Chapter 152: |
The sudden attack threw Jalalabad into chaos.
While it is true that the Caliphate is known for its 24/7 civil war, an attack of this magnitude on a trading port like Jalalabad is historically rare.
The port’s city defenses weren’t that weak to begin with.
As a result, Crown Prince Saladin and his entourage, who were on a tour of Jalalabad, were caught in a dire situation.
“Attend to His Highness the Crown Prince!”
“Move swiftly!”
The knights of Caliphate reacted to the suddenness of the situation and tried to evacuate Crown Prince Saladin to safety.
However, things were not going well.
*Whoosh!* *Boom!*
The explosions that occurred throughout Jalalabad did not discriminate between time and place.
Wherever there was a large building, an explosion would go off, taking lives and causing massive casualties.
It wasn’t just that.
“Attack the filthy Pamirs! Kill the Pamir prince!”
“We have waited for this day! O great Nuristan! Kill all the Pamirs!”
“Do not leave them alive because they are foreigners! Kill every living person!”
Hundreds of Nuristan warriors, the main culprits in the planning and execution of the attack, appeared and began to slaughter indiscriminately.
The attacks of the Nuristan forces were fierce.
In addition to having formidable combat power, the Caliphs were distinguished by their fearlessness in the face of death.
“Prince of the Pamirs!”
A Nuristan warrior ran toward the prince’s group.
“Holy shit!”
“Nooooooo!”
Three knights hastily formed a human barrier.
“For Nuristan!”
*Boom!*
Accompanying the shouts of the Nuristan warriors, a powerful explosion engulfed the knights forming the barrier.
The resulting effect.
“You bastards!”
“Kkeeukk!”
The crown prince’s entourage gritted their teeth as they saw the knights who had formed the defense wall being blown to pieces.
They were colleagues who were with them not too long ago….
However, there was no time to mourn.
“Long live Nuristan!”
“For Nuristan!”
“For Nuristan!”
Nuristan warriors, clad in bomb vests made from magic stones, were closing in from all directions.
They had one goal.
To eliminate the crown prince, Prince Saladin.
To achieve that goal, the Nuristan warriors were willing to throw their own lives away.
Even if it meant they had to detonate their explosive vests and blow themselves up….
“Your Majesty, please go, you must go, we will block them!”
“Sir Yusuf, how can I leave you behind!”
“His Highness must live, so go, Go, take the crown prince away!”
Yusuf ordered his knights.
“Your Majesty, we will escort you!”
“We need to go!”
The knights dragged Crown Prince Saladin away.
“Let go of me! Let me go! Release me now! How can I possibly be the only one who escapes with my life!”
Crown Prince Saladin struggled with all his strength, but was unable to resist the several knights who were holding onto him and dragging him away.
“It was an honor to serve you, Your Highness.”
Yusuf knelt down on one knee to bow to the crown prince as he was being dragged away, then turned around without hesitation.
Drawing his sword, he faced the Nuristan warriors who were charging at him along with the knights.
“Sir Yusuf, Yusuf, Aaaaah!”
At that moment, Crown Prince Saladin screamed as he watched Yusuf’s back as he faced them down.
*BOOOOM!!*
A huge explosion erupted, enveloping Yusuf and the knights who had followed him.
“Aaah… Aaaaaaah!”
Anguish and grief burst from Crown Prince Saladin’s mouth.
To lose a loyal servant who had stood by his side from the time he was just a toddler until now…….
“Sir Yusuf… Yusuf!”
Crown Prince Saladin stumbled to the ground.
“We must go, Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
“Carry His Highness, quickly!”
The knights hoisted the crown prince, who was on the verge of fainting, and galloped off at full speed.
* * * Support the Translator by reading it in GalaxyTranslation97 Website, and NOT IN Aggregator Site * * *
* * * * Read in GalaxyTranslation97 Website * * * *
Otto hastily disembarked and immediately gave orders to his men.
“Kairos.”
“Say it.”
“I need you to lend me some of your Soul Knights.”
“Hmm?”
