Chapter 126: Rocinante

One step. Two. Three—

By about the third step, thinking up an excuse had already become a pain, so I gave up.

I checked my terminal. A0, made up of Tiger Unit, Snake Unit, Monkey Unit, Rooster Unit, and Dog Unit, was outside communication range. Rooster Unit’s message—not a note left behind, but close enough—read: Tracking begun.

They would handle it well enough.

That was what I thought.

“You! What do you think you’re doing?! Ignoring my orders like that!”

“Listen, boss… better watch what you say next. Depending on what comes out of that mouth, you’re gonna—”

The look he gave me was aggressive.

I could not even be bothered to despise him.

“Shut up, incompetent.”

One sentence.

“Hey, you! What is that attitude?”

“…I really don’t think that’s appropriate.”

The women started making noise too.

Without a word, I removed my head armor and showed them my face.

“Huh?”

That alone silenced the men.

“Hey, apologize! Do you have any idea how much trouble your selfish stunt caused us—”

The women, however, did not stop.

“Hey, Caster.”

“?”

“I am talking to you. To you. The incompetent commander who cannot even listen to a subordinate’s advice. The worthless piece of luggage not worth hauling. Ever since that defense battle, that is what I have called you. Do you understand? You do, don’t you? Then answer me, Incompetent Commander Caster.”

“…Y-yes.”

“Too quiet. You cannot even answer properly? Fine. I never expected anything from you to begin with. —Shut that down.”

Wiseman desperately stopped the women, who looked ready to flare up even hotter at my attitude, while Caster desperately made excuses to them.

The excuses were awful.

Of course they were. All the strength the two men had been using as proof belonged to me. If the foundation was wrong from the start, decorating it with words could only go so far.

Dealing with them was idiotic.

I would stop dealing with them.

“Injury report.”

I called to the children treating the wounded beyond the makeshift trench.

“I’m the only one injured from the squad. Bruising, minor wound. Among the protected group, three light injuries. But one…”

Yuno answered as their representative. Her words trailed off, and I followed her gaze.

There was a little girl.

Her right leg was covered in blood.

Ah.

Shrapnel, then.

They must have wanted living cargo.

The first shot—probably from a launcher—had been fired into the lower center of the bus to stop it. The bus wall shattered when it hit, and a piece had stabbed into her. Yuno, who had been in a similar position, was unhurt because she had been wearing Centipede. Even brittle plastic was harder than human skin, and when it broke, it became sharp.

“…Sheep Unit, please.”

I handed it off to Sheep Unit, the only one with any medical knowledge.

It did not reach the bone. But there was a lot of blood. She should be shown to a doctor quickly.

That was about as much as my amateur judgment could tell.

I checked the map.

Going back would be faster from our current position.

The large units that could handle ball-wheel duty were Ox Unit, Dragon Unit, Horse Unit, and Boar Unit.

It would work.

Let us modify the bus.

“Sheep Unit—no, not you.”

Monkey Unit was not here either. None of the ones good at construction were present.

But all Monoz, without exception, were first-rate combat engineers.

No problem.

“Dragon Unit, Horse Unit, Boar Unit. Repair bus three. Thicken the armor. We’ll basically be packing everyone in, so there’s no need to make more room, but prepare one bed.

“Ox Unit, bring me the Hound Model and the Type Five. Help me put them on. After that, support Sheep Unit.

“Rat Unit, Rabbit Unit, scan the area. Watch for a separate detachment.”

Ox Unit rolled over and opened its mouth. Inside was a rolled-up Centipede.

I stripped off the Aragane I was wearing and began putting on the Hound Model I knew.

Red threads the color of blood—DNA filaments—coiled around my artificial spinal cord. For an instant, the added senses sent noise skittering across my vision. I locked the armor fully into place and spoke.

“Begin synchronization.”

I clenched my right hand. Opened it. Clenched it again.

The gap between the body inside and the body outside was crushed flat. The external flesh began to function as mine.

