are the two of you up for the task?”