novelraw Chapter 4 : Chapter 4
Chapter 4 : Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Black Hound
Ered placed his hand on the Red Magic Stone embedded in his chest.
The Red Magic Stone was always active.
This was to prepare for any variables.
However, the output of the Red Magic Stone was usually minimal.
He had only activated the minimum necessary mana circuits.
It was the same concept as keeping a vehicle's engine idling so it could depart at any moment.
Whirrr!
He increased the output of the Red Magic Stone.
Dense mana spread evenly throughout his entire body.
As the mana melted into him, his eyes dyed a deeper shade of red.
Countless dormant mana circuits activated, sucking in as much mana as they could.
The preheating was over.
He slowly opened his eyes.
His senses expanded.
It was like flinging open an opaque window.
His limited field of vision widened instantly.
After that, all sorts of sounds poured in at once like a torrent.
He stored the information obtained through his five senses deep within his mind.
He could even hear the sound of cold sweat trickling down the back of Vardi's neck.
The direction of the sniper who killed the driver.
The distance from them.
Even the number of troops.
He had finished grasping everything.
Meanwhile, Vardi, who had suddenly taken the wheel, looked quite busy.
“Everyone, do not panic!”
He calmed the agitated soldiers.
Ping!
Ping!
In the meantime, bullets flew and pounded against the vehicle.
“Vardi.”
“Should we push through like this... Did you call, sir?”
Vardi belatedly responded to the call.
“Stop the car.”
“…Pardon?”
Only then did Vardi look back at Ered in the back seat and flinched in surprise.
The red-lit mana circuits revealed on Ered's face and neck.
It was enough to capture anyone's gaze.
To an ignorant eye, it would look like a red tattoo.
Mana circuits were also revealed all over his body, hidden beneath his uniform.
“Lord Ered. The enemies' momentum is fierce. Rather than responding... .”
“Don't make me say it twice.”
Vardi swallowed hard.
The atmosphere had completely changed.
Until a moment ago, the Prominence in the back seat was just a blunt boy, nothing more and nothing less.
Even if he's a great Prominence, he's so young.
Can he even fight properly?
He had harbored such thoughts.
But the current Ered felt like a completely different being.
Vardi couldn't tell exactly what had changed.
Except for one thing.
The intimidation Ered exuded was the real deal.
Enough to make even him, a veteran soldier, tense up.
“My mission is... .”
Vardi gathered his courage and spoke.
Shaking off the pressure weighing down on his shoulders.
“Is to escort Lord Ered safely to Senev. Therefore... .”
Ered flung the car door open.
Wind poured in violently.
The carriage was racing at a speed of 60km per hour.
“What are you doing—"
Ered stepped outside without hesitation.
Screech!
The ground where his foot touched was gouged out.
The carriage slowed down noticeably and then came to a complete stop.
‘What did I just see?’
Vardi's thoughts came to a halt.
He hadn't stepped on the brakes.
The reason the carriage stopped was purely because of Ered.
Stopping a running carriage with just leg strength?
“The weapon that took the driver's life is an Airild Musket. 1861 model, improved version. Using an imperial gun while hating the empire more than anyone. Truly befitting of the despicable Republic.”
“…Pardon?”
“It’s an old model, but its accuracy is still a marvelous gun. It once dominated the battlefield. Keep that in mind if you don't want to die.”
“How do you... ?”
Vardi asked back with a dazed face.
“I heard the gunshot.”
“You mean you identified it just by the sound?”
Ered furrowed his brows as if asking why he was questioning something so obvious.
A Prominence should naturally be able to do that.
“I, I see.”
Vardi had an indescribable expression.
It was slowly starting to sink in.
The boy in front of him was far from ordinary.
“Everyone dismount now. Immediately take cover behind the vehicle afterward.”
Ered's gaze remained fixed on the approaching enemies.
He deliberately stopped the carriage after creating a proper distance.
Thanks to that, there was a bit of a window before the battle broke out.
“Are you perhaps planning to engage?”
Vardi's face hardened.
He wasn't afraid of a fight.
He had rolled around battlefields for over 10 years.
But one must pick their battles.
The number of enemies is at least 50.
On the other hand, this side has six.
Since the driver was killed in action, there are now five.
Anyone can see it's a disadvantageous fight.
“Is it a habit of yours to spit out obvious facts?”
Ered took out the duffel bag he had kept in the luggage compartment.
He began to arm himself by taking out the weapons sleeping inside one by one.
“Think of it as an extension of the mission. Taking me safely to Senev. That's the command you received, isn't it?”
A small problem just occurred during the mission.
So, as a result, you are not disobeying orders.
That was the meaning behind Ered's words.