I left the head armor off, put on my hat instead, and shouldered the Type Five.

Once I was ready, Sheep Unit rolled over. Apparently, the treatment was finished.

“Thank you. That helped.”

At those words, it gave a short beep, as if to say not to worry about it. Then it rolled off toward the construction team to take command of the bus modifications.

***

We were attacked.

We drove them off.

They retreated.

The separate detachment followed.

If we did not know the location, then we would have them guide us there.

That was the kind of plan I had chosen.

To make that happen, we needed to pretend to be weak and let them bite.

For that, I could not be the Hound. I needed to be a weak mercenary with no name and no face. And I used the children as bait to play that role.

Well.

It would be fair to say it had worked. There had been trouble, but A0 had caught the enemy and was tracking them.

“…Rabbit Unit, this isn’t a mistake—no, it doesn’t look like one.”

But this was unexpected.

Through the binoculars, I saw dust rising.

Several six-wheeled trucks came into view. Vehicles built on a technical system different from the one used in this era—one of the marks of our current target, the kidnappers.

“…”

Why had seconds come back for more?

I thought.

There had been cases before where they failed an attack. In those cases, they always fled to avoid leaving information behind. That was the correct judgment. I thought so too.

But this time, they came back.

A0 was outside communication range.

Meaning this was probably pure reinforcements.

I thought.

Thought it through.

No answer.

Then there was no helping it.

I would deal with the reality in front of me.

“All squad members, guard the rescued personnel on the bus. Return to town. Horse Unit, switch to Monok. Sheep Unit, help. All other Monoz, block this road.”

Fortunately, both sides of the road were Tree Crystal colonies. If we blocked the road, then unless they made a wide detour, they would not be able to pursue the bus smoothly.

Limit the battlefield.

Divide the ground, and the situation divides with it.

If strength was the ability to adapt to a situation, then naturally, the side that took the initiative and chose the battlefield first held some advantage.

As expected of Monoz.

Since they had already built a simple position once, the bus was toppled onto its side in no time, sandbags were stacked, and the road was sealed.

“Rat Unit, Rabbit Unit, with me as S1. Rat Unit, spotter as usual. Rabbit Unit, watch for further reinforcements.

“Horse Unit, Ox Unit, E1. Prepare our escape. This operation is simple. If it gets bad, we run.

“Dragon Unit, Sheep Unit, Boar Unit—and Rudo. A1. Sheep Unit, you’re the leader. Dragon Unit, Boar Unit, you both have heavy firepower, but you’re hard to handle. So I’ll say it plainly. Don’t hold back. Burn them down.”

I gave the orders, scooped up Rat Unit where it had rolled to my feet, and took position on top of the overturned bus.

Rat Unit tossed out an improvised cushion. I set the barrel on it.

Prone firing.

The enemy lead vehicle was roughly two thousand meters out.

“—”

I could hit.

So I did.

I shot out a tire.

It must have been carrying speed, because the balance went. The truck began to snake. The driver wrenched the wheel hard, trying somehow to stabilize the chassis.

Not letting that happen was my job.

“…”

Outside my awareness, my hand moved and worked the lever. My eyes held the swerving truck in sight, and the muzzle placed the next target at its tip.

—Now.

What my eyes saw was a future just slightly ahead.

While the bullet flew, the world caught up to my vision.

Just as I had aimed, the tire of the truck beside the swerving one blew out.

—Ah. That hit well.

No.

Too well, maybe.

The tire came off.

The chassis tilted hard and slammed into the first truck I had shot. Their speed dropped. Braking harder than an emergency stop was how you caused a major accident.

The two trucks seemed to be shoved forward for a moment.

Then they stopped.

The enemy advance dulled.

Only dulled, though. The column swelled out to avoid the two halted trucks, looping around them as both sides pushed forward.

Ah. As expected, anti-vehicle work with the Type Five was asking too much.

I thought that.

Should I use the Hellhound?

No. Impossible. Considering the time it would take to set up, impossible.

Still, I had a handle on it now.

