32 – Wobbly-legged Effect (3)
They followed Geralt and approached the castle gate.
At that moment, multiple Briton Empire soldiers suddenly appeared on the wall, aiming their guns.
“Stop! If you come any closer, we’ll shoot!”
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“Hmm…”
Soldiers from the empire warned in a cold tone.
Seeing their intention to shoot at any moment, Geralt spoke calmly.
“Listen, soldiers of the Briton Empire! We are Devil Hunters who came to eliminate the demons lurking around here. We wish to discuss matters related to the demons nearby and request to meet your representative.”
“Devil Hunters?”
“Ha… Stop talking nonsense! Even if you claim to be hunters of demons, you are ultimately soldiers of the Franz Kingdom! Do you think we don’t know that you’re trying to drive us out with your dirty tricks?”
The soldiers from the empire showed a slight flinch, but quickly returned to their tough attitude.
However, Geralt maintained his relaxed demeanor and spoke to them.
“I heard that the Briton Empire is a noble country, but apparently that’s not true. Even if we are enemies, don’t you know how to show basic respect?”
“Damn!”
“I’ll say it again, we are Devil Hunters, not soldiers or officers of the Franz Kingdom. Our purpose here is not to defeat you, but to exterminate the demons. If you don’t want us all to perish in the hands of the demons, I suggest you comply with my request.”
The soldiers from the empire showed some hesitation in response to Geralt’s words.
At that moment, a person’s figure began to appear among them.
A woman with a noticeable appearance, despite the distance.
With blonde hair and golden eyes, she spoke to the soldiers in a serious tone.
“Let them in.”
“But General Nelson?”
“If you think about it, you could say they are also some kind of messengers. It is a principle not to disturb each other’s messengers during war. At least, we should listen to what they have to say.”
“Um…”
“Ah… I understand.”
At the words of the woman who appeared to be a commander,
Although not enthusiastically, the soldiers moved according to the order.
As the tightly closed castle gate opened, the Devil Hunters, including Gellert, entered the castle.
*
“It is said that Gellert Mura is the leader of Devil Hunters 3.”
“He is called Horaie Nelson, the commander of the Britannian Empire.”
Speaking in a calm tone, the female general, who stood behind me at that time, Gabrielle, said with a voice tinged with surprise.
“Nelson? Could it be… that Nelson, the commander of the Britannian Empire?”
“Oh… Since you know about me, it seems you have some ties to that side?”
“Commander?”
I had guessed that he would hold a certain high position, but I felt slightly surprised at the higher position than I had imagined.
If he is the commander of the Empire, he is practically the highest authority in the military, second only to the emperor.
Simultaneously, in this world where an individual’s power is closely associated with their status, it could be said that I was the top strongman of the Britannian Empire.
“In the first part, they sent just a regular general and now it’s the supreme commander… It’s clear that the Britannian Empire has put a lot of effort into this.”
It was more challenging compared to the first part…
However, thinking differently, I focused my attention on the ‘enemy leader’ who seemed to have a lot of usefulness and calmly spoke.
“You are the supreme commander of the Empire… This formidable figure is even more impressive than I expected. So, what brings someone like you to Calen?”
“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Calen is only about 40 km away from our Britannian Empire, it’s practically our backyard. We can’t just stand by while demons rampage here.”
Nelson spoke confidently, with a sense of justification.
As she spoke, Gabriel’s face contorted more and more, but she continued with a seemingly amused expression.
“Furthermore, this place used to be part of the Britannian Empire’s territory until 200 years ago. Even for the sake of the old alliance, we can’t just leave the people suffering here. It is the compassionate will of our Emperor.”
“Stop talking nonsense! There’s a limit to audacity. By what right does the Emperor of Britannia interfere in the territory of the Kingdom of France? This is an obvious act of aggression! Right now, on this land…”
“Gabriel.”
“!… Urgh…”
“For now, be quiet. As I mentioned earlier, there is something more important at hand.”
Gabriel expressed her anger towards Nelson, unable to bear it any longer.
In response, I raised my hand to calm her down and then turned my serious expression towards Nelson.