“…Understood. Everyone dismount.”
Vardi reluctantly relayed the command to the soldiers.
While thinking it was a reckless instruction beyond compare.
“…….”
A heavy silence hung among the soldiers.
That silence was not long.
The soldiers quickly hid themselves using the carriage as a shield.
The command of a superior is absolute.
No right to refuse exists.
They simply move faithfully according to the command.
Even if it is a path toward a dead end.
However, they couldn't hide their expressions.
Despair was cast over the faces of the soldiers.
This is a suicide mission.
This place will become their grave.
Everyone harbored such thoughts.
“Wait. Those guys are... .”
Vardi, who was observing the enemies' movements, groaned.
“Do you know them?”
“It’s the Black Hound. I’m certain seeing them armed with black-painted light armor.”
“Black Hound?”
“They are a small elite unit of the Republic active on the Eastern Outskirts Front.”
Vardi quickly added an explanation.
“They are guys who roam all over the front lines, dismantling the Imperial Army's formations and inducing confusion.”
They are notorious.
Their specialty is launching ambushes from blind spots and relentlessly biting and annihilating the units dismantled in the process.
Truly like hunting dogs, just like the name Black Hound.
“Elite?”
Ered harbored a sneer.
“Well, that’s not entirely wrong.”
It takes 3 hours to arrive at Senev from the airport.
Currently, it’s just past the 2-hour mark.
It's still a long way to reach Senev.
In other words, this is strictly Imperial territory.
It means the front line was breached by the Black Hound.
“Vardi.”
“Yes.”
“If we leave those guys alone, they’ll go around desecrating the territory of the great Empire as they please.”
Those words were not wrong.
Currently, there is no one to stop the black hunting dogs of the Republic.
‘Right. It’s only us.’
Vardi's expression became determined.
He could request support from headquarters via radio, but the distance is far.
They would arrive at least an hour later.
‘Since it’s come to this... .’
At first, he had felt resistance to Ered's reckless command.
But the die is already cast.
There is no turning back.
‘A Prominence is the Empire's greatest elite soldier.’
A human weapon—no, a combat machine that even surpasses humans.
They are also rare and precious beings.
This was the first time even for Vardi, a soldier of 10 years, to be directly involved with a Prominence.
Information regarding a Prominence is extremely limited. Still, one thing was certain.
‘There’s no way a Prominence would volunteer for a fight they can't win.’
For now, there is no choice but to trust Ered.
That was the decision Vardi made.
Bang!
Vardi's rifle spat fire.
With that as a signal, the soldiers also began to return fire.
The distance from the Black Hound is less than 100 meters.
Even if one isn't a Prominence, it's a distance where one can easily score a hit if they possess above-average marksmanship.
Is it because they've experienced numerous wars?
The marksmanship of Vardi and the soldiers wasn't bad.
The problem lay elsewhere.
Vardi accurately hit the head of the enemy soldier running in the lead.
Nevertheless, the guy was fine.
He stumbled for a moment after being hit by the bullet, but that was all.
The guy didn't care and steadily narrowed the distance with Ered's group.
The Black Hound is a light armor infantry unit.
Ordinary light armor cannot block a bullet.
‘The bullet was deflected midway.’
Ered saw through it instantly.
It was a split-second moment, but it wasn't a difficult task for him, whose vision was maximized.
‘An almost transparent force field was generated, bouncing the bullet away.’
It isn't magic engineering technology.
Primitive magic.
It is uncivilized beyond compare.
The age of pure magic has entered its twilight. It has already been over 300 years.
The reason is simple.
Because magic engineering completely replaced traditional magic.
No, it’s not replacement.
It is a superior compatibility.
Humanity is an animal of evolution.
But the Republic bastards are still adhering to worn-out traditions.
‘Force Field.’
Identifying the nature of the magic wasn't difficult.
It was a fact that could be sufficiently grasped just by looking at the form of the field.
‘Now I get it.’
The reason the enemies were approaching boldly with their whole bodies exposed.
Because they had something to rely on, they didn't even use basic cover.
Vardi's face became anxious.
The battle situation was getting more and more disadvantageous.
In particular, the damage to the vehicle was serious.
It was in a state of rags due to being showered with bullets.
They can't hide behind the carriage forever.
The vehicle, from which black smoke was rising, was in a state where it wouldn't be strange for it to explode at any moment.
Even so, not a single hint of bewilderment could be seen from his superior, Ered.
‘He must have already thought of an alternative.’
Vardi waited for the command that would follow.
‘I have to be prepared.’
He was planning to volunteer as a meat shield if necessary.
Even if everyone dies, the Prominence must be protected at all costs.
Because the value of a Prominence's life and an ordinary person's life are not equal.