“Two per squad, if possible. That way, we can prevent any potential suicide attacks.”
“You want me to use my own men as shields?”
“They’re not going to die anyway. I’m sure the Soul Knights’ armor will be enough to withstand the damage.”
“I suppose so.”
Kairos strongly agreed with Otto.
“Well. The Caliphs have always been known to be nasty. It’s a smart decision, Pansy.”
Kairos acknowledged Otto’s tactical judgment and assigned two Soul Knights to each squad of the Kingdom of Lota troops.
“Qasim.”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“Gui, Guiick!”
“Take command of our forces and find Sir Camille. The priority is to find Camille.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Never get close to them and counter with ranged attacks whenever possible. If someone charges, use the Soul Knights as shields. If you get caught in a suicide bombing attack, you’re dead.”
Otto knew the Caliphs would detonate their vests when they got impatient, so he repeated his instructions to Qasim.
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind!”
Qasim led his men as if he’d been waiting for Otto to delegate this task to him.
Leaving Qasim in charge of his troops, Otto set out with Kairos to find Camille.
‘It’s a dog’s death.’
Otto knew all too well what it was like to be killed in a suicide bombing, how meaningless and hollow it was.
That feeling you get when someone you care about is caught in an explosion and gone in an instant….
‘Please don’t die. I’m sure you won’t die here.’
Otto was worried about Camille.
His fighting style forced him to be in close proximity to his enemies, and if the bomb vest went off, it could be very dangerous.
If he’s not careful, he might be….
*Shudder!*
Otto could only imagine the horror, so he rushed to find him.
Unfortunately, it was no easy task to find a person in all this chaos.
*Boom!*
*Boom!* *Splatter!* *Boom!*
Explosions were occurring in every direction.
“Kyaaaaaaa!”
“Arrrgghhhh!”
“Die, you filthy foreigners!”
Indiscriminate slaughter was taking place, with no distinction between people who were foreign and those who were local.
“You filthy foreigners, dirtying our land!”
Just then, a Nuristan warrior ran toward Otto’s group in an attempt to blow them to bits.
But….
*Boom!*
The blast barely made a dent in Agato, Hildegard, and Maximus.
“Hehehe, you insignificant little thing!”
“What, you call that an attack?
“It tickles me, Hahaha!”
The armor made of [Obsidium], and the defensive capacity of the Soul Knights, was staggering.
The attack from the suicide blast hadn’t even left a tiny scratch.
All that was left was a bit of soot and the splatter of the enemy’s bits that exploded with a bang….
“Hehehe, you’ve got an amazingly good head for being a pansy.”
“What the hell?”
“How dare you think of using my men as shields.”
“You dare? I will use them because they are useful.”
With that, Otto continued his search for Camille.
And then, suddenly.
“Your Majesty!”
In the distance, Camille picked up a young man and shouted at Otto.
“Brother!”
Otto’s face lit up when he realized that Camille was alive.
He’d been worried that he’d been caught in a suicide blast, but apparently it was a figment of his imagination.
“Are you okay?”
“As you can see, I’m fine.”
Camille was a little sunburnt, but otherwise unharmed.
“That’s good. But who… Huh?”
Otto recognized the young man that Camille dragged with him, and was appalled.
” No way, isn’t he… Prince Saladin?”
“I’m not sure about that.”
“Where did you meet this person?”
“I found him lying on the ground, and I didn’t want to leave him alone, so I picked him up.”
“Oh, my God.”
Otto was dumbfounded to see that Camille had picked up one of the Lord characters, Crown Prince Saladin.
Last time, Qasim had picked up Pengyi¹, a Lord, but this time, Camille had picked up another Lord, Prince Saladin….
“Wasn’t there anyone with him?”
Otto asked Camille.
“What about the other knights? The crown prince wouldn’t have been alone, right?”
“They must have been wiped out by the enemy attack. There was no one else around when I found him.”
“I wonder if Yusuf….”
At that time.
“Sir….. Yusuf.”
A muffled murmur escaped the unconscious Crown Prince’s mouth.
“Ah.”