“Yuno. Since you’re hurt and can’t move, I’ll give you a job. Be the leader.”

“Huh—ah, yes!”

“Good answer. Then here’s your first order. Begin retreat.”

“Yuno, understood! …Um, should we leave someone behind?”

Her reply came bright and crisp. Listening to it, I cut the world down again and looked far ahead.

“Hm? Ah, no. That’s fine. No need. It’s an ugly way to put it, but—”

I pulled the trigger, worked the lever, pulled the trigger again.

Five shots.

One clip.

“They would only get in the way.”

A truck toppled over.

If I hit the axle, its own weight helped tear the tire loose. But it was difficult. A valid tactic, yes, but not a battlefield suited to me.

That was what I thought.

So—

“Don’t worry about me. Just get out of here quickly. I’d like to run away as quickly as possible too.”

“U-understood!”

For someone who was not a sniper, perhaps the sight had been too much stimulation. Yuno looked blank for a moment. Even so, she came back to herself and headed for the bus—

“Wait!”

And an idiot raised his voice.

I wanted to ignore him.

But idiots did not understand reason, and the bigger the idiot, the louder the voice. Such was the way of the world. There was a chance Yuno would be overwhelmed, so I had no choice.

The enemy lead had slowed somewhat, so the distance was about fifteen hundred meters now. Even so, we had less than a minute until contact.

I wanted to finish this waste of time quickly.

That was my honest feeling.

“Wait—We won’t get on the bus either.”

“…”

“I know you hate me. Even so, let me—let us fight too!”

Caster and his companions looked strangely resolved.

“…Go ahead.”

At my permission, the men hid behind the bus and the women hid behind the sandbags. Apparently, they intended to provide support fire from there.

“…You were planning to get on the bus…?”

Yuno said it in a tone that practically asked, Are you serious?

She had spoken for me.

How shameless could they be?

Do not worry.

There are no seats for you anyway.

***

Some great man once said that battle was numbers.

Even Caster and Wiseman had the basics of being soldiers, at least.

Even if I could not count them as one apiece, surely I could count them as half.

That was my judgment.

“Then grab onto the bus. Fall back one thousand meters and rebuild the position. Sheep Unit—ah, this Monoz here. Place yourselves under his command.”

“Sheep Unit? But that’s a Monoz.”

“Yes. A Monoz. And? We don’t have time. If you have complaints, don’t volunteer. Save the enthusiastic posturing for later. Well? What will you do? Three, two, one, zero.”

I clapped my hands.

Paan.

That sent Caster and the others running. They grabbed onto the side of the bus and were carried off.

Thirty seconds left.

The enemy vanguard should be entering the Tree Crystal colony soon.

Good position.

“Dragon Unit.”

Do it.

That alone was enough for my team’s heaviest firepower to breathe fire.

No need for petty tricks like aiming at axles.

This was power that left steady work behind. It blew the trucks apart and flipped them over. The road was blocked. If they wanted to chase us by truck, they would have to detour.

That was the situation it created.

Originally, after this, we would have toyed with them a little and run, but—

“Ox Unit, tow Dragon Unit. Fall back fifteen hundred meters. Dragon Unit, recharge. S1, A1, withdraw. We’re falling back fifteen hundred too.”

Now we pulled back immediately.

The drum cans began emerging from the overturned trucks. Some started dismantling the trucks. Most came toward us.

Yes. Of course. Even if it cost them mobility, they had no choice but to abandon the vehicles.

That said, leaving the drum cans aside, the drum tanks were fast. I had no time to stand around watching. I mounted Horse Unit and ran too.

Thirty seconds of running.

One thousand meters back.

What waited there could not even be called sandbags.

Foamed construction material mixed with dirt had formed earth-colored cream, still steaming.

It had been placed in spots along the road.

A desperate measure to make the enemy choose their route.

I poked it lightly with one finger. It changed shape as easily as a sponge. At this rate, it would collapse the moment anyone walked into it.

“Will this harden?”