But the command that flowed from Ered's mouth was far from Vardi's expectations.
“Stay still. It won't take long.”
“…Pardon?”
Vardi was left with a blank face.
‘Weren't we fighting together?’
It was an incomprehensible command.
Ered lightly tapped the shoulder of the bewildered Vardi and brushed past him.
He walks out slowly.
Toward the Black Hound.
“L-Lord Ered!?”
As Vardi tried to follow him out in horror, Ered's face became serious.
“Hold your position. If you don't want to die.”
The gazes of the hunting dogs focused on Ered.
A truly reckless act.
Even the enemies' continuous firing stopped for an instant.
Ered's behavior had felt absurd.
“Right. It’s about time you surrendered.”
One of the hunting dogs sneered.
“Sorry, but we don't take prisoners. Because the food we'd have to share with you guys is a waste.”
The hunting dogs laughed, every single one of them.
“I agree. That’s why I didn't pack any food waste separately either.”
As Ered countered, the giggling stopped in an instant.
“Why you bastard!”
One flared-up hunting dog aimed his musket.
The muzzle aimed at the heart.
Bang!
The musket was fired immediately.
At that moment.
Ered's eyes became even closer to the color of blood.
The direction of the muzzle.
The gaze of the shooter.
Even the timing of pulling the trigger.
He sees it all.
He avoided the bullet.
With just a minimum of movement.
“Hey! You can't even hit that one thing properly?”
The hunting dogs got angry at their comrade who missed.
“Marvelous marksmanship. That gun must be proud that you are its owner.”
“Shut up!”
As if responding to Ered's sarcasm, dozens of bullets poured out simultaneously.
Ered's eyes rolled busily.
He reads the trajectory of the bullets.
The method to avoid bullets is easy.
One just needs to not allow themselves to be in a straight line with the muzzle.
Just that.
Peing—!
The first bullet was avoided by lightly tilting his head back.
The second bullet, a half-step move diagonally to the right.
The third, he escaped by twisting his waist vertically.
The bullets couldn't leave a single scratch on him.
In fact, it's okay to get hit by a few gunshots.
A Prominence has a body harder than steel and can crush rocks with their bare hands.
Besides that, all sorts of mana circuits helpful in combat were in an active state.
He is a being that has far surpassed the human category in every aspect.
Nevertheless, there was a separate reason why Ered went out of his way to avoid the bullets.
Although the Red Magic Stone is the greatest magic resource, it doesn't have infinite capacity.
To withstand gunshots, he would have to activate additional mana circuits.
He would have to strengthen his physical durability and resistance.
‘Against small fry like this, specifically?’
It’s a waste of mana.
“…Avoiding?”
The hunting dogs muttered blankly.
An unrealistic sight.
Unless they are fools, they have no choice but to realize it soon.
This is by no means a coincidence.
Shring.
Ered drew his sword.
Arcane Sword.
The exclusive weapon of a Prominence.
His Arcane Sword was of a size similar to a rapier.
It's easy to handle with one hand and its weight is light, allowing for mobility.
Combat in limited spaces was also easy.
It’s a personal preference.
Arcane Swords are strictly custom-made.
Depending on the Prominence's preference, the form of the sword varied immensely.
He tilted the blade diagonally.
Ping!
The bullet that aimed for his heart was deflected at an angle.
“Why don't you try aiming better?”
A cold smile was drawn on Ered's lips.
The pupils of the hunting dogs trembled.
Something was seriously wrong.
“W-Wait a minute.”
The guy who was in the lead pointed his finger toward Ered.
“That guy’s eyes are red—"
Crunch!
The guy's force field was split in a single blow.
Broken particles of mana scattered like glass.
“Uh... ?”
The guy gasped.
A force field being broken?
This easily?
It’s terrifying monstrous strength.
Now there was nothing that could protect him.
“No way—"
Fragments of unfinished words were scattered in the air.
A head soaring high into the sky.
Ered savored the sensation of the hand holding the sword.
It’s the first time.
Cutting an enemy's neck in actual combat.
It wasn't his first killing.
He had also executed death row inmates during cadet training. To get used to killing.
However, it was a distinctly different feeling from then.
The skill of avoiding and deflecting bullets.
From quickly narrowing the distance to finishing the enemy in a single blow.
The whole process was perfect.
Just as he had practiced.
Indeed, effort does not betray.
I’m so excited.
Laughter leaked out involuntarily at the overflowing satisfaction.
“…….”
The hunting dogs were stunned.
Horror.
Fear.
Wonder.
Confusion... .
The emotions they harbored were each slightly different, but everyone harbored the same thought.
‘We’re screwed.’