Otto understood what had transpired in the crown prince’s dreams, and sighed heavily.
‘Yusuf is no longer alive.’
Otto, who had gained an in-depth knowledge of this world through the game, knew all too well what Yusuf’s death meant to Prince Saladin.
‘Why do we meet here at a time like this? Phew.’
Otto let out a deep sigh, then looked back at Camille.
“Let’s get back to the fleet.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Then Kairos interjected.
“You mean to tell me we’re just going to return to the fleet now, in the middle of a battle?”
“It’s not worth it.”
Otto stated bluntly.
“Didn’t you say you were going to help?”
“I was going to.”
“Then why are you backing out now?”
“Because it’s almost over.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s not like previous wars, it’s not a rebellion, it’s just terrorism, and we’ll only spill our own blood if we get involved. I care more about my people.”
With those words, Otto turned and strode off in the direction of the Fleet.
* * * Support the Translator by reading it in GalaxyTranslation97 Website, and NOT IN Aggregator Site * * *
* * * * Read in GalaxyTranslation97 Website * * * *
Otto’s prediction was correct.
The attack, which continued for some time, suddenly ceased.
The enemies that had been rampaging through the City of Jalalabad had completely disappeared.
All that remained was a half-burning city and the sobs of grieving people….
“Why did we withdraw?”
Kairos asked Otto, still not understanding why the order to withdraw had been issued.
“Why? Because they’ve already accomplished their objective. Well, half and half, to be exact.”
“Half?”
“They weren’t trying to take the harbor. If they were, they would have brought an army. Look.”
Otto pointed to the burning Jalalabad.
“Do you see an army?”
“I don’t see them.”
“They stirred up trouble, so why didn’t they send an army?”
“Uh, that’s it.”
Kairos hesitated to answer.
“Their purpose wasn’t to take over in the first place, which is why I said it wasn’t a war.”
“Then what is it?”
“Ugh.”
Otto sighed heavily, giving Kairos a pitying look.
“All you know how to do is beat the crap out of things, huh?”
“What?”
“Oh, God, Mr. Ogma.”
Otto sighed.
“I wonder how you ever managed to live with such a fool, and how rotten your insides must be? Aah!”
“You insolent bastard!”
“Think, just think.”
Otto snapped at Kairos.
“What kind of power do the Rebels have to take over this big port city?”
“Hmm?”
“If they had that kind of power, they’d do it in open combat. Why would they plant bombs and self-destruct or something?”
Otto explained to Kairos in frustration.
“Their primary goal was to undermine the trust in Caliphate.”
“Trust?”
“A major incident like this in a port where ships from all over the world are coming in and out, would you want to keep trading with them? You never know what’s going to happen? Their goal is to destroy the Caliphate’s national credibility. They want to create the perception that security is unreliable, so trade won’t take place.”
“Oh?”
“Then, of course, the national finances would be jeopardized, and the central government, the royal family, would be shaken.”
“Are you saying it’s some kind of guerrilla activity, Pansy?”
“Correct.”
Otto nodded.
“That was the primary objective, and the secondary… right here.”
Otto looked down at the still unconscious Crown Prince Saladin.
“I’m sure they’ve been conducting surveillance, looking for any high-value targets to eliminate or capture, and then the crown prince comes in for an inspection, and that’s when they’ve decided this is the time to set off the bombs. It’s a very long, thorough, prepared, and planned attack.”
“Mmm! I see!”
“Unfortunately, thanks to Camille’s intervention, the secondary objective was foiled. But it doesn’t matter, because the primary goal has already been accomplished.”
Otto said, pointing to the burning Jalalabad.
“…Excuse me.”
The unconscious Crown Prince Saladin gradually stirred.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Peng, Pengyi, Peng-yi one of the Lord/Monarch Characters of the Tundria Region.
Example: In romanized Korean names, a two-syllable given name is spelled as a joined word (Gildong), or separated by a hyphen (Gil-dong) or a space (Gil Dong); in other words, Gildong, Gil-dong, and Gil Dong are all the same given name.