“Yeah, it’ll be fine!”

I had asked Sheep Unit.

Wiseman answered.

“…”

Sheep Unit blinked as if to say there was no problem.

I see.

Then fine.

“We crushed their trucks. Hold the incoming enemy soldiers here.”

“And what will you do?”

“I’ll fall back farther and support you.”

“That’s—!”

“Wait!”

Caster stopped the women, who looked ready to say something.

“Can I trust you?”

“…”

That was my line.

Put into the language of the adult world, though, it became—

“Of course.”

So heavily processed it no longer resembled the original. Strange, how society managed to run on things like that.

“Reorganizing. Rudo, Boar Unit, A1. Join the defense here.

“Ox Unit, Dragon Unit, A2. You too. However, Ox Unit, maintain towing posture. Dragon Unit is the only one joining the attack. —Ah, keep some distance. We’re dealing with small fry. Deploy ball drones and increase the number of attacks rather than the power.

“Rat Unit, Sheep Unit, Rabbit Unit, Horse Unit, S1. You’re with me.”

This time, I would not look after Caster and his people.

I would let them do as they pleased. I was not counting on them, so this was enough.

We fell back five hundred meters.

I settled onto Horse Unit, raised my left knee, and braced my left elbow against it, turning myself into a gun rest. My weight rested on my right ankle.

A formal shooting stance.

With that, I shot through the drum tank running at the front.

Now then.

Match resumed.

What I needed from the front line, including Caster, was delay. If they slowed the enemy down, that was enough. If they made time, I would use it.

“…”

But this was unexpected.

They were not very useful.

I wanted Caster and the women to stop shooting. They were wasting ammunition. The only ones barely contributing were the Monoz they had brought and Wiseman.

The burden on Boar Unit and Rudo was heavy. I wanted to call them back.

But no matter how useless they were, as long as they were contributing even a little, I could not simply abandon them.

Apparently, I was a better person than I had imagined.

“—”

Change of policy.

I stopped trying to kill them cleanly by aiming for the camera eyes.

I prioritized speed and increased the rate at which I took them down.

My aim drifted. Now and then, one survived.

But its movement slowed.

That was enough.

Boar Unit’s LMG chewed through it.

The enemy advance sped up.

Why?

The instant I thought that, a message came from my spotter—Rat Unit, whose field of view was wider than mine.

Emergency: Notice of desertion under fire.

For one instant, I did not understand what I had been told.

So I lifted my face from the scope.

Caster and the others were trying to climb onto Monok.

“…And what exactly do you think you’re doing?”

My cold voice rode the comms.

『I-it’s impossible! This is—this is too much!』

“…I am providing sufficient cover. I will give the order when it is time to withdraw. Wait until then.”

It was still fine, or rather, it had been fine.

Wiseman and the Monoz had been doing their jobs.

『You can say that because you’re shooting from behind us! From somewhere safe!』

“…”

I am not good with women shouting. Sorry, but I will be turning this channel off.

“Wiseman. What about you? Your work these last few minutes has been reasonably decent.”

『H-heh. I can’t exactly betray my friends, can I?!』

He said something a protagonist would say.

“One final confirmation. If you pull back, the children who escaped ahead of us will be in danger. You understand that much, yes? You understand it, and you are still saying you will run. You are fine with that? —You are truly fine with that?”

A question.

What came back was silence.

『—』

I see.

A shame.

A shame, but nothing for it.

“Dragon Unit. Do it.”

Countless lights rose into the sky.

They were lines of light fired from the ball drones extending out from Dragon Unit. Those lines burned the enemies on that battlefield.

The enemies were Caster’s Monoz.

『—Wh—what are you—! What are you doing?!』

After a few seconds of silence, Caster’s scream slammed into me like an explosion.

I answered it.

“You are my enemies. You are enemies, so I will not protect you. I will not spare consideration for you. But you were allies once, so I have prepared a path for you to survive. If you hold them back, I will shoot for you. Operation name: Code Rocinante. Mocked as less than a donkey, he still walked, still went forward, and carried his hero to the battlefield. Learn from him. Now then. Fight like mad and become the wall.”