“Well, let’s overlook the details for now. As I mentioned before, we are not soldiers, but devil hunters. In this situation where demons are right in front of us, we will remain faithful to our mission of protecting humans from demons. Even if they are enemy soldiers.”
“Oh… Does that mean… you’ll devote your strength to exterminating demons with us… Can I take it that way?”
Nelson showed an expression that seemed interested in my words.
In response to that, I gave her a light smile and spoke.
“Isn’t that why we were brought into this? We’re the ones who could easily snap your necks depending on the situation.”
“! No, the author…”
“How dare you be rude to the Commander-in-Chief…”
“Enough.”
The soldiers of the Britannian Empire were quite sensitive in response to my words.
However,
In response to this, Nelson, just as he stopped Gabriel, also raised his hand to deter them.
“You are quite confident, but don’t you think provoking is a little excessive? This is enemy territory from your perspective. As a lion, I try to show manners, but depending on the situation, I could easily bury all of you without anyone knowing.”
“Unfortunately, I already know that you can’t do that. At least someone as high-ranking as a Commander-in-Chief wouldn’t do something foolish like cutting off the only lifeline to survive in this situation.”
“!..”
Nelson was the first to slightly break his expression at those words.
In response, I slowly sipped the tea that was prepared in front of me and spoke in a solemn voice.
“I have clashed with demons several times to get here. In other words, this area is already surrounded by demons. Considering their nature, the situation at sea would be even more dreadful. While we have pushed our way through until Calais, we are currently surrounded by demons. Isn’t that your current situation?”
“…”
Based on the events from Part 1, I deduced the current situation and spoke.
Upon hearing this, Nelson maintained a blank expression for a moment and remained silent.
A look of confusion, stemming from hitting the nail on the head, was evident.
However,
Soon, she wore an even deeper smile than before and spoke to me.
“Indeed… Your insight as a leader seems to be as remarkable as the power you possess… The same could be said for that monstrous woman last time, but there are too many capable individuals in the Franz Kingdom.”
(Note: This translation may not capture the exact atmosphere and word choice as the original excerpt.
“Accept compliments gratefully. So, was my submitted answer really correct?”
A voice filled with a slight leisure.
Upon hearing this, Nelson shrugged his shoulders and let out a sigh.
“…sigh. It’s meaningless to show off when we’re already well aware of the situation. Yes, you’re right. Our current situation is simply about holding off the endless onslaught of demons pouring out of Cale, without even being able to contact our homeland. We’re even starting to run out of ammunition and supplies.”
Nelson spoke with an attitude that seemed half-giving up.
And that’s because, while the British Imperial Army was considered a formidable force in warfare against humans, they were relatively weaker in battles against demons due to their lack of experience and disadvantageous match-ups.
Even in the original work, the protagonist was defeated several times, but their ultimate downfall was due to the increasingly overwhelming demon forces that they couldn’t handle.
In a similar situation now,
Nelson looked at me and asked a question with a tone of resignation and sarcasm.
“So? Let’s say our situation is like that, but do you, the great devil hunter, have any way to deal with those demons?”
At this moment, hundreds of demons were crawling up to the mainland, not even in a major operational area, and it was estimated that there would be thousands of them.
In response to Nelson’s question about whether there was a way to deal with them, I smiled confidently and spoke.
“It might be inconvenient to treat you the same way, but we devil hunters hunt demons. We have plenty of methods, so if you want to go home alive, you should cooperate quietly.”
“hahahahaha, so you’re saying you won’t kick us out of here even if we do this and that? Well, fine. Let’s first drive out the demons and then we can talk slowly. Until then, I’ll lend you a special hand.”
“Com… Commander!”
“Ah… no, are you really going to join forces with the authors? And those Franz Kingdom bastards… “
The soldiers objected once again to Nelson’s words.
However, Nelson, still with a smile on his face, spoke seriously to them.
“You guys don’t really intend to trap yourselves here, do you? If that’s not the case, then follow the orders for now. Even if they’re stronger than us, joining forces is the right answer for now.”
“*Cough…*
*Ugh…*
After suppressing the soldiers’ resistance,
Nelson looked at me and asked with what I thought to be a rather beautiful smile,
“So, what do we do now?”