I cut the comms.

Their shrieking no longer reached me.

“A1, A2, fall back.”

Abandon them.

I did not say the word aloud, but the Monoz obeyed it. Rudo glanced once behind him and abandoned them too.

Caster and the others seemed to be shouting something, but they gave up almost immediately.

They had no Monoz.

So they could not run.

Which meant they had no choice but to fight.

With fewer shooters left, their warning fire stopped meaning anything, and the enemy was allowed to close easily. There was no time to change magazines. Caster and the others moved exactly as I had advised them to.

Like their lives depended on it.

Caster tackled one.

I placed a round over his head.

Wiseman stopped a drum tank by clinging to it like a desperate man.

Good movement.

One shot.

The women were a little more reckless. They grabbed their ARs by the barrels and beat the enemy down with bare-faced savagery.

“…”

Best not interfere with that.

That was my judgment.

“A1. Lend them a hand.”

Increase the number of things slowing the enemy down.

“Hff. Hff. Hff.”

I let out the breath I had drawn in, little by little.

Each time, I pulled the trigger.

Five rounds.

One clip.

When it ran dry, I breathed out long and loaded the next.

Aim.

Fire.

Do it fast.

Do it accurately.

That was the kind of machine I was.

Some time passed.

Apparently, retreat was not an option for the drum tanks. They kept fighting until, quite literally, not one of them remained.

Once we had bought enough time, Ox Unit set up the Hellhound, so I shot the trucks too.

The field of scrap spread out ahead of me was, in a sense, my work.

It served no purpose and had taken nothing but trouble to make. If I did not call it art and dress it up a little, I would not be able to stand it.

“All units, lower combat level. Scatter.”

I rapped the back of my fist once against Boar Unit’s heated body.

Good work.

I started walking toward the defensive line that had been broken through some time ago. Sheep Unit and Rudo followed, perhaps as escorts.

Caster and the others had tried.

But reality was not kind enough to guarantee miracles just because someone fought desperately.

The line had been breached long ago, then trampled flat.

And there—

“…That is surprising.”

Four young people were hiding in the shadow of the scrap.

Alive.

Stubborn, or shamelessly hard to kill, or something of the sort.

“D-don’t think you’ll get away with what you did!”

“I see. So the correct word was blessed.”

I gave a wry smile at Caster’s barking.

“What do you mea—”

This is what I mean.

I did not say it.

There was no helping that. The person I would have said it to had already ceased to be there.

Because I was not wearing my head armor, the smell of gunpowder was strong.

It came from the automatic pistol in my hand.

“—Huh?”

Before Wiseman could understand, I made understanding impossible.

That left two.

“Why…?”

The question came in a trembling voice. Killing someone of the opposite sex was, after all, a little different.

I did not get excited.

Instead, I worked to make sure my heart did not move. Naturally, that showed on my face too.

Expressionless, I told her, “For him, for Caster, this was the third time. Being incompetent is fine. But if your incompetence causes trouble for others, then it becomes harmful. And this time, even by generous standards, was unacceptable. He said it was for the children, and in the end, he abandoned them and ran. There is nothing to save there. He was a fine example of that. So I killed him. That is all.”

I aimed for the camera eye, where Centipede’s armor was thin. Put two rounds into the same spot, and the bullet started rattling around inside the helmet.

“I—this is—! This is my first time!”

“That’s true. Sorry. But technically, this is problematic behavior. Leaving aside what I think, there’s a chance the people behind Caster will make noise about it. You understand, don’t you? I dislike that. This is what they call silencing witnesses.”

“I’ll stay quiet… I’ll keep quiet!”

“Sorry. I can’t trust you.”

I put on the head armor Sheep Unit had brought me.

Mute.

I set it not to pick up outside sound, so I would not hear their screams.

I pulled the trigger four times.

I did not hear a single gunshot.

That was